"The Economy Grows More Than Expected" Hurricanes. And more hurricanes. And now tornadoes. And yet, according to the report issued by the Commerce Department today, November 30, 2005 The economy grew at a lively 4.3 percent pace in the third quarter, the best showing in more than a... More

"Bosnia's ethnic/religious groups uniting to form government" Dick Morris asks: why don't we see headlines on this story? Will we see the same thing for Iraq? Ed Lasky   11 30 05   More

Powerline blogger John Hinderaker skillfully presents the prosecution's case that the CIA is engaged in a not—so—secret conspiracy to destroy the Bush administration with leak after leak after leak regarding CIA covert operations relating to captive terror suspects.  Where's the... More

The left wing media are rubbing their hands together in anticipation of lobbyist Jack Abramoff's scandals bringing down GOP politicians, neglecting (of course) the various Dem pols who have enjoyed his political contributions, and possibly more. But Abramaoff is not the first lobbyist to work to... More

The New York Times has no shame. It attacks Stan Berenstain in its obituary for the co—author of the beloved non—PC Berenstain Bears series. ...critics for years have commented on the ursine clan's adherence to gender stereotypes, including Mama Bear's ever—so—brief fling... More

The American Thinker has connected a number of dots in the ongoing CIA effort to subvert an elected American president.  John Hinderaker now suggests that high officials in the CIA itself  deliberately exposed the Agency's covert flights to transport terrorists to interrogation centers... More

Thousands upon hundreds of thousands have died in Darfur while many more are near death; even more are suffering horribly daily.   Starvation, terror and disease infest Africa; Iran blithely works on nuclear weapons, easily flicking off the few complaining gnats; Russia, the Philippines... More

Kevin Sites files an impressive report from Kurdish—dominated northern Iraq for the internet—optimized Hot Zone on Yahoo, with stills and video in addition to text. The situation he describes is largely positive, though he realistically notes that there are many worries about Kurds... More

According to the AP, Iran is "snapping up" space technology as fast as it can be purchased, apparently in the fear that restrictions will be placed on space technology sales similar to those now in place for nuclear teachnology. We are fortunate that Bill Clinton is not in place to allow a Bernard... More

Iraqi author Fadhil Rashad has called for British MP George Galloway to stand trial for robbing the Iraqi people. "It is a truism that money can blind one to the truth... I know that George Galloway knows the truth, and that he is well aware of the [crimes] that Saddam perpetrated against his own... More

French Prime Minister Villepin now warns against a hasty US withdrawal from Iraq after fighting tooth and nail against the war: Asked whether Washington should set a timetable for bringing home troops, Villepin said any withdrawal "should be coordinated with the local situation in Iraq and the... More

The man who owes his election victory to terrorism, now blames Israel for the failure of his boggled  EURO—Mediterranean summit on international relations and terror. Let's get this straight: the headline of the New York Times on this summit was "Muslim Nations Skip Meeting in... More

I welcome Jim Hoagland's column about the nefarious activities of rogue elements of the US intelligence community and their allies in the press.  Several of my earlier articles covering topics such as Iranian nuclear capabilities, Abu Ghraib, or the Netwar battles prior to the 2004... More

Sweetness & Light has uncovered a disgraceful situation. Cindy Sheehan is to be paid 18 times as much to speak at a college campus than distinguished combat veteran Lt. Col. Scott Rutter. The Left loves to bemoan the plight of the underpaid, and constantly harps on nebulous concepts like... More

Apparently the US media are not the only ones interested in manipulating US public opinion by biased polls. The French are doing it, too!  In an article called "When France Polls America..." John Rosenthal reports that the lowest scores for President Bush are consistently found by the... More

Cliff Kincaid, of Accuracy in Media, highlights WaPo Columnist Jim Hoagland's words: The nut paragraph: "In a November 3 column in the Washington Post, Jim Hoagland confirmed that the Joseph Wilson affair was a CIA plot against President Bush. Writing his column in the form of a letter to... More

John Tierney, the sensible columnist of the New York Times, also has kind words to say about Wal—Mart. His column is locked—up in the Times Select pay service, but here is a fair use excerpt: Wal—Mart has been one of the most successful antipoverty programs in America. It... More

President Bush gives the New York Times what they demand: a greater role for Iraqi forces in fighting terorists. And yet they still find fault with him: a distorted no—win approach towards Iraq sovereignity This is emblematic. Many in the left—wing media and Democratic Party have been... More

A common bit of disparagement among some journalists, especially at the New York Times and among their peers in the Democratic Party, is that soldiers are dead—enders: people from underprivileged backgrounds forced to fight a rich man's war because the Republicans are greedy and have so... More

Apparently some of the brighter thinkers among the left wing Democrats are realizing that attacks on Wal—Mart, no matter how much they please the union bosses at UFCW, are counter—productive. One hundred million Americans shop there every week because they like to pay low prices, and... More

As the recent benzene spill in northeastern China continues to endanger the local citizens and harm the Middle Kingdom's international reputation, the growing anger is worrying Beijing's autocratic leadership.  But, ironically, Beijing's hands are often tied because of uncooperative local... More

'What we have to do is get across, not just to our children in schools and the students in college, but to the editors of newspapers and broadcast media just how entwined these great global cultures of the West and Islam have been for over a thousand years.' — London mayor Ken Livingstone on... More

President Bush is expected in Tucson, Arizona today and will comment on the hot button topic of the U.S. — Mexican border problem.  The problem is the border is porous, allowing illegal entry into the country from peoples ranging from Mexican nationals seeking higher wages to drug... More

Even the New York Times notices that the "soft power" appearsement approach of the Europeans to the Arab world is not paying many dividends lately. In a summit meeting marked as much by who was not there as who was, the European Union opened a two—day conference here on Sunday aimed at... More

Aslan, at Logic Times, demolishes the phony figure bandied about by opponents of the war in Iraq. Hat tip: Dana Matthewson More

"Chirac hits new low in popularity" The New York Sun reports: Jacques Chirac's presidency hit a new low yesterday when a poll showed that most voters think he now has little or no influence over events at home or abroad. Of those polled, 72% regarded the influence of their president — who... More

In 1932—33 Joseph Stalin created an artificial famine in Ukraine, killing millions in a deliberate policy of liquidating political opponents. This past weekend Ukrainians all over the world as well as at home marked the event and honored the memory of the victims. Ultima Thule brings this... More

Television viewers nationwide were recently treated to surveillance camera videotape of well—dressed black men in suits and bow ties trashing liquor stores in Oakland, California. Early reports scrupulously avoided mention of words like 'Muslim' or 'Islam.' But most people had some suspicions... More

The UK Sunday Times reports on what looks like a serious proposal to errect a massive mosque capable of seating 40,000 worshippers in the heart of London, adjacent to the site of the 2012 Olympic Games. There are several problems with this plan. 1. Muslims tend to see architecture as an... More

Mark Steyn writes another typically wonderful column about the dearth of honest storytelling in Hollywood, due to the pervasive choke hold of political correctness. Perhaps that is why biopics like last year's Ray and the current Walk the Line stand out. They can be at least somewhat honest about... More

Iraq is not the bloodiest conflict between Islamist terrorists and a Western power. Not even Israel has that dubious distinction. The war between Russia and Chechen rebels is said to have claimed 200,000 victims, including 25,000 children. The Russians prefers to flatten entire cities with... More

