Investors Business Daily today minces no words in an editorial on the national security implications of oil drilling restrictions. Sens. John Sununu and John McCain are right to question America's reliance on foreign fuel. If barriers to U.S. drilling and nuclear power weren't so bad, we wouldn't... More

Warriors have a knack for conveying the most information in the least amount of words. Russ Vaughn's 'cold resolve that my country must do whatever is in its power to defeat these Jihadists, to hunt them down in every rat hole corner of the world and to exterminate them without hesitation or... More

The Washington Post reports today on Utah, where the President's popularity is high, and in a few communities, almost unanimous.   Naturally, it is condescending: In Randolph, though —— where Bush received 95.6 percent of the vote and support for him continues to be... More

William Hawkins has an excellent article at NRO, mainly about the growing concurrence of interests between China and Iran. He recommends exerting pressure on China to curb its growing web of strategic, technological and business ties with the regime of the mad mullahs. It is hard for me to imagine... More

As a rule, Tony Blair could be relied on staying within the bound of reasonableness when push came to shove in controversies surrounding global warming. He has argued, for instance, that that the problem of global warming cannot be dealt with unless agreements such as Kyoto Treaty include India and... More

Yesterday, we published an item entitled "Buy Danish! (to counter the Islamic boycott)" asking our readers to support our friends in Denmark, who face an Islamic boycott, diplomatic troubles and terror threats. The Danish crime? Maintaining their traditions of freedom of the press and freedom... More

My heart is heavy and my eyes misting in a most un—paratrooper—like manner, for I have just watched A&E's presentation of the movie Flight 93, and I am filled with a whirling mixture of emotions: sadness first for the innocent lives lost: anger second for the horrible,... More

Bill Clinton told us yesterday that Hamas will compromise. But  the Middle East Media Research Institute has just translated an Al Jazeera interview with the Hamas leader, Khaled Mash'al. He makes his message pretty clear:  "... we are committed to the liberation of the land and to... More

Sunday, He Who Walks on Water, as I refer to our Illinois junior senator, Barack Obama, appeared with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week. Senator Obama said 'We need to recognize, because Judge Alito will be confirmed, that if we're going to oppose a nominee that we've got to persuade... More

The Washington Post gives Hamas op—ed space to spin their goals and beliefs. This is shameful. Note the author's background: indicted in the United States in 2004 as a co—conspirator on racketeering and money—laundering charges in connection with activities on behalf of Hamas... More

Every now and then the lunatic conspiracy theories of the left, seeing Karl Rove as the master conspirator, gain a moment of ironic plausibility. Such a moment occurred (very briefly) when I read this post from the publisher of the Daily Kos. Hat tip: Richard Baher Thomas... More

Our contributor Andrew Bostom, author of The Legacy of Jihad, is interviewed by Jamie Glazov at Front Page Magazine. The cataclysmic events of 9/11 had very little context for me, so I set out to learn about Islam, reading voraciously. Starting with the writings of Karen Armstrong and John... More

Ken Lydell of Occam's Razor looks at the the Hamas victory as a variant on the tradition of clan and tribe competition: Every Arab country consists of tribes and clans competing with one another to get more than their fair share of everything while enhancing their power and prestige. The special... More

This past Saturday the world said farewell to Sir John Cowperthwaite. Although his name is not widely known, his impact has been considerable. Once termed 'the finance director of the world's most successful enterprise,' he was the man behind the economic miracle known as Hong Kong. Appointed to... More

The Democrats are in such disarray that their constant scandal—mongering to no effect is starting to inflict friendly fire on their own ranks. It looks like it's every man for himself. Nick Danger at RedState.Org noticed that Joe Biden was not exactly out in front defending Senate Minority... More

Several months ago an international boycott was launched against Israel by educational unions in the UK. Leftist churches have passed anti—Israel investment policies. For some reason political boycotts always come from the Left, and they are always one—sided. Now Denmark is the target.... More

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz stated that since the sweeping victory won by Hamas in last Wednesday's parliamentary elections the hardline terror group has acted "responsibly." Shortly thereafter, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar made the following demand: "Israel must remove the two blue stripes... More

Whisky—drinking is an old tradition in Venezuela, so the news that scotch and whiskey sales were up 55% on the year earlier was not that big a surprise. I first heard of Venezuelans' affinity for whiskey in David Atlee Phillips' entertaining CIA memoirs of the 1970s called 'The Night... More

