If people were asked about actor Michael Richards' epithet-laced outburst at a Los Angeles nightclub, there would be a lot of focus on the verbal assault but very little on an assault on freedom of speech. In truth, however, if there's anything at all relating to this story that rises above gossip-column fodder, it's that it's also fuel for demagogues who seek control over discourse in America. More

The scene is a darkened, wood-paneled office with a huge oak door providing entrance to a dimly lit, sanctified chamber. On each side of the portal stands a tall, husky man wearing a 3-piece suit and a sinister countenance. More

On November 27, 2006, the media stepped up their demands for an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq by officially naming the incursion a civil war. While questioning their motives, Americans must also be extremely concerned with how quickly these same voices will demand our military be sent back in a humanitarian effort to halt the inevitable post-retreat genocide. More

The Democrats have an interesting method of turning events into self-fulfilling prophesies. They say they're for the troops, but against the war (after they were for it). Then, they proceed to endanger the lives of the troops by condemning the war, thereby giving aid and comfort to the enemy More

Thanks to the development of mass media inclined to oppose the nation's efforts to obtain military victory, a new path to victory has opened up for America's enemies. More

"It is 1938; Iran is Germany; and it is racing to acquire nuclear weapons." Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly punctuated his speech in Los Angeles earlier this month with that sentence. It was an effective rhetorical device, conveying both a sense of threat and a sense of urgency. But 1938 may be relevant in more ways than as a rhetorical device. Revisiting that year, through Winston Churchill's compelling account in "The Gathering Storm," is an instructive exercise More

According to the exit polls at the November election the American people think that the Democrats are more likely than Republicans to limit government spending. Can this really be true? In reality, we should be encouraged. The opinion polls are telling us that Democrats, at least when they are talking to the voters rather than among themselves, are talking spending restraint More

Elections have consequences. And for our recent election, the consequences have been a major setback in the war on terror and a greater threat to terrorist attack at home. This is so because a public with an attention deficit disorder has elected a liberal congress that wants pull the plug on Iraq at the first face-saving chance they get. More

Things are getting positively biblical in the War on Terror's African front. According to Agence France Presse, Ethiopia is about to attack the Somali Islamists single-handed, on their own hook, and with assistance from nobody. On Thursday Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told the Ethiopian parliament that the Islamists represented "a clear threat to Ethiopia" and that the government had "completed the preparations" for full-scale war. More

Every single day, hundreds of African tribesmen are killed in Darfur by militias acting with the blessing of Sudan's Arab Islamist government. Each day, Hamas bombs from Gaza deliberately target innocent Israeli civilians in Sderot: although the weapons are crude, they occasionally find their mark More

In the last thousand years there has been only one new idea regarding government: that government should not be left in the hands of a divinely-guided king, or pharaoh, or caliph, but that so far as possible it should be in the hands of unwashed slobs like us. Those nations that have adopted this approach have grown prosperous, dynamic and tolerant. Those that resisted it, or perverted it by creating "a state of the peasants and workers" that in fact was ruled by a tiny despotic clique, have slid into stagnation, or catastrophe. More

Christmas came early to the Sheppard residence this year. A Daily Kos diarist wrote a blog post on the day before Thanksgiving about some articles I penned over the summer. This precipitated a flood of glorious tidings to my inbox from strangers across the fruited plain the entire holiday weekend. More

It's easy to say what the Democrats won't be in 2008. They won't be the Party of Franklin Roosevelt or Harry Truman or John Kennedy. They won't even turn to Woodrow Wilson for inspiration. None of these presidents truly capture who the Democrats are today, at least when it comes to the War on Terror. So, who are today's Democrats, or, better, who will they be in 2008? More

The peaceful transfer of political power in this country is taken as a given and is rightly considered a distinguishing characteristic of American governance. Not one of the presidential Inauguration Days that occur every four years has ever been marred by violence and only once, when Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office, was the use of violence threatened. It cannot be said, however, that political power is always transferred tranquilly. More

There comes a time in all marathons when the temptation to give in becomes overwhelming. We are facing such a moment in our national response to 9/11. The enticing voices of ease and retreat are sounding louder and more confident, and our will to persist is suffering the death of a thousand cuts. Yet if we fail to persist in our response to the terror attacks we will fail, period. More