Cindy Sheehan group may have gobbled down Iraqi foods in a Thanksgiving gesture of 'solidarity with Iraq' by serving an Iraqi meal. But Sheehan's little charade was dwarfed by the Iraqi Thanksgiving gesture of "Thank you, America," in the form of a one million dollar wire transfer to the... More

The attempt to liken homosexual relationships to marriage and claim the same privileges is extending to yet another bizzare realm. The AP reports: A gay man charged with helping his lover loot a wealthy school district has asked a judge to rule that state law protecting spouses from having to... More

The Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, which I saw this afternoon, is even better than I expected, and everything I had heard was great. The two lead roles were stunningly well—acted by Joaquin Phoenix and Resse Witherspoon. The script was superb, with not a wasted line and real depth to... More

Sweetness & Light has captured the essence of the Cindy does Crawford tour today. This is a classic. As I keep telling you, nobody does this sort of blogging better. S&L is a gem of the blogosphere. Hat tip: Lucainne.com More

Germans are down in the dumps about themselves. Terrible economic growth may be the main reason, but then there is always the weather, the food, and uncomfortable questions about what Dad or Grandpa did during the war. Or maybe it is just living next door to the French. So the German government did... More

Our soldiers have uncovered a massive storehouse of weapons near Baghdad. So big that one remarked, "It was like a gun show." Best of all, it was based on a civilian tip. We are winning, despite what the press and Democrats would have you believe. Hat tip: John B. Dwyer More

Once, years ago, I heard a heard a lecture by a rabbi on dating. He advised that if your date treats a waiter/waitress or a busboy in a condescending and mean manner, that is the way they will treat you after a while — if you were to marry them. Today's New York Post had an article about... More

An alert reader serving with our military in Qatar has noticed a curious ad on top of his Gmail messages. Gmail is a service of google, which is the hottest hi tech company since Microsoft, and which is raking in billions from advertising sales. One of those advertisers is the Hugo Chavez fan club... More

The public's right to know is often non—existent in the Middle Kingdom. The aftermath of a massive explosion  a petrochemical plant in northeast China shows that too many Communist officials still maintain a "we—know—best" attitude. The SARS disaster less than to years ago... More

Jung Chang and Jon Halliday have written an honest book about Mao Tes—tung, title Mao: The Unknown Story. If I remember Jon correctly from decades ago, he used to be a dedicated leftist. Apparently experience and personal honesty have opened his eyes to the monstrous nature of... More

Celebrating the true meaning of Thanksgiving by enjoying a bountiful feast in a free and democratic society,  less than 90 anti war protesters near Crawford, Texas gobbled down Iraqi style food. With plates piled high with rice, fish, lentils, feta cheese and salad, protesters ate and talked... More

Sasha Baron Cohen, also known as Ali G, Bruno, and most memorably as Borat ("Number two television reporter of Kazakhstan Television"), is facing a lawsuit from the Kazakh government, which finds his politically incorrect questioning of interviewees repellant. The New York Times reports that... More

The UK Telegraph reports on alarming developments in Iran's nuclear program: Britain and key European allies are using intelligence briefings to convince major powers that Iran is trying to develop nuclear warheads for its Shahab—3 missiles. The Shahab 3, displayed at a Teheran military... More

Our contributror Edward L. Daley has an essay on PETA's efforts to save the noble turkey. Edward disagrees, and calls his essay "Tofurkey or not Tofurkey, That is the Question." Read it here. More

On  August 3, 2003 Joseph A. Wilson IV  refused to confirm his wife's CIA employment on the grounds it would be "a breach of national security": CNN.com: Transcripts CNN LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER Interview With Tom Ridge; Lott, Bayh Debate 9/11 Report; Interview With Joe Lieberman... More

Sweetness & Light has once again scooped everyone else, capturing the bizzaro world of the circus clown wing of the Democratic Party, as revealed in the pages of the Jamaica Observer. New Orleans mayor Ray "School Bus" Nagin (who now owns a house in Dallas) is vacationing in Jamaica, you see,... More

If one judges writers by their enemies, then Jonah Goldberg, whom I already regard with a mixture of respect, awe, and affection (his mom is a pal), has taken on a stature approaching mythic. Judge for yourself the following letter to the editor appearing in the Los Angeles Times: LETTERS Singing... More

Anis Mansour, a famous Egyptian writer, has published a memoir about growing up in an Egypt that seems long gone: one where religious tolerance was the order of the day: There wasn't a day in my life that I did not utter the names Jirjis, Hanna, Cohen, Levy, Jacques, Marianne, Violet, and Arlette.... More

Victor Davis Hanson and Max Boot have articles which neatly dovetail today and explain why the smarter members of the Democratic party aren't joining their party's  call for what I  call the  premature evacuation strategy. Boot notes the experts say we are winning in Iraq: WHEN... More

If the U.S. bolts from Iraq — and even if we don't? — who would be most likely to aid the Iraqi Shiites in a civil war against the Sunnis, Baathists, and al—Zarqawites? Does U.S. domestic opposition to and criticism of the Iraq war push Iraq in the direction of Iran? Perhaps it... More

Cuban exiles at the blog called Killcastro.com (the name, spelled that way, derives from graffiti seen in Havana) have found news from Iran showing that Iranian mullahs now claim that Cuban dictator Fidel Castro may convert to Islam.   Of course it's a sham, as Castro has no... More

Pssst!  You there! Yeah, you, kid!  Wanna see 72 virgins? It's the Jihadist answer to dirty French postcards, according to a reformist Muslim critic named Al—Sowayan, writing in the Saudi Gazette . The medium in this case isn't sexy postcards but cassette tapes: "So ubiquitous... More

Hitchens, again, aims past the foolish puerile yammering about Iraq and homes in on the reality——we have no option but to win this fight. I  think that the continuation of the Saddam Hussein regime would have been even more dangerous than the Bush administration has ever claimed.... More

Like so much of the environmentalists' ill—considered "remedies", the EU's rules on bio—energy are having unintended detrimental consequences on the environment. THE drive for "green energy" in the developed world is having the perverse effect of encouraging the destruction of tropical... More

Laurie David, the trophy wife of super—rich and super—funny comedian Larry David (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm) has spent a lot of her husband's money promoting an extreme environmentalist agenda. Her husband is always seen driving hybrid vehicles on CYE, and she regularly denounces... More

Mediacrity exposes the abysmal level of knowledge and intelligence which informs the editorial writers of the New York Times. It seems they missed a cover story in the Atlantic Magazine two months ago which puts the lie to their assertions on the origins of the intifada (the one in Israel, not... More

As Hugo Chavez prepares to distribute cheap oil to 'the poor' in the U.S.,there's no question there's an unsavory political story behind it. We've found it. Pedro M. Burelli is a former board member of the Venezuelan oil company and also was instrumental in forging the ties the Kennedys have to... More

For the past three days, leaders from Iraq's Shiite, Kurdish, and Sunni communities have been meeting in Cairo, Eqypt, as part of a "reconciliation conference" sponsored by the Arab League.  According to Voice of America , the conference was intended "to bring different factions together,... More

