For a long time now, the political Left has been a source of widespread puzzlement. Many people instinctively suspect its insidiousness, but are uncertain of its precise nature. The confusion is further compounded by the apparent incongruence between the Left's flowery rhetoric and the detrimental... More

Do not fear a civil war in Iraq. The strife on display is the unfortunate evolution of a burgeoning democracy. These are the last gasps from a segment of the populace reluctant to accept its diminished political clout as the country's ethnic minority. There are already signs of Sunnis backing away... More

Last week the Pew Research Center released a poll  indicating that Republicans are happier people than Democrats. I have often observed this phenomenon, so it was of particular interest to me. If you are thinking it's because we currently occupy the White House, you would be wrong. The... More

It becomes clearer with every day that the Islamist faction within the Muslim world has an idealized vision of society entirely at odds with foundations of American society, and with the values of modern civilization. Free speech (including cartoon speech), religious pluralism, or female equality... More

Look at Wal—Mart.  It has revolutionized retailing with relentless cost reduction and process improvement.  It helps keep the United States at No. 1 in wealth and productivity.  When it opens a store in ordinary America, about 4,000 people usually apply for the 400 jobs. But... More

I moved again last week. It was my fourth move in the past six months during a transitional time in my life. But I think that this is the right move for me at this moment. Yes, I am with my girlfriend and residing in a cozy neighborhood, but there is more. I think that with each relocation, I... More

Recently I wrote about a newly released study from the West Point Combating Terrorism Center. The CTC just released documents associated with a study on al—Qaeda. One of them was a letter described here. As I read the letter, I couldn't help but remember the comments bemoaning President Bush... More

In AD 627, Muhammad committed an atrocity against the last remaining major tribe of Jews in Medina: the Qurayza. He beheaded the men and the pubescent boys and enslaved the women and children. In doing this, he wiped an entire tribe 'off the map' to use the recent language of the President of... More

History doesn't solve problems, but it explains them, including the evolution of the intractable Israel—Palestine problem. The idea of revived sovereignty in their ancient homeland has excited Jews for millennia. Until the nineteenth century that excitement was expressed only in religious and... More

Much is made of the 'partisan divide' that plagues our national life these days.  The bitter presidential contests of 2000 and 2004, the vitriolic tone of public discourse about the Iraq War, Supreme Court nominees, and much else have led to alarmed commentary about an irreconcilably... More

Before Howard Dean huffed recently that 'not one dime of Jack Abramoff's money ever went to any Democrat,'  he should have checked his own pockets. By only the most Clintonesque parsing of words can Dean's statement be considered passably accurate. And in a very real sense, he need look no... More

It's all very well for Europeans to reduce the Cartoon Wars to a matter of the freedom of speech, writes Martin Jacques in Britain's lefty Guardian.  But what about respect?  'Respect for others, especially in an increasingly interdependent world, is a value of at least equal... More

Lewis 'Scooter' Libby is defending himself against a flawed indictment that never should have been brought by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald. A former public official of impeccable integrity and brilliance is being pilloried on absurd charges. The need to defend his freedom from this... More

Years ago, I picked up a book titled The Trail of the Fox, a biography of Erwin Rommel, the legendary German armored commander. I found it an  impressive read — lively and informative, thoroughly researched, and extremely well written.  But as I continued reading, a certain sense of... More

The American left, long in decline, has shored up its base, definitively seizing the high ground of American academia. The resignation  of Lawrence Summers as president of Harvard University, the nation's oldest, and the world's richest and most prestigious university, marks a significant coup... More

As the authors of the just published Stealing Al—Qa'ida's Playbook state in their introduction, 'The key to defeating the jihadi movement is identifying its strengths and weaknesses so that the former may be countered or co—opted and the latter exploited.'  Since the... More

It really is true that lies have short legs.  One way or another, liberals always end up contradicting themselves, tacitly acknowledging that their pronouncements are more political artifice than statesmanlike artistry, more incitive than insightful.  What brings this to mind is the... More

Many people and institutions have a stake in the conclusion that Saddam Hussein's Iraq had no connection to al—Qaeda and the attacks on the United States, culminating (so far) in the destruction of 9/11. One spokesman coming to the fore of late to defend this position, despite increasing... More

The longer the farcical Cartoon Jihad goes on, the more it seems to be guided by an overall strategic purpose. Not since Nikita Khrushchev banged his shoe on the table at the UN General Assembly in 1960 have we seen a combination of psychological intimidation with a nuclear threat. Khrushchev's... More