According to the New Testament, is it possible to be honored by God and be a weapon-carrying soldier or law enforcement officer, at the same time? Does God approve of soldiers and officers of the State? Does he condemn the military? If not, may individual Christians serve, Scripturally speaking, in law enforcement and the military? More

I first encountered classical music in summer camp when I was ten. The cabin next to ours had the only record player in camp, and the only record was "Voices of Spring" by Strauss, which they played over and over and over again. That fall, in a New York City public school, I had to attend a twice weekly class called Music Appreciation. More

Islam has spawned many sects that are master practitioners of the art of double standards. As far as Muslims are concerned what is good for Muslims is not good for the non-Muslims; and, what is bad for Muslims is good for non-Muslims. What complicates matters is that there is no way of knowing which of the dozens of at-each-other's-throat sects is the legitimate Islam. More

I've never been a fan of Seinfeld, and I'm not very familiar with the characters. I don't know anything about Michael Richards, the guy who played Kramer on the show. When I read about his onstage rant at a comedy club in Hollywood last week, I figured the guy has some serious anger management problems. More

The founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al-Banna, whose disciples are now celebrating his birth 100 years ago, would have been ecstatic to witness their progress in implementing his plans to compel the world to submit to Islam. Radical Islam have made inroads in most countries with a Muslim majority, reached supremacy in several countries and its influence is steadily growing in western nations as well. Petrodollars fuel this progress. More

Several media reports indicate that the Iraq Study Group chaired by former Secretary of State James Baker is close to revealing proposed strategies for dealing with Iraq. One of the expected policy shifts is expected to be a move towards diplomacy with Syria and Iran in order to gain their support in stopping the sectarian violence in Iraq. Quite simply, this course of action would be disastrous More

Over the extended holiday weekend, big change is coming to American Thinker. I want to share with readers why this is happening, and describe some of the new features that will be appearing. Conservatives tend to have a bias against change, so we would not undertake this metamorphosis without good reasons. You, our readers, deserve to have them explained. More

The intentions of the realists, as represented by the Iraq Study Group, appear to be perfectly straightforward: convene a conference of all concerned parties, sit them all down, get everybody talking, carry out some behind-the-scenes diplomatic swashbuckling in the classic mode and emerge in relatively short order with a settlement of the Iraq Question resulting in a "stable" status quo. Provided with this cover, the U.S. can then "honorably" pull out. More

There's something new in the world. It comes courtesy of the Muslims. In their earnest and admirable struggle toward world domination, jihadi fighters now seem to openly embrace using their own people as "human shields." More

Democratic Representative Charles Rangel of New York has renewed his long-time quest to reinstate the military draft. While all signs from the incoming Democratic leadership indicate that the issue is dead in the water, Mr. Rangel's arguments still warrant examination, and refutation. His points,... More

'Shake it off.'  That old coach's nugget seems to be most Republicans' response to the recent devastating election results.  The message of many is that it was a unique situation, a massive one—time blow that has left the party with a mild concussion, but from which we can recover... More

In 1992, Bill Clinton campaigned for president by promising tax cuts for the middle class. Fourteen years later, his Party ran on a similar "tell the people exactly what they want to hear" motif, this time the mantra being a speedy withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. More

November 12th, 2006 marked the 60th anniversary of the movie Song of the South. Perhaps this cultural milestone did not capture your attention. Perhaps you don't even remember celebrating the 50th anniversary. There is a reason for that, and it is not your faulty memory. More

Press and politicians have decided Iraq's fate. And so we ask them: What do we do with the remains? More

Last week, the Supreme Court began hearings on the federal partial-birth abortion ban that would prohibit the gruesome abortion procedure across the country. The court heard oral arguments over the question of whether the procedure is ever medically necessary and whether a health exception should be imposed if the life of the mother is endangered. More

Did Jesus endorse and encourage violence in the four Gospels, presumably a righteous kind of violence? Did he call his original disciples to this? Did he order all of his disciples to really buy swords? Two verses may indicate that he did these things. More