One of the most easily understood  reports about Saddam's connection to 9/11 was the report from Czech intelligence that Atta met in Prague  with Iraqi intelligence prior to the 9/11 attack.   This incident has been consistently misreported by almost everyone but Edward Jay Epstein... More

A CENTCOM update last week on Operation Steel Curtain seems to indicate that Coalition and Iraqi forces are implementing a counter—insurgency strategy that was proving to be highly successful in the latter stages of the Vietnam War. When General Creighton Abrams took over from General... More

If you think Hugo Chavez's regional meddling is confined to Bolivia, you're in for a surprise. Chavez not only meddles in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Colombia, Nicaragua and any other country he can find an opportunity in, he also is actively meddling in U.S. politics. Not only is it through... More

Word of Michael Moore's hypocrisy has reached his home town paper, the Flint Journal. Registration is easy, and worth it for the read.  Peter Schweizer's best—seller Do as I Say (Not as I Do) is the ultimate source, but now all the kids who went to Moore's suburban high school can read... More

It turns out that Rep. John Murtha has a history of urging cut and run policies on US forces, and that President Clinton took his advice in Somalia, with disastrous results. Carl Limbacher of Newsmax has the story: "Our welcome has been worn out," Rep Murtha told NBC's "Today" show in Sept. 1993,... More

The New Yorker has a thoughtful piece, one which avoids the usual polemics, that explores differences in American and Euorpean work patterns. The changes which have developed over the last 30 years are profound and now result in  substantial differences in unemployment rates and... More

You won't see it get much media play, but President Bush gave an excellent speech in South Korea to the troops yesterday, talking lucidly about Iraq. The money quote: ...Zawahiri points to the Vietnam War as a model for al Qaeda. He writes, "The aftermath of the collapse of American power in... More

The President of the United States is in China. In my local paper, the Chicago Tribune, there are two photos of his visit in the paper today. On the front page, there is a small photo with Bush and his counterpart, Chinese President Hu Jintao. Both are smiling following release of their joint... More

Michael McGough, apparently no fan of President Bush, provides some valuable perspective on newly—sainted Democrat icon Rep. John Murtha in the Pittsburgh Post—Gazette: Three years ago, the Post—Gazette declined to endorse Rep. Murtha for re—election because he... More

Michael Barone is a well—regarded political observer who has worked for The Washington Post and is currently a senior commentator for US News and World Report and FoxNews. He has authored a number of books, including the standard reference work The Almanac of AmericanPolitics. Barone is... More

The New York Times continues it policy of presenting Jews as somewhat suspect Americans. In an article available online only to paid Times Select subscribers, it decries the efforts of Kenneth Tomlinson to bring some balance to NPR's coverage of Middle East issues. And it includes this... More

The New York Post's Amir Taheri writes of religious tolerance and intolerance as it affects Muslims, members of a religion which is predicated on religious dominance of all aspects of society, public and private. In such a religion, the idea that a person is left free to practice his own religion... More

In a debate about the prosecution of the war, when the tide was turning against Lincoln, Jim Lane, a fire—breathing Senator from Kansas, gave a speech. I'm afraid I no longer have the date, or the occasion, or anything beyond the opening passage. But that opening passage speaks for... More

As the French intifada seemingly cools (just for the moment?) normalcy — French style — has returned.  Torching cars——a common every day form of vandalism there——has dropped  to a mere 98 per evening. And in the land of liberty, equality and... More

From the December 30, 2003 letter by Acting Attorney General Corney referring tha matter to Fitzgerald for investigation, we get this description of the Plame matter: 'all the authority of the Attorney General with respect to the Department's investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure... More

Bill Palmer understates his case.  It's not that the left is cowardly or timid.  Leftist hate this country; some of them hate us almost as much as the Islamic fascists (really they're the same kind of people using different names).  Right now, leftists believe that they can conquer... More

Sweetness & Light has assembled some of the immortal words of Cindy Sheehan which are not likely to make it into print with her newly—announced book deal. Read them, and then ponder the fact that many powerful members of the Democratic Party and major media adopted her as their virtual... More

The opponents of the war are not cowards for the simple reason that they have nothing at risk. They have nothing to be cowardly about. We have a voluntary military. If we were in a quagmire, our warriors would know better than anyone else and wouldn't re—enlist in numbers sufficient to fight... More

The Astute Blogger has collected links to several items which suggest that Representative Murtha is facing some serious charges, and that his recent loud suggestion of immediate withdrawal from Iraq may be a smokescreen, to divert attention away from serious ethics issues. Very interesting. Expect... More

In a blog item titled  "Uncover the Stars of Uncovered " I described Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity and their role in the Plame matter   (VIPS)and the Kerry campaign film  "Uncovered".  A leading member of VIPS appeared in October 2003 on the Washington... More

Communist revolutions are all alike. They are characterized by the confiscation of private property, the destruction of wealth, the targetting of the middle class and industrious minorities, the rise of the lowly vicious, death squads, internal spies, aggression abroad, internal war and... More

As President Bush and his wife attended church in Beijing on Sunday morning before discussing a series of thorny issues with the Chinese leadership, they should note an emerging story from Taiwan involving the Vatican and religious freedom. The South China Morning Post from Hong Kong reports... More

This Friday Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced he will be soon selling up to 1.2 million gallons of discounted heating oil in poor communities in Boston and New York via his government's 16,000 Citgo  Oil Company stations in the US. What Democrats could also contribute discounted... More

ABC news recently aired a segment on CIA interrogation techniques used in Afghanistan and Iraq to extract information from terrorists. As usual, the American interrogators and the Bush Administration were portrayed as crossing the line, violating international law, and using techniques that are... More

The CENTCOM Newsletter for the week of 14 November 2005 can be found here. Among the stories covered this week: Ad Din Province, Iraq — Alongside the longest inhabited region in the world — the very birthplace of civilization — the Tigris River has flowed unceasingly for thousands... More

As we noted earlier, Woodward described the conversation with his unnamed source as an off—hand one ,denigrating the significance of the Wilson Mission. Woodward indicated this further information about his source: In the final weeks before the grand jury indicted vice presidential aide I.... More

When it comes to pulling congressional stunts, We can see who are champs and who are the runts. Team captains like Reid and those other fool wusses Are like Nagin in N'awlins: they miss their own busses.   By the time they discover that they're in a rout, The game is all over, the team bus... More

Opionionjournal.com has an excellent commentary on President Bush and China, pointing out the delicate—yet—doable task ahead: conatining China's ambition for regional dominance while encouraging a loosening—up of the semi—Stalinist political system. Now that China's coastal... More

Robert Novak reports: The District of Columbia cell of the Communist Party USA has been revealed as holding a monthly luncheon in the cafeteria of the National Education Association (NEA), without the sponsorship but not with the disapproval of the huge, politically powerful schoolteachers union.... More

While many Americans are focused on President Bush's current tour of East Asia, some have overlooked a big political gamble involving the Chinese President Hu Jintao and the student protests that shook the Middle Kingdom in the spring of 1989.  As noted at the American Thinker on September... More

In an article today, Bob Woodward details the circumstances leading up to his testimony. In so doing, gives us a glimpse of the myopic nature of the Special Proecutor's focus: In his press conference announcing Libby's indictment, Fitzgerald noted that, "Mr. Libby was the first official known to... More