There's a gathering political storm centered around ports, one that has united a motley crew from across the political spectrum, from Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer to Rick Santorum and Michael Savage.  At issue is a deal that would allow DP World, a United Arab Emirates company, to assume... More

The proof has been right in front of you the entire time. Documents available on the internet, which pass the smell test and are probably genuine, show the link between Saddam and al Qaeda. On October 11th, 2004 an online news service called CNSnews published 42 documents that they claimed came... More

For more than a week now, the press has been beating up on Vice President Dick Cheney for his handling — or, rather, for his mis—handling — of how the accidental shooting of his friend while on a hunting trip in Texas was disclosed.  The theme that runs through all this... More

Brazil is a continental country with a complicated 'geostrategic depth.' Americans tend, at our peril, to pay insufficient attention to its politics and justifiably large ambitions. We may not have that luxury in the foreseeable future. Brazil appears to be taking steps in the next few weeks... More

By the mid 1980s I was fairly sure that the news was canned, delivered by press release to city desks, managing editors and producers. I labeled this pervasive technique News By Press Release. I proved my thesis one afternoon by popping into PR Newswire's downtown Denver office. I slid four hundred... More

Every once and a while over the last few years, I have come very close to saying to hell with it and tossing George Bush and the Republicans over the side. That's when the left comes to Bush's rescue and proves all over again why even allowing them to get a whiff of regaining power is extremely... More

In the midst of the heated controversy over Danish cartoons disparaging Islam, a couple of drawings of a much more inflammatory nature suddenly were disseminated throughout the Muslim world, adding significant fuel to the fires of their outrage. These pictures depicted Mohamed in a manner... More

The Islamic fury directed at some European countries after the publication of the Mohammed cartoons made their populations recoil in shock and fear. Their reaction is not surprising, since they assumed they had done nothing to deserve this kind of odium. But this is precisely the source of their... More

My hair's getting thinner, my body is not; The few teeth I have are beginning to rot. I smell of Vick's—Vapo—Rub, not Chanel # 5; My new pacemaker's all that keeps me alive. When asked of my past, every detail I'll know, but what was I doing 10 minutes ago? I get up each morning, and... More

[Part One may be read here. And Part Two here.] (18) The Quran orders warfare on Christians and Jews during Muhammad's first Crusade (long before the European ones). Sura 9:29 says: Fight against those who believe not in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah... More

Some observers have compared the White House's handling of Dick Cheney's accident to Vince Foster's suspicious death in the summer of 1993. This comparison has been drawn mostly on the basis of delays in disclosure in both cases. We know now the Clinton White House actively withheld information on... More

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has forcefully made clear his pledge to improve relations with the United States by appointing a pro—American business executive and former Conservative politician as the country's new ambassador to Washington and firing the nation's... More

The sounds you're hearing are the last gasps of life of the Middle East's autocracies and the bankrupt ideology of the American left. A left that was once idealist when it should have been realist and now has discovered "realism" at a moment in history ripe for idealism. Cynics would conclude the... More

The slowly building story concerning the actual status of Saddam Hussein's WMDs promises to upset a lot of apple carts in politics, the media, and international diplomacy. Testimony by former Iraqi officers  and WMD investigators, along with a 'smoking gun' tape revealed this week in which... More

There is a new line of attack on Republicans undertaken by the liberal netroots (the term liberals use to describe their on line 'community') that has the online "Reality Based Community" nodding their heads in agreement and patting themselves on the back for being so very clever. It's a variation... More

Tired of that old Danish cartoon rage? You've probably caught a virus. Did you hear? The Jews have planted a flu virus to sicken the Arab Nation. At least, that's what the government of Syria is trying to tell the world. MEMRI reports that the government daily Al—Thawra "... published an... More

The last Jutland berserker must have died about a millenium ago, when the Vikings were converted to Christianity. Ever since then the Danes have become quieter, more introspective, and yes, a lot more civilized than their rape—and—pillaging Norse ancestors. Today they are mostly... More

The vast land of America was once inhabited by a relatively small number of indigenous people. These native 'Indians' had lived throughout the land for thousands of years, and they will always remain the true fathers of America. American Indians helped the Pilgrims survive the winter. ... More

Americans increasingly lack patience and perspective. A pastor I know used to call this a  'microwave mentality.'  We think everything should be as easy as heating a burrito in a convenience store.  Push a couple of buttons and two minutes later, lunch is ready.  This form of... More

Every day should be a day to celebrate romance. If you wait until February 14th  each year to show affection to your soul—mate, you're probably going to spend a lot of time alone. But that shouldn't take anything away from special occasions that have become reminders for those who take... More