Speaking in Davos, Switzerland over the weekend, noted climatologist Bill Clinton declared that the world's greatest crisis is... temperature change. The press reported Clinton saying to the overfed corporate toadies before him at the World Economic Forum that 'climate change' is a profound... More

According to weekend estimates at boxofficemojo.com, the wide distribution of Syriana after its Golden Globe Award flopped. It added 1,183 screens last Friday, appearing in three times as many theaters as the prior weekend. Yet its gross only went up 52.8%.  In worse news for... More

According to Mahoammed ElBaradei of the UN Atomic Energy agency, nuclear proliferation comes from Western humiliation of Third World. He advocates US supply Iran with nuclear plant. Hmm...how does that apply to North Korea—a hermit nation that has had minimal contact wit the Western world for... More

Senator Dianne Feinstein and her financier husband Richard Blum are movin' on up, at least in terms of San Francisco real estate. They are leaving their elegant home on a quiet street abutting the greenery of the former Presidio Army Base, now a public park (with much worse security, of course).... More

Not only does Congressman Delahunt of Massachusetts expect us to buy an unlikley story, he is playing footsie and receiving valuable campaign assistance from a foreign tyrant of the Marxist and anti—Semitic persuasion. There seems to be a trend among the Democratic Congressmen tword... More

I have always despised the world view of Arnaud de Borchgrave. Everytime he speaks I hear the echo of some jaded, not too bright foreign service officer who can tell you how to pronounce the name of the Assistant Deputy Animal Control officer in Zamboanga or the best place to buy Harissa in the... More

The Guardian of London just published two shameful articles. One by Jonathan Steele proclaims "we must respect the choice of the Palestinian people" in electing of Hamas. No doubt Steele's forerunners at the Guardian said exactly the same thing about Herr Hitler in 1932, before Hitler invaded... More

The leftists at the U.K. Guardian didn't take long to decide that "we should not get hung up on the wrong issues, like armed resistance and the "'war on terror.'" Don't you love it when these people expose themselves for what they are? Ed Lasky  1 29 06 More

Peter Schweitzer, writing in the New York Post today, exposes blatant hypocrisy on the part of Bill Clinton, his wealthy supporter Ron Burkle, and assorted other members of the left wing political/governmental apparat. Bill Clinton has himself promoted an investment fund that promises to put money... More

I am spending today pouring wine at the largest wine—tasting event in America, the 15th annual Zinfandel Festival, held by ZAP. Zinfandel Advocates and Producers (ZAP) is the first—ever fan club for a grape, composed of both producers and consumers of wine made from America's Heritage... More

Congressman Delahunt did not know his daughter was a lobybist for the Saudis. Gimme a break. Ed Lasky  1 28 06 More

A small number of people commit a disproportionate share of property crime. The lesson was learned once again here in Berkeley, where a homeless man has confessed to 100 burglaries, after being apprehended and questioned by Berkeley Police. The San Francisco Chronicle reports: Andrew Larry Austin,... More

Every time I take my children to the dentist, I get to be amused and appalled by his startling political pronouncements.  He's an unregenerate 60s Leftie, who actually thinks that Al Franken is brave for stating his political views (apparently there's a Right Wing cabal ready to cause him... More

Stunned by the box office failure of Munich at home, Steven Spielberg is looking for love from the Germans. He tells Der Spiegel's website: "'Munich' is definitely the most European film I have ever made," Steven Spielberg told Germany"s Spiegel Online this week. "I also think that 'Munich' will... More

Rick Moran uses the sausage—making and law—making comparison as a jumping off point for explaining the difficult process Lebanon is navigating toward some better form of governance better than its former Syrian occupation. It is a complex situation, ably illuminated by clear prose. Read... More

All of the arguments, legal and otherwise, about FISA and NSA are missing the point of this little debate. It's not about either. It's about the separation of powers between the Executive and Legislative branches and whether Congress will be able to take a power from this President that presidents... More

There's no other incentive quite like the prospect of a large sum of cash. Police departments, bail bondsmen, and worried parents use cash rewards to good effect. They may cost a lot, but they work. Israpundit has discovered the delightful fact that a government—funded program already exists... More