I though King Abdullah of Jordan was descended from Mohammed. Why does Jordan—born al—Zarqawi say that he is descended from traitors? Could it be that al—Zarqawi is not much of a Muslim? Ed Lasky   11 18 05  More

Yesterday  Peter Yost co—authored a piece on the Wilson/Plame matter. In it he argues the Plame case investigation will not die and says: A group of former intelligence officers urged President Bush not to pardon anyone convicted of leaking Valerie Plame's name to reporters and to pull... More

Israpundit exposes a lie by the Prime Minister of Canada. This is important, and disturbing: Prime Minister Paul Martin is no friend of Israel. Even by the standards of politics, Paul Martin's willingness to lie to a Jewish audience, especially when it is certain that he will be caught out a few... More

Dear Representative Murtha, I am still in shock over your pronouncement to immediately withdraw our troops from Iraq.  At least you had the personal courage to stand up and unequivocally define the end game of your political party.  Many of your less courageous colleagues have adopted the... More

Perhaps stung by criticism within Jordan and from a borader collection of Muslims after the Amman hotel attacks, Iraqi terror thug in chief Zarqawi expressed what sounds like an apology for the killing of Muslims in Amman, particuarly at a wedding (many of the dead were Palestinians, an even... More

Mediacrity catches New York Times film critic Stephen Holden casually slipping into a film review anti—Israel propaganda: New York Times film critic Stephen Holden today reviews "Private," an Italian indie move on the Israel—Palestinian dispute that —— surprise,... More

Congressman Murtha is indeed a Marine veteran with ample standing. The press is lionizing his reiteration of opposition to our presence in Iraq, and his proposed surrender to Islamofascism But Rep. Sam Johnson of Texas, a veteran and former POW in Vietnam, is forthright in his support of our war... More

Dick Weltz sends this cartoon strip into his editor — me. Very apt. Thomas Lifson Dennis Sevakis emails: Dear Esteemed and Most Honorable Editor, Please forward to Mr. Weltz my appreciation for and concurrence with his courageous observation regarding your editorial policies. Dennis Sevakis More

Rich Galen has offered up a short but clever strategy for Libby that relies on the reported conversations among key news figures in the case with their colleagues. If you aren't familiar with him, Rich Galen is very funny: "If I were Scooter Libby's defense attorney, here's what I would do: I... More

Selected nut paragraphs from the UK Telegraph's story: "One of France's most distinguished diplomats has confessed to an investigating judge that he accepted oil allocations from Saddam Hussein, it emerged yesterday. Jean—Bernard Mérimée is thought to be the first senior figure to... More

Michael Barone compares the internicine warfare in the New York Times where Judy Miller was forced out after reporting based on the intelligence about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction which were based on the intelligence consensus of the world and the treatment of the Pincus—Woodward... More

The "youths" of France — the ones the WaPo assures us have no particular religious motives — have defiled, ransacked or burned a dozen churches in France. So notes the Astute Blogger. Don't hoild your breath waiting for MSM coverage of the religous persecution. More

Sweetness & Light, one of my favorite blogs, has some very astute comments on Bob Woodward's coming forward to put the lie to Patrick Fitzgerald's statement that Libby was the first official to "out" the non—covert CIA desk Jockey Valerie Plame: ...note how the Washington Post sat on... More

The Los Angeles Times describes the vast changes underway in Louisiana politics as a result of the population dislocations in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In a nutshell, much of the Democratic base in New Orleans has not come home, changing the balance of power in the state from pretty even to... More

As Robert Frost wrote decades ago, "Good fences make good neighbors."  And if the neighbors aren't good, good fences make innocent citizens safer.  As a result, many countries are now constructing them, but as noted earlier, the world matter of factly acknowledges India's need... More

More bad news for the anti—war, moonbat left: the survival rate for US service members wounded in action in Iraq has reached 90 percent, which surpasses the rate in all previous wars, and is ten points higher than in First Gulf War.  Maj. Gen. (Dr.) George W. Weightman, Commanding... More

India is fencing off Muslim terror, a sensible thing to do, and just like the policy Israel has followed  — to accusations of apartheid. Where is the world outrage over India? India fences off Bangladesh to keep out Muslim terrorDean Nelson, Dhaka INDIA is accelerating the... More

"US jobless claims fall to lowest level in 7 months" More

Not since Lord Haw—Haw, who made radio broadcasts for the Nazis while they were bombing London,  has there been a British figure quite as despicable as George Galloway. "Oily George" has made a name for himself by serially kissing the anatomy of the bloodiest dictators on the planet. He... More

Nina Easton of the Boston Globe plays the "what if?" game on a possible Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade. Unsurpsingly, whe swallows whole a number of pro—abortion shibboleths in proclaiming that the GOP cold face trouble in suburban Congressional races. First, the Supreme Court is... More

Bill Clinton calls the Iraq invasion a "big Mistake" and chooses to do so in Dubai. Thanks, Bill. But did you need to do this in an Arab dictatorship?   Ed Lasky  11 16 05 More

The EU's budget has failed to win approval from its financial watchdog agency for the eleventh year in a row! The words of the auditors and the scale of the program bring to mind nothing less than the scandalous United Nations Oil—for—Food program: The European Court of Auditors... More

Van Laskey, a former paratrooper and licensed private detective, writes: There is no more spineless group of men than our esteemed Senate Republican leaders with the exception of Allen and Santorum. Had Rockefeller gone to Italy prior to 1941 and told Mussolini that he thought that Roosevelt... More

A funny thing happened on the way to democracy in Iraq.  Democrats who voted against our entry into the first Gulf War, voted for the war resolution this time around.  Why?  They were certain that WMDs would be uncovered and President Bush would be hailed for making the world safer,... More

I knew there was a reason I like Mitt Romney so much. The Boston Globe reports: Speaking to educators, Romney warned that if the United States does not improve its schools, ''we'll end up being the France of the 21st century." ''We cannot continue to have an excellence gap with the rest of the... More

Jamie Glazov interviews former military intelligence officer Bill Tierney today in Front Page Magazine, covering much of the evidence that Saddam actually had WMDs, though the press and Democrats have pretended otherwise. Tierney obviously knows this territory well, and covers many of the same... More

Former Secretary of the Navy and 9/11 Commission member John Lehman writes in today's Washington Post about the failure of the intelligence reforms his commission recommended. Of course, he blames the Bush administration for poor implementation, rather than the commission itself. There is a very... More

Tom Maguire agrees that the Woodward testimony creates substantial problems for the continued prosecution of the Libby case: Based on the Woodward story, we have clear indications that at least one reporter, Woodward, knew about a Wilson and wife connection and kept quiet.  Is he the only... More

Newsweek carries an article this week on the debate in Congress over legislation to outlaw "aggressive interrogation techniques" on terrorist detainees, which includes this interesting passage: Even (Senator John) McCain recognizes there could be rare instances when a president disobeys the law... More

Lawrence Kudlow notes the vast expansion of the investor class, and its political implications: A brand new, hot—off—the—press survey shows that the American investor class continues to grow by leaps and bounds. In the last three years, the number of families owning stocks... More

As President Bush makes his tour around East Asia, presumably trying to convince the regional leaders to make a greater effort to fight the global war on terror, he should focus on what is happening in the south China city of Guangzhou.  According to CNN International, on Sunday, US embassy... More