Why is it tragic when human activities bring about the extinction of a single species, but natural, that is, benign, when scores of millions of species become extinct in the ordinary course of nature? How can the same result be evil when caused by man and good when caused by Mother Nature? A forest... More

On Friday night in Torino Luciano Pavarotti, close to the last gasp of his career, sang the last gasp of grand opera, Puccini's glorious Nessun Dorma.  You have to wonder: Will this Winter Olympics prove to be the last gasp of Europe, the big blowout before the Islamic hordes engulf it? It... More

'Don't attack the Messenger!' is a phrase shouted by enraged Muslims defending the iconoclastic tradition within Islam prohibiting artistic renderings of Mohammed.  However, it also might be the response attributed to beleaguered European editors accused of provoking riots after publishing... More

Russia and France have both signaled an immediate willingness to recognize Hamas, the Islamist terrorist group that won the Palestinian elections. For the sake of form, France even denied that Hamas was a terrorist organization. At this point not even the most obtuse Lefty in Europe... More

With the likes of IBM, Verizon, Alcoa and now General Motors announcing the end to their traditional defined benefit pension plans, analysts and commentators can't get into print fast enough their glee at seeing the old order replaced by the new and improved defined contribution schemes. James... More

It is February 11th 1809, and as a young woman in Kentucky goes into labor, in New York City, Robert Fulton is granted a patent for his invention of the steamboat. The next day the first lusty bellowings of a son born to the former Nancy Hanks can be heard serenading the wilderness outside the... More

America has been lucky in its great men. Nothing demonstrates the essential soundness of the democratic concept than a Lincoln, a Truman, or a Reagan stepping forward to take on a crisis that at first glance seems insurmountable.  But we've been fortunate in our near—greats as well, and... More

Steven Spielberg portrays a sympathetic view of terrorists in Munich, George Clooney blames America for exploiting the Middle East, and a film glorifying suicide bombers gets the Golden Globe.  If all the latest anti—American themes coming out of Hollywood weren't enough, now information... More

My dictionary defines 'illustration' as 'the action of clarifying or explaining and 'material used to clarify or explain.'  A pencil, pen or brush in the hands of a skilled artist can be used to create material in the form of illustrations that clarify and explain the nature of a person, place... More

The [Muslim] nation [of Muhammad] must rage in anger. It is told that Imam Al—Shafi' [d. 820, founder of the Shafi'ite school of Islamic jurisprudence] said: 'Whoever was angered and did not rage is a jackass.' We are not a nation of jackasses. We are not jackasses for riding, but lions that... More

[Part One may be read here.] (9) The Quran orders the mutilation of male and female thieves. Sura 5:38 says: 5:38 Cut off the hands of thieves, whether they are male or female, as punishment for what they have done—a deterrent from God: God is almighty and wise. 39 But if anyone repents... More

After two years of feckless faux negotiations with Iran regarding its nuclear weapons program, America and the EU have used their influence to compel the International Atomic Energy Agency to bring the Iran nuclear weapons issue before the UN Security Council. Some optimists have viewed this as a... More

Just this week, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer paid a visit to his high school alma mater, Lowell High School in San Francisco.   He took a tour of the school's campus, which moved in 1962 from downtown San Francisco to its present Sunset District location, and then spent an hour... More

The American Association of University Professors is a semi—trade union for American professors. It claims to be the high—minded guardian of academic freedom in America, going back to John Dewey. But today the AAUP's principles are being strangled. The organization is... More

An eloquent statement in the Jerusalem Post Tuesday makes the case for a formal international indictment against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the genocide—threatening President of Iran. Unfortunately, the legal option proposed by the Jerusalem Post writers is unrealistic. There are no... More

Throughout Europe and the Middle East, people are dying. Some of them are non—violent and innocent of any wrongdoing. Yet they die, and buildings burn, the result of anger against western civilization erupting from outraged Muslims. But with so much of the West, in particular the Scandinavian... More

When is a hate—crime not a hate—crime?  Answer: when the powers—that—be say it isn't.  One problem with hate—crime laws is that they're more the result of bad ideology than good criminology, and nothing illustrates this point better than the current spate of... More

It is hard for us Westerners to understand the deep reverence so many overseas have for this man. He was, after all, human, not a god in the eyes of even his most devout believers. But his followers regard him as a special and different kind of human being, one whose life was a story of... More

All over the world, Denmark and the Danish people are hated, and this is something completely new to us. We see ourselves as a small, peaceful nation. A little homogeneous tribe of well meaning, hard working and genial people for whom equality is one of the most important values. That means... More