Egalitarianism is a seductive political perspective, offering a beautiful vision of the future, and appealing to some of our noblest ideals. It is the perspective of reformers like John Dewey and Roger Baldwin and Martin Luther King, some of the most prominent figures in American social history. More

One of the alleged sins held against the West by Islamic radicalism - which has declared war on us through Osama bin Laden's fatwa issued in 1998 in London - is imperialism: the imperialism of the Dutch, the British and the French from the 17th to the 20th centuries.  (For some reason,... More

There have been but 17 federal officials impeached by the House of Representatives since 1787 when the framers included the process in the U.S Constitution.  Of these were two presidents, one cabinet member, one senator, and one Supreme Court Justice.  The remaining defendants were all... More

Watching their liberal American Congressional Democrats triumph at the polls, Canadian Liberals now are looking for a star candidate to take over the reins of their party and lead them back into power. But it's far from certain they will find such a candidate and uncertain whether they'll be back... More

The BBC, known familiarly to many Britons as "Auntie Beeb", has mounted a landmark High Court bid to hide from public scrutiny an internal report alleged to be 'highly critical' of its journalistic coverage of the Middle East. The Balen Report was set in motion back in 2003 amidst mounting... More

French economic growth is slumping and the problems at Airbus are getting blamed for it. The two year delay in delivery of the A380 super jumbo is reverberating throughout the French and EU economies. Politics, always a factor at the mammoth 'social enterprise,' continues to intrude, as fear of... More

Just prior to the mid—term elections, Ambassador Joseph Wilson IV and his wife Valerie Plame sued Scooter Libby, Vice—President Cheney, Richard Armitage and ten as yet  unnamed others, charging a variety of tort and constitutional claims. 'The Wilsons...insisted in the... More

The San Francisco Board of Education has voted to phase out and ban Junior ROTC, sparking a nationwide uproar. The excuse for denying 1,600 students the opportunity to voluntarily participate is what is commonly called 'the Pentagon's Don't Ask/Don't Tell Policy'regarding gays in the military. But... More

Almost within hours of the release on Wednesday morning of summaries of the national exit polls, conducted with voters across the county on Election Day, I received several gloating emails from liberal Jewish acquaintances, pointing to one specific result within the exit poll data: namely how... More

Twelve years in the congressional minority failed to make a dent in the Democrats' core belief that the universe is unfolding as it should, only when they are in power. They don't bother to argue that their victory in 2006 marks a return to Democrat domination of national politics. They assume it,... More

The problem with government education, according to James Tooley in Reclaiming Education, is its addiction to "neat—and—tidy" solutions. The government experts and bureaucrats, not to mention the voters, all want things neatly tied down with comprehensive, mandatory national policies... More

When consummate Rumsfeld critic Ralph Peters finally comes to the conclusion that maybe the senior level military commanders running the war just might have had something to do with the mess in Iraq, you know an earth—shattering revelation has just occurred.  Unfortunately, Peters'... More

With the resignation of 5 Hezb'allah and Amal cabinet ministers following the breakdown of the National Dialogue talks last weekend, the tiny nation of Lebanon may be on a downward spiral toward civil strife or worse — a wave of violence that would threaten the stability and safety of the... More

A review of Jimmy Carter, Palestine:Peace Not Apartheid (Simon & Schuster, November 2006) More

The Iraq Study Group (ISG), a purportedly bi—partisan group chaired by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Congressman Lee Hamilton, has been convening hearings and soliciting opinions from experts regarding the future course America should take regarding Iraq. This process has... More

'The problem, Mr. President, is people don't believe we're at war.'     —  a law student speaking to George W. Bush The 2006 midterm elections mark the worst defeat for the West since the opening of the War on Terror. What the Jihadis have not been able to accomplish... More

It goes without saying that November 7, 2006, will be viewed by history as a bad day for the Republican Party. The question is, how bad? Despite suggestions by an exuberant media that this Democrat victory represented a significant change in the political makeup of the country, the reality is that... More

I have been diagnosed with the neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis.  I got that diagnosis in May.  Making a long story short, about three weeks ago, the MG started to get much more acute.  Since my limited experience up to that time was that the medications I was taking would... More