This is an excellent piece on the "ground" in Iraq. It has lots of details.  Exactly the kind of thing you don't get from the MSM. Greg Richards and Doug Hanson    11 16 05 More

The Washington Post reports that  Bob Woodward was told of "Wilson's wife" working for the CIA before Novak or Miller and by an Administration official , apparently not Libby nor Rove. William Jeffress Jr., one of Libby's lawyers, said yesterday that Woodward's testimony undermines... More

The European Union is run, frankly, by unelected control freaks. In Ronald Reagan's words, the EU is a government with a people, not a people with a government.  Most European nations have little concern with individual rights. Britain is rapidly losing its sovereignty, under the impact of a... More

I had previously criticized Jonathan Last's positive review of the Sam Mendes film Jarhead  based on Last's assertion that the movie 'got it right' on the Marines and the Gulf War.  Apparently, it never occurred to Last that one disillusioned Marine's experiences do not necessarily... More

This is simply stunning: Hezbollah's deputy secretary general hosted a US delegation of families of September 11 victims in Beirut. The delegation presented the aim of its visit which was spreading peace and rejecting violence all over the world as well as communicating with parties and factions... More

Chirac cites a "malaise" in the riot outbreaks. Malaise — I thought that leads to lassitude,  not violence. Though Carter never actually used the term malaise, the Chirac regime increasingly mimics the Carter presidency. An obsessive romancing of Third World despots, a disdain... More

J. Peter Freire advocates a return to conservative policies as the cure for what ails George W. Bush. Solidify the base, in other words. Rush Limbaugh is the most notable commentatorto make the point that the American people will vote for conservatives when conservative policies are... More

John Avlon writes in the New York Sun about a shining success story for the GOP's strategy to win African—American and urban voters. It is a must—read. Ed Lasky   11 15 05 More

Thomas Sowell  and AT Editor Thomas Lifson were right.  The tidal wave of opposition from conservative opinion makers to the Harriet Miers Supreme Court nomination was wildly misdirected and too emotional in the extreme.  The conservative crackdown on GW over his... More

Germany has finally elected an adult as prime ministe. Angela Merkel is a physicist who was born in the old East Germany, and therefore has few illusions about the miraculous powers of the state. However, she is in a weak position at the head of a divided coalition, including the Social Democrats,... More

Dinocrat.com has been following the financial decline of the New York Times like nobody else. Core circulation in the New Tork metropolitan area is declining rapidly, masked by an increase in national circulation via satellite printing facilities. The financial performance of the company is poor,... More

Copyright limitations prevent me from quoting the entire Christopher Hitchens article demolishing the left's nonsensical propositions that (a) they voted for regime change but not  an invasion  in 1998 and an invasion but not a regime change  in 2002 and (b) that Chalabi fooled... More

It cannot be doubted that in a world which grows increasingly unsympathetic to Israel, America's fundamentalist Christians remain its staunchist allies . The Anti Defamation League's Abraham Foxman's efforts to drive a wedge between American Jews and the fundamentalist Christians seems bizarre and... More

The London Times reports on children orphaned by Kasmir earhtquake, children now being raised by terror groups. Such humanitarians.... Ed Lasky  11 14 05 More

Jimmy Carter, in a Los Angeles Times op—ed: we are the prime cause of nuclear proliferation. can you spot the other fictions? Note  that he ingores his own mischevious and disruptive, arrogant role in permitting the North Koreans to continue its own nuclear program.BTW, when did we... More

Higher education is a huge industry in the United States, and a rich one, privileged with multiple tax exemptions, able to extort crippling levels of tuition from parents anxious to ensure their children get a running start at a lucrative career. Once upon a time, not so long ago, genteel poverty... More

Recall, yesterday the New York Times said UN actions in Iraq had been "crucial." This version of reality from the New York Sun differs significantly: After the ouster of Saddam, America and its allies hoped United Nations involvement would blunt the hostility of those opposed to the enterprise of... More

Last week, Ed Lasky posted a blog item criticizing The Economist magazine of the U.K. for publishing an article he felt ridiculed the death of Christians. In response, the Editor in Chief of The Economist, Bill Emmott, wrote to us questioning the item, and a back—and—forth... More

A vote for war is the most sober, profound, consequential vote that a senator can make.  No other vote in an entire career will be remotely as important.  So, what is all this backsliding?  What are Edwards, Kerry, Rockefeller, et al saying?  That they didn't do their... More

The Viking Observer does an outstanding job in checking out a strange——totally false——story about Muslims in Denmark  by a Christian Science Monitor reporter stationed there and finds out the reporter's background is at least as clouded as is his... More

Matt May still watches 60 Minutes on CBS for some reason. Perhaps he was trolling for material for his "funny quotations" feature. Last night's edition featured an Andy Rooney verbal essay on Jimmy Carter, which was either hilarious or ridiculous, depending on one's mood, I suupose. It ended with... More

Tom Maguire notes that the New York Times has alerted the "reality based" community that they have little chance at gaining control of the House of Representatives on 2006; notes the Times wasn't pessimistic enough; and observes the progressive progression on the war: let's take a moment to... More

Sweetness & Light catches Tim Ruusert deliberately misleading his viewers by taking out of context the words of Colin Powell, and using them to reinforce a Democrat talking point. Shameful! More

I suppose there is one advantage to the current Congressional quagmire.  Legislation that is forwarded for Congressional review with the provision that no objection results in concurrence will allow this type of bill to become law.  Such is the case with Base Realignment and Closure... More

The CENTCOM Newsletter for the week of 7 November 2005 can be found here.  Among this week's stories:  Base Camp Adder (Ali Base) Iraq — Local workers completed renovations to the Nasiriyah Intelligence Police Station in late October.  The station houses anti—drug and... More

A John Edwards op—ed repeats the myth and canard of manipulated intelligence. Edwards, the erstwhile Presidential candidate, tries the "I made a Mistake" gambit to explain his vote to approve the war in 2002.* We probably can expect more of these "admissions" in the future. Undoubtedly, they... More

A New York Times "reporter" calls Israel's security barrier a "separation barrier." Needless to say, this is parroting the Palestinian propaganda about Israeli "apartheid." The article makes no mention of the terror attacks which prompted the erection of the security barrier. I doubt you will... More

The MSM constantly lecture us that one big advantage for their readers lies in the fact that editors and fact checkers ensure that the information they present is reliable, unlike those nasty internet websites. The New York Times is supposed to be the most prestigious, best member of the daily... More

New York Times obtuseness and UN—boosting are both on display in one ridiculous pragraph today. The Times again goes to bat for the discredited United Nations. After deep—sixing innumerable reports illustrating UN incompetence, bias, and corruption the Times continues its usual... More

Despite evidence to the contrary, a former Clinton Cabinet member blames Israel for continuing unrest in the Arab world. No mention of Muslims living under despotism and poverty, or surveys in the Arab world showing the Arab populations do not have the Palestinain issue in the forefront of thier... More

The Financial Times reports  a concern of the US Treasury that Saudi Arabia is 'not being active enough in shutting down sources of financing for terrorist organizations?' Are the actions by 'Our Saudi Friends'  finally being scrutinized for what they really are? The Senate Judiciary... More