When is discrimination not discrimination?  For the past few decades the answer has been when it helps government approved minorities——blacks, Hispanics, women——overcome past discrimination.  Those not so anointed complained about counter discrimination, with... More

As I have observed, the Special Prosecutor, constrained by the DoJ regulations on questioning reporters about their sources and by his felt need to do so, conducted a perfectly ridiculous inquiry in which reporters who quite obviously had prior independent knowledge of Valerie Plame's identity were... More

If you find your head spinning at the various legal debates on FISA and the NSA surveillance, you might find Judge Posner's take in The New Republic is helpful.  To me it is the most sensible discussion I've seen. He begins with a perfectly pragmatic acknowledgement——almost all... More

Rick Moran reviews all the previous information to the effect that Saddam transported his WMD's to Syria before the war, information now confirmed by Iraqi General Sada, author, Saddam's Secrets.   He does a wonderful job of putting it all together. I'd add just one thing: the... More

On Monday, January 23, 2006 The New York Times took a front page look at an all—female fire engine company in San Diego and finds a feel good buddy story, while missing the larger public safety issues. The engineer, Melissa Cleary, 47, who maintains and drives the fire engine and has worked... More

A few days ago Noel Sheppard argued here that articles such as the one in the current issue of Newsweek titled "The Trouble With Boys" with its cover splashed with a picture of several glaring pre adolescent males, hgeadlined  "The Boy Crisis." "The Trouble With Boys" merely perpetuates the... More

Cindy Sheehan went to Caracas, Venezuela to put her thumb in the eye of the Bush administration. She was leading the World Social Forum,  a far—left "alternative" to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, to cavort with fellow leftists. Less well known was that her trip was sponsored... More

Business Week notes that Baker & McKenzie, the worlwide law firm is outsourcing some work to Manila. The challenges of the global economy are nothing new to Baker & McKenzie. The law firm opened its first foreign office —— in Caracas —— in 1955, just six years... More

"Community activists" like Acorn often oppose new Wal—Marts, and whenever they have influence, Wal—Marts are scarce. The communities suffer as a result, of course. The latest example of the malign character of the community activist branch of the left comes from Chicago. The... More

Quote:  "CBC apologizes for 'Harper—heil' graphic, says it was a bad cut—and—paste job" The CBC has apologized to a viewer who complained that a news graphic appeared to juxtapose the name of the prime minister—designate with the German word "heil" —— a... More

Mohammed Abbas long fended off calls to adhere to the Road Map by disarming terror groups—such as Hamas. He has justified his stance by claiming that bringing Hamas into the political process and even into the government (as appears likely given the imminent Parliamentary elections) will lead... More

Daniel Pipes has an excellent story today about Osama Bin Laden's favorite US propagandist: Far—leftist William Blum, whose book on America was endorsed in an audiotape by you—know—who? Writes Pipes: "Asked if he was queasy about bin Laden's urging listeners to read his book,... More

The London Sun today publishes two stunning pictures from a video of British Member of Parliament George Galloway meeting with Uday Hussein, the sadistic son of Saddam, who was killed in a shootout with US troops in July of 2003. In the video, the Sun reports, Galloway "GREETS Uday like an... More

A judge in Maryland has voided the State's ban on gay marriages as unconstitutional and the Maryland Democratic Party has begun its election year dance to avoid the fallout from the decision, which it admits supports its own views on the matter: Maryland Democrats concerned about the political... More

Apologists for Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez have always claimed to win their argument about his regime by insisting there were no collective farms, no extrajudicial killings, no halts on freedom of expression, no end to freedom of association, no end to a free private sector with property... More

Neither pretty singing Nor some scented flowers Will succeed in hiding Their true leftist colors.   Vasko Kohlmayer  1 25 06 More

Daveed Gartenstein—Ross, "writing":http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/575kccof.asp in the ??Weekly Standard??, examines in more detail the fissures within the Iranian regime that James Lewis mentioned in his... More

No doubt readers are aware of yesterday's LA unabashedly anti—war/anti—soldier "column":http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la—oe—stein24jan24,0,4137172.column?coll=la—news—comment—opinions in the ??Los Angeles Times??, "Warriors and Wusses" by... More

Proving once again the absurdity of the Kyoto treaty, scientists have "noticed":http://www.livescience.com/forcesofnature/060124_earth_albedo.html less sunlight is reaching the earth and acknowledge