In politics, it seems like nothing goes the way the experts thought it would. Conventional wisdom had it that the Democrats would likely take over the House in the 2006 mid—term elections, but the Republicans would retain a majority—albeit reduced—in the Senate. Such was not the... More

My wife was shocked and understandably angry when our 19 year old son, Justin, informed us of his intention to enlist in the the United States Marine Corps Reserves. Maybe it was the man in me, but my own shock was tempered by an inner voice saying, "I wish I were that brave when I was his... More

One of the most dangerous police activities, placing at risk not only men and women in uniform, but the general public as well, is the chasing of suspicious people driving vehicles. During my police years in plainclothes investigations, I found myself embroiled in many hair—raising episodes... More

Are Christians permitted to carry the sword (or modern weapons)? What should the Church's policy be on war and peace? Should it counsel the State to turn the other cheek? Are Christians permitted to join the police force and the military? How can they 'love their enemies' and have to kill some of... More

The past week, which saw Europe celebrating the triumph of America's Democrats, produced more bad news for Airbus. Europe's champion 'social enterprise,' intended to serve the interests of more than just shareholders, and its chosen instrument rival to America in the strategically—important... More

On January 8th of 2003, Congressman Charles Rangel [D—NY] began an extensive campaign to bring back the military draft. He repeatedly submitted legislative bills to begin a military draft and compel all American men and women up to the age of forty—two to serve two years of military... More

Dear Editor, I didn't find any wisdom in that wreckage. Perhaps the American electorate is right. I've been persuaded about the wisdom of crowds. I certainly hope they are. Living on the edge here in Kuwait, it's a bit more— like —well on the brink about to topple into the abyss. The... More

In retail the customer is always right; in politics the voters are never wrong. Republicans need to bear that in mind as they contemplate the wreckage left behind by Tuesday night's Democrat tide. Defeat can be a great teacher and now is the Republican's time to learn. Waste no time grumbling... More

In November 2004, Americans gave the Republican Party and its leader, President George W. Bush, a resounding mandate to enact conservative policies in his second term. Two years later, when it was clear to these same voters how poorly the G.O.P. responded to this call to arms, the citizens took it... More

So the midterms went big against the GOP, even though the Dems didn't have a clear message of their own. Most voters probably couldn't articulate exactly why they voted the way they did. Human beings work by intuition, not usually by some explicit list of reasons.  Just try riding a bicycle... More

Let us be honest. This was a wipeout. The Republicans did not win any Democrat—held House seats. They won no Democrat—held Senate seats. They won no Democrat—held Governors races. That has not happened before within memory. The vote for Congress appears to give Democrats about a... More

The House of Representatives appears to be securely in the hands of presumptive Speaker Nancy Pelosi. After the celebration of the historic first female speaker, and the Democrat leadership moves into new more spacious offices, the business of holding the majority together and positioning her party... More

The New York Times disclosed last week that some Saddam regime documents had been declassified that should not have been. The article then proceeded to knock everybody who advocated the release of these documents and implied they had given nuclear secrets to Iran, a ridiculous conclusion that... More

A general estimate is that Saddam Hussein killed 300,000 people, started two major wars (the first against Iran, costing a million lives, and the second against Kuwait, with perhaps 100,000 dead); according to the New York Times' latest zig—zag, he came within a year of producing a nuclear... More

Rahm Emanuel, head of the Democrats' House takeover effort, wants to win the Illinois 6th Congressional District more than any other seat  in the House of Representatives. It is Henry Hyde's old seat. As Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Hyde is blamed by Emanuel for the... More

When you vote today, if there is a Senate race in your state, consider the following words of members of the party which hopes to take over majority control of that body. On Marriage The rabid reactionary religious right has rarely looked more ridiculous. They know they don't have the votes to... More

Two big balloons popped over the weekend. The Bears were routed at home by Miami, and those Super Bowl reservations already made by their fans now seem a bit premature. And that Democratic wave in the polls that Stuart Rothenberg and Charles Cook have been surfing too? It might be a ripple. New... More

'A visibly shaken Hussein was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity for his roleа in ordering the deaths of 148 Shiite villagers in the town of Dujail in 1982.'аа —— Deutsche Welle We've been waiting a long time to read those words. Despite delaying tactics, threats,... More