Just days after pledging 'complete openness' in the fight against bird flu, Communist officials in Beijing have reportedly ordered newspapers to seek approval from the authorities before publishing any reports on new outbreaks of bird flu and any animal or human deaths. At last count eight... More

The San Jose Mercury—News, once renowned as the newspaper with the most advertising linage in the entire United States, is laying off 16% of its newsroom staff, through attrition and buyouts, so as to avoid the nasty—sounding term "lay—off". The AP, anxious to avoid offending a... More

Powerline notes the outlandish claims being made by Michael Scheuer, formerly of the CIA: The pathetic Michael Scheuer claims that, "in the war against al Qaeda, Saddam Hussein was one of our best allies." And the selectively pathetic Chris Matthews gives Scheuer a free pass on his big lie.... More

Norman Podhoretz has assembled 10 pre—war statements. Can you guess who said which? 1. I participated in a Washington meeting about Iraqi WMD...One of the senior people put a question to the group: did anyone in the room doubt that Iraq was currently operating a secret centrifuge plant? No... More

We were undergoing server maintenance during Veterans Day. As Our first post followng resumption of service, nothing could be better than these words: 'The soldier is the army.  No army is better than its soldiers.  The soldier is also a citizen.  In fact, the highest obligation and... More

Another example of French obtuseness: "We are victims of our architecture," says Guillaume Parmentier, the head of a French institute, as he struggles to explain two weeks of rioting in the sterile high—rise ghettos populated by France's Muslim immigrants. True. But architecture is not the... More

The French media were the leaders in broadcasting the Palestinian "story of the death of Mohammed Al—Dura" in 2000. The last part of that sentence is in quotes because the story spread by French media was a Palestinian propaganda ploy to portray the death of a young... More

The latest pork for Congress: $623 popcorn machines, plasma TVs, and more $823 for ioinic air fresheners Reps. David Dreier (R—Calif.), Mark Souder (R—Ind.) and John Murtha (D—Pa.) spent more than $5,700 each on plasma—screen televisions. Rep. Jim Cooper (D—Tenn.)... More

Joseph Farah,  an American of Lebanese Christian descent,  has the perfect solution to stop the  rioting in France: a Paristinian state.  And why not——he's merely applying the solution the French have so pompously given to Israel and adapted it for the current... More

Israel may export a security barrier to Russia to fence off Chechnya. Where is the world outrage? Russia trying to fend itself from terror by keeping it out. When Israel did this, howls of outrage echoed throughout the world. The Russian government is mulling the construction of a security barrier... More

A Chirac adviser and Arabist calls for "new Andalusia" in which Muslims and Chrsitians would create a new culture Of course, he leaves out other groups — like French Jews (France has the largest Jewish popualtion in the world, after Israel and America). Aside from this fact, Andalusia... More

"Euro hits 18 month low" Via Bloomberg. Ed Lasky  11 08 05 More

Another sign of the Times (NY, that is). The Economist magazine, like the New York Times, is often considered de rigueur reading by the elites of the world. It positions itself as a magazine for the world, since it covers developments around the world (akin to the BBC — both evolved their... More

In a blog item the other day about Wilson's green room disclosures, I inadvertently erred in adding Victor Davis Hanson's name to the list of those who Wilson had told that his wife worked in the CIA.  On the other hand last night  on the Batchelor show, General Vallely confirmed... More

The  American Spectator adds more details to the puzzle of who authorized Wilson's trip and who referred the Plame non—outing to the Department of Justice:   A source who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Valerie Plame —— who suggested her husband for the... More

Speaking to young Democrats at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, John F. (for "feelings") Kerry accidentally revealed the strategy of Democrats to prey on feelings, not logic. "All politics is a reaction to felt needs. You need to get people to feel the need. Our job is to make sure the... More

Reliapundit notes that the MSM is censoring news from France that proves the Islamist intent behind at least some of the rioting in France and the piracy off Somalia. The French media are also censoring ($ link) news regarding the pandemonium. The press, particularly the AFP, is very tied to... More

On October 25, 2005 the report on the investigation involving Henry Cisneros, which cost taxpayers $21 million and whose release has been held up by counsel for some of the Clinton Administration officials  persons named therein, was ordered released by a three—judge panel of the U.S.... More

So, are Tom Friedman and the New York Times going to push this peace plan, as they did the Saudi Peace Plan, the Geneva Peace Plan, the Road map...and every purported peace plan ever presented? How can anyone accept the Times' views when they do not even choose to honestly scrutinize and evaluate... More

Not much commented on is the fact that in 1999, according to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Joseph A. Wilson IV made another trip to Niger, a trip also paid for by the CIA and for which he was chosen upon the recommendation of his wife, Valerie Plame. The SSCI gives no... More

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's legacy to the War on Terror has gone largely unreported by the major press.  Thanks to thirty years of socialist policies, Germany was forced to withdraw its naval presence around the Horn of Africa  to stop the bleeding from its failed... More

Diversity in college: how about classes for "only native Americans" at ASU?Ed Lasky   11 07 05 More

UNESCO awarded its International Music Prize 2005 to 'Zorba the Greek' composer Mikis Theodorakis for his contributions to understanding between cultures and the advancement of peace. Two years ago: Composer Mikis Theodorakis has said he was condemning Israel's Government by saying Jews are "the... More

Gateway Pundit reports that 150,000 Moroccans have taken to streets of Casablanca to demonstrate against al Qaeda. Some are carryting signs pledging unity with Iraq. Don't believe the MSM propagandists who insist that we are losing the war on terror. Thomas Lifson  11 07 05 More

"Gas prices return to pre—Katrina levels" CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — Retail gas prices plunged an average of 23 cents nationwide in the past two weeks, marking a return to pre—Hurricane Katrina levels, according to a survey. More

Your morning update — Here are some highlights, or is that lowlights President Jacques Chirac has said restoring order is his top priority. Yeah, that's what he "says" but is it, really? "It is strictly forbidden for any Muslim... to take part in any action that strikes blindly at private or... More

Just posted on National Review Online, one hour after our posting of James Lewis's AT article today, the estimable Michael Ledeen explores the forged Niger documents in an imagined dialogue with James Angleton and concludes (with the help of his imaginary mentor) that these documents were forged by... More

The New York Times suggests that the Administration knowingly relied on an unreliable source (al—Libi) to strengthen its claim about links between Iraq and Al Qaeda. If so, that fault lies with CIA Director George Tenet, not the White House, and a google check would establish... More

The Gulf News reports on the latest in sseries of "mysterious" deaths associated with the discovery of the 5,300 year old hunter's corpse in an Alpine glacier: An Australian molecular biologist who carried out research on the Stone Age hunter known as Oetzi the Iceman has died, renewing... More

A homosexual bishop is saying that God called him to his elevated post: ""About 10 or 12 years ago, God began to pursue me about the episcopate," he said. "I've often compared it to a little yapping dog biting at your heels. He wouldn't leave me alone. It seemed that God wanted me to be in this... More

Once they had made a lot of money, the Beatles wrote a wry song about the Tax Man, who would tax the street, your feet, and other supposed absurdities. Reality has a lamentable tendency to imitiate some art. The United Kingdom is about to revalue real state for purposes of council (local) tax men... More