Democrats, prominent among them New York Senator Charles Schumer, have held President Bush to an irrationally high standard of proof in asserting that "Bush lied" to the American people regarding what he knew about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction before our invasion of that country. However, no... More

To think clearly about the looming crisis with Iran, close your eyes and imagine that you're standing outside your children's school. It's 2:55pm, and you're chatting amiably with other parents while waiting for the 3pm bell to ring.  Suddenly you see a man running toward the school, holding a... More

The emphasis on regime change to deal with a soon—to—be nuclear armed Iran looks like a repeat of our short—sighted strategy in dealing with Saddam Hussein.  Astute analysts in the pages of the American Thinker have suggested strategies that essentially focus on... More

Canadian Conservative Leader Stephen Harper was sworn in as the nation's 22nd  prime minister on Monday and immediately unveiled a cabinet line—up that is both 25% smaller than ousted Liberal prime minister Paul Martin's cabinet and gave a tilt in foreign affairs, defense and national... More

The cartoon crisis which has left embassies ablaze and sparked riots from Beirut to Bangkok and Jarkarta was a set—up job, planned and executed by a group of Muslim leaders from Denmark in concert with leading lights of the Islamic world.  The conspirators used supremely... More

The first dangerously violent protests in the Muslim world that have been directed against Denmark and other EU nations in the current cartoon crisis were in the Palestinian territories. Those attacks have grown more serious in the past few days.  It is not surprising that ground... More

The 1963 bestseller The Feminine Mystique is credited with starting the Second Wave of feminism that transformed the relations between men and women in the second half of the twentieth century. On Saturday February 4, her 85th birthday, its author Betty Friedan died of congestive heart... More

In response to the Toles' cartoon published by the Washington Post, depicting a grievously wounded, quadruple amputee soldier being designated by a 'Dr. Rumsfeld' as 'battle—hardened' and fit for return to duty, I wrote a poem, venting my anger at the cartoonist and the Post entitled "WaPo... More

Court documents were released yesterday which appear to sound the death knell for Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's case against Lewis 'Scooter' Libby. Leftists who once eagerly anticipated a "Merry Fitzmas" are likely to find a lump of coal in their stockings next December, before the trial,... More

Denmark is a small country that has always tried to keep an objective and fair spirit in international conflicts, even when taking sides, not shying away from criticizing allies when it is due. In the Persian Gulf War of 1991, this was done by sending out the Corvette Olfert Fischer in a strictly... More

She wasn't much for knocking. With her figure, she didn't need to be. She swept into my office on a perfumed wave of good posture and practiced indignation, looking like six feet of perturbed. I put down the Wall Street Journal and pulled my feet off the desk, admiring her hair.Her blouse was... More

The Islamic Caliphate  is coming. Their version of the One World (Umma),  gilded with Islamic symbols, is ready for prime time. It's going to get very weird.  Just remember, Jesus got here first, courtesy of Abraham and Moses, and that's our side.  Our side is... More

If a new application of the Global Positioning System (GPS) passes muster and finds favor with the Big Siblings of Western democracies, speeding may become a thing of the past.  Being tested in Canada and at least contemplated in Britain, the system would be placed in vehicles and... More

This week people have been doing more agonizing than laughing at newspaper cartoons. Not just Muslims, but now America's military forces — and the rest of us who support our warriors — are disgusted by a cartoon. Specifically the cartoon  drawn by Tom Toles and published in... More

Watching the President's State of the Union speech one could be forgiven for coming away with the impression only one side of the House chamber was grounded in reality. The contrast between what the President was saying on the podium and the pouting, grimacing, dour faced Democrats, who resembled... More

I'd like to take this opportunity to put in a word for the Ramones Conservatives. You've heard of them —— those Conservatives who walk in the footsteps of Johnny Ramone, the late and lamented guitarist for the eponymous pioneering punk—rock band. Johnny was a lifelong Republican... More

In the heart of Old Europe, a loyal ally is standing firm for principles essential to the survival of western civilization. So far America has done nothing of substance to help Denmark stand up in the face of intense pressure to impose de facto censorship and profusely apologize for violating... More

Pundits of all stripes, dispositions and encampments are currently engaged in anxious if not frantic analyses of what to do about the nuclear ambitions of Iran and her 'fanatic' (to some 'lunatic') President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. To bomb or not to bomb, that is the question. Robert Kagan in his... More

DePaul University is rapidly becoming ground zero in the battle to reform academia's corrupted political culture. For the third time in less than a year the Foundation for Individual Rights in Educationа (FIRE)а has publiclyаrebuked the university for its politically motivated abridgment of free... More