St. Louis has been much in the spotlight of late with the World Series victory of the Cardinals turning attention to the Gateway City. Unfortunately the City has also gotten some less flattering attention; it has been declared the most dangerous place in America, and a massive voter registration... More

Midterm elections aren't often as important as this one. On Tuesday we are not electing a president, but we are  making an historic choice ——  possibly a life—and—death choice. It is comparable to the election of Abraham Lincoln before the Civil War, and Harry... More

George Soros does not like concepts that "blind". He seems to have fewer problems with those that kill.  The 'land for peace' concept is one such concept, and has been the focus of all Israeli—Palestinian negotiations which Mr. Soros urges Israel to resume.  Since 'land for peace'... More

The Democrats have a problem with America's warrior culture, and consequently, with our military. And yet, honesty compels me to say that such hostility and scorn does not explain all of the Democratic left's attitude to our troops, present and veterans. There are some with outright contempt, who... More

People, like computers, have natural default settings or positions.  Creatures of habit, we all do this to save ourselves literally from the figurative beast of having to think things through thoroughly.  When we don't need to consciously invent a new behavioral reaction to a situation... More

A distinct subculture, a belief system if not a religion, exists in the United States. Its members draw their instruction on what to believe and how to live from the New York Times. I call them the Times Echoes. They exist in urban social ecosystems all across American. There are certain people you... More

Exhausted from covering J—Lo, T.O., Foley—o, and other uh—ohs, will the media ever find time for minor matters? Such as that 8,000 Iraqi soldiers and police — volunteers all — have died in just two years, with 16,000 more wounded. That Iraqi recruits still sign up to... More

On Wednesday, AIPAC, the American Israel Political Affairs Committee, released a statement on the impact of a change in control in the Congress on the US Israel relationship. The statement reads as follows: 'In recent weeks, some have suggested that it is better for Israel if one party or another... More

On the same day that Senator John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, outraged voters of all political persuasions with his comments made at a rally in support of California gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides that military personnel were uneducated, National Public Radio followed... More

I almost fear for RA Baehr's sanity as he sifts through all that polling data. I do not place that much stock in them. Three decades of political activism has taught me to pay attention to four things in the final weeks of a campaign.  1) Who has had the best ads — those selling... More

Seymour Hersh reportedly has claimed  at a recent speaking event in Montreal that, 'In Vietnam, our soldiers came back and they were reviled as baby killers, in shame and humiliation,' he said. 'It isn't happening now, but I will tell you — there has never been an [American] army... More

The Republican Party has had a good two days thanks to John Kerry's insulting remark about the intelligence and drive of our military in Iraq on Monday, and his ham—handed inability to apologize for it right away. Kerry gave the GOP a free day to bash him by refusing to directly apologize... More

Bob Herbert was, in a bygone age, tough—minded yet passionate, a doggedly objective reporter who seemed to embody the best traits of those incorruptible newshounds of the silver screen. Once capable of making sharp distinctions, of offering his readers the occasional penetrating insight, he... More

"No Viet Cong ever called me nigger." That was the battle cry of my generation, or rather it was the retreat from battle cry of my generation. The great Mohamad Ali said it, and like so many other things he said, he was of course right about this one. No Viet Cong ever did use the N word against... More

Scooter Libby has filed two In Limine motions to exclude evidence and arguments in the case. The first (posted here) deals with the purported security issues which formed the very basis of this proceeding; the second with related matters relating to reporters' testimony.  Under the headings,... More

Why is there never a GOP couple parked at a Waffle House, innocently listening into cell phone conversations among Democrat political leaders in order to capture some history for their grandchildren? Actually we know the answer to that question, and it tells us a lot about the differences between... More

"It's a cry for help, in my view," says Mohammed El—Baradei, speaking warmly and compassionately about the reason Kim Jong—Il exploded his first—ever nuke three weeks ago. El—Baradei heads the world's prime  organization for stopping nuclear proliferation, the... More

That would seem to be a fairly urgent question, despite the strange lack of concern among politicians and the media. China is receiving the lion's share of credit  for 'persuading' North Korea to resume the Six Party negotiations it had abandoned earlier. Japan's tough unilateral sanctions and... More