Joseph A. Wilson IV has threatened to sue General Paul Vallely unless he retracts his statement that in 2002 Wilson told him (while they shared a green room at Fox) that his wife was a CIA agent. Vallely stands by his statement: Vallely said, citing CIA colleagues, that in addition to his... More

Unlike the non—outing of a non—covert agent Valerie Plame, which Bob Woodward says an informal CIA assessment determined had no consequences, the leak of the holding of Al Qaeda prisoners on former Eastern bloc countries is having real consequences: EASTERN European countries were... More

The CENTCOM Newsletter for the week of October 31, 2005 can be found here.  The newsletter highlights continuing reconstruction projects in the Central Region and earthquake relief efforts in Pakistan. The CENTCOM Public Affairs Office has forwarded to American Thinker the following press... More

My good friend Max Grossman has translated from Italian part of a speech given by Emilia Guarnieri, President of the Association of 'Meeting' for the Friendship Among Peoples, at the rally  of 10—15,000 people in Rome protesting Iran's threat to "wipe Israel off the map." It is good... More

Gregory Kane, of the Baltimore Sun, is one of my favorite columnists. He is consistently sensible, honest, eloquent, and penetrating. And he doesn't care a whit about offending the delicate sensibilites of the politically correct. Considering where he works, he is a very brave man. Today's column... More

Off the coast of Somalia, passengers on the luxury liner Seabourn Spirit were treated to the latest offering in ocean—going entertainment. While on its way from Alexandria in Egypt to Mombassa in Kenya, the ship was fired upon by gunmen shooting from at least two speedboats in what was an... More

Inquiries by The San Francsico Chronicle have apparently led to the sudden resignation of the number two—ranking official of the University of California system, the nation's most prominent higher education system. Nobody, apparently, was minding the store when it came to examining basic... More

The prophet Muhammad taught that Muslim men martyred in a holy war will be rewarded with darked—eyed houris (huris) or perpetual virgins (Suras 44:51—56; 52:17—29; 55:46—78). However, "houris" may be a mistranslation of "white raisins." This very brief... More

Our contributor Olivier Guitta has an excellent article for the Weekly Standard on the history of Muslim violence in France, as subject on which he is extremely well—informed. More

Can there be a more biased, inflammatory, and incorrect headline than this one for the upcoming History Channel Documentary on the Crusades? "CAN A PRESIDENT FINISH WHAT A KING, A SULTAN AND A POPE BEGAN?" What exactly is the HISTORY channel trying to tell us in this rhetorical question? That... More

General Vallely says Wilson offered up to him the information that his wife was a CIA employee, well before the Novak article. Joseph C. Wilson, revealed wife Valerie Plame's identity in a casual conversation more than a year before she allegedly was "outed" by the White House through a columnist.... More

Reliapundit at The Astute Blogger, has an interesting suggestion for the French government to end its problems with rampaging "youths." It will never happen, of course. More

I'm really surprised that we haven't heard anything from Jesse or Al regarding the ongoing and apparently uncontrolled 'civil unrest' in France as well as some other EU countries, the full extent of which has been less than fully reported by both the European and American media. You'd think they'd... More

The AP reports that the motivation for the forged documents of a sale to Iraq of Nigerien yellowcake was financial, not political. But they do so in the context of an assertion which has been established to be utterly false by at least two independent Commissions: WASHINGTON — The... More

Val Prieto, of Babalu Blog in Miami, writes about what it's like to be without electricity so long after Hurricane Wilma has passed. The title is witty: "No—power blogging." With summit going on in Argentina, the blogosphere needs Val's full attention on matters of less personal... More

It turns out that Charles and Camilla will be spending half of their American visit in the San Francisco Bay Area: a grand total of four days. Frankly, I don't spend much time concerned with matters related to the Battenburg family, or the Windsors as they call themselves since emigrating... More

A few days ago AT publicized the distortions and misrepresentations of what and how students are taught about Islam and the Arab world, based on a curriculum by organizations financed by Saudi Arabia.  This curriculum was publicized in a New York Sun editorial based on findings from the Jewish... More

Harry Hutton, my favorite British blogger, who's done incredible work on the real situation in Colombia, seems to be spending time in the States lately and blogging about all he sees here. He notes that the states with the lowest test scores also seem to be the most economically dynamic —... More

"Unemployment down, payrolls up" Despite devastating hurricanes from late August through mid October, according to the Labor Department: America's payrolls grew by a rather tepid 56,000 in October, a sign that the nation's job market is slowly regaining its footing after the beating... More

Ten to 15 thousand epople took to the streets of Rome last night to demonstrate against Iran's open threat to exterminate Israel. While not a massive number, it is 10 to 15 thousand more people than have taken to the streets of Paris or London in the same cause. A correspondent who follows the... More

Cuban dictator Fidel Castro has not only has wrought mayhem all over the poor countries of the hemisphere, he now seems to be moving in on more advanced countries, like Brazil — no small country — undermining them through alleged bribery about as badly as he has the smaller and... More

Liberal Jeff Rosen of The New Republic thinks the indictment of Libby is indefensible: ...it's important for journalists (including me) who vigorously opposed the Kenneth Starr investigation to state the obvious: The Fitzgerald indictments are an embarrassing confirmation of the old Washington rule... More

It's not just Paris. Successive nights of riots have rocked parts of �rhus, the second largest city in Denmark. Little to nothing has appeared in the English language press about the second front in the Eurabian intifada. �rhus is home to an excellent Danish university, and is a... More

A Los Angeles Times op—ed by Jonathant ("Why I hate George Bush") Chait again repeats the canard about Bush bullying intelligence analysts into suppressing contrary information. Nobody bullied intelligence analysts into suppressing contrary information, and they didn't pass on information... More

The French have sneered at America when Los Angeles erupted in riots, when New Orleans flooded, and on many other occasions, such as walking past a McDonald's outlet. The New York Sun editorializes today: As the Chicago Sun—Times reported in 1992: "the consensus of French pundits is that... More

Pierre Omidyar, the founder of ebay, and his wife Pam, have donated $100 million to their alma mater Tufts University. While such philanthropy is admirable, even more praiseworthy are the conditions surrounding the gift. In essence, Mr. and Mrs. Omidyar are investing in fostering capitalism as a... More

Robert Burns' classic, To a Louse, begins "Oh would some power the giftie gie us to see ourselves as others see us." Someone ought to send it to Dan Rather who still seems stuck in an alternate reality. From the Bangor Daily News: ORONO — Longtime CBS Evening News anchorman Dan Rather on... More

D.J. Drummond of Polipundit has a superb analysis of the crisis situation the United States faces with a lack of new refineries, and the almost impossible task of building new ones. Ed Lasky   11 03 05 More

The NBA had its opening night on Tuesday with three games on the schedule.  Who won and lost is recorded in the next morning papers' sports pages.  For the rest of the story, just flip over to the fashion section.  It was also the first night of the NBA's new dress code policy. ... More

India and Pakistan are moving forward with detente, most recently symbolized and deepened by the opening of the border between Indian and Pakistan—governed portions of Kashmir, to permit earthquake aid from India to reach Pakistani victims. But Islamicist forces are dedicated to global jihad... More

The motto of the New York Times, once known as "the paper of record" is "all the news that's fit to print."   What's not fit to print, apparently, is information that contradicts their own biases; facts that contradict their deeply held beliefs.  The result is skewed news, incomplete... More

Victoria Toensing has raised many of the same questions as Clarice Feldman does in her article here today on the Wilson Gambit. Scott Johnson at Powerline concurs. Momentum is shifting. There are far more interestiung questions needing investigation than Lewis Libby's memory of his conversations... More

We are pleased to welcome a significant new citizen of the blogoshere. Noted economist, writer, and thinker Larry Kudlow has just introduced his own blog. Larry is one of the most astute commentators of the day regarding sundry topics, but focusing on economics and politics. He has also been... More

The South Asia Analysis Group, an India—based group which covers the war on terror, has issued a paper regarding the reaction to the deployment of US forces to provide aid in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Pakistan. There is some startling information: — A US military... More

NPR could not bring itself to use the term "Muslim" in its report this morning on the rioting in Paris. It referred to the two teenagers whose deaths began the situation as "...of African origin." The rioters were called "immigrants." I wonder, has anyone at NPR read George Orwell's 1984? He used... More

Iraq is "a disaster" — at least according to what you see in the mainstream media. That's their story, and they're sticking to it, for the most part. Ron Nessen, writing in the very mainstream Washington Post, however, notices that Iraq isn't exactly sticking to the script: Would you believe... More

The Washington Post's Charles Babington has a "still smoldering" Bill Frist saying that Tuesday's closed session was not necessary while DSCC honcho Chuck Schumer says: "My phones have been ringing off the hook. It has played far better than we had thought."  Ed Lasky   11 03 05 More

Watch it and weep. An Iranian children's cartoon is now teaching young kids how to hate. It shows how a little boy's father is brutally murdered by an Israeli officer. That's the premise for revenge. The cartoon tells how the little boy learns how to how to throw hand grenades at Israelis,... More

Last week I described the tardy correction of the June 12, 2003 article in the Washington Post which aired Wilson's lies. I noted then that an earlier article by Nicholas Kristof saying essentially the same thing had still not been corrected.   Tonight, it appears that Kristof has... More

Today's Washington Post reveals a national security secret that can imperil us far more than the phony Valerie Wilson "leak". The writer, Dana Priest, with the certain cooperation of CIA leftwingers, reveals a highly secret CIA—run prison network for Al Qaida captives in Eastern Europe. We... More

A child welfare worker for the city of San Francisco discovers that a psychiatrist working for the city's foster care program is featured in a starring role on a pornographic gay sex site. The worker shows the pictures to her supervisor, and the supervisor sends them onward. Soon, the pictures are... More

Now that the Dems have returned to their Bush Lied theme, Anchoress dusts off and reviews the Clinton Administration justifications fot the Iraq Liberation Act and observes: We went to war because Bill Clinton told the truth. The Dems would now have us believe that we ought to consider everything... More

Years ago when I prosecuted Nazi war criminals for the Department of Justice's Office of Special Investigations, I came across a number of contemporary German military records  complaining of the "undisciplined" Italian troops who had hidden Jews in their own barracks and refused to murder... More

Matt May dissects the statement of Searchlight, NV's dim bulb, Harry Reid, likening George W. Bush to Millard Fillmore. When, decades from now, the definitive histories of the current age are written, one thing is certain: Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada will be but a mere footnote in a history that has... More

Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee: "Flu vaccine is a tough pill to swallow" Send that man to medical school!   Ed Lasky   11 02 05   More

David Ignatius, liberal Washington Post columnist, has noticed that the GOP is increasingly calling on the talents of high achievers with elite credentials (the latest example being Samuel Alito, Jr.), rather than good ol' boys and cronies. Mostly he sees irony here, because he regards George... More

Prince Charles and Camilla are on their way here to imbue us with a bit of British tolerance for Muslims. (Or, have they arrived? Oh, dear! I haven't been paying attention.) For a preview of what's in store, here's part of a backgrounder story from the BBC regarding the current immolation of the... More

The New York Times calls unemployment assistance "pay" and calls for higher amounts for Katrina states. The formerly prestigious paper seems to have overlooked the concept that "pay" is compensation for work performed — a transaction with two sides to the bargain. It demands that more federal... More

Hillary Clinton responded to President Bush's plans to prepare for a possible avian fluy crisis by attacking the shortages of vaccines that have occurred under his Administration and, of course, by criticizing  Bush for tardiness in taking the steps he has taken so far. Left unsaid by Hillary... More

The New York Sun reports on a study conducted by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency of Saudi—financed texts made available to public schools and used for "teacher training sessions" in no fewer than 175 cities in 43 states, with "more than 16,000 educators in attendance," according to cl;aims of... More

How can one not envy a writer who, in calling for a full airing of the wrong—headedness of the Scowcroftians, begins his essay this way? The sole point of the non—findings of the Fitzgerald non—investigation, into the non—commission of non—crimes and the... More

The conservative punditry mounted a concerted campaign against the President to force the withdrawal of Harriet Miers from consideration for the Supreme Court.  Now that they have the type of nominee they fervently hoped for in Judge Alito, do they man the guns and target the lame Senate for... More

David Warren, of the Ottawa Citizen, looks at Iran's public threat to destroy Isarel, and draws the appropriate conclusions in a column via Real Clear Politics: For years I have thought the West should be trying harder not to appease, but rather to undermine, the Iranian regime, by... More

The Christian Science Monitor excuses (and, in essence, apologizes for) the Iranian president's remarks on the grounds that he is inexperienced in foreign policy matters: In states like Iran — which has diplomatic relations with neither Israel nor the US — there are fewer perceived... More

The Hill notes that delay in confirming Samuel Alito too the Supreme Court could affect cases of significance to social conservatives. Two high—profile abortion—related cases are scheduled for argument before the Supreme Court on Nov. 30, according to the court's website. Those cases... More

Pro—Arab capitulation and anti—Israel venom will not shield France from its own "Intifada" — tear gas shooting into mosque, police attacked, cars destroyed. Sacre bleu! It is an outrage. I assume the French will introduce a Security Council resolution condemning this... More

From October 2002 through May 2003 (that is, from a period of time that spanned 7 months after his Mission to Niger to over 1 year after it), when he was the source for Nicholas Kristof's sensational New York Times article attacking the Administration's rationale for the Iraq war, Joseph... More

In a recent cabinet reshuffle, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has picked a couple outspoken conservatives as his new top ministers. these choices are bound to generate more tension with Beijing and Seoul during in his remaining ten months in office.  As a leading candidate to... More

Were it not for the fact that the UN's failures have had such tragic consequences for sexually—epxloited children in Africa and Asia, that its corruption denied money to pay for medicines and food for Iraqi children, and that it abets corrupt tyrants, anti—Semites, and terror regimes,... More

Lastango, at the Daily Pundit, is worried about a spate of recent attacks and threats against prominent conservatives. I have long called by the most vigorous possible prosecution of crimes of violence in the name of politics, whether it be cream pies in the face, nails in tires of vans parked at... More

The Islamic Society of Boston, a group which is a city—designated developer of a $22 million mosque next to Roxbury Community College, has launched a lawsuit alleging defamation and conspiracy to defame against a wide range of critics: Steven Emerson, a Washington—based writer, and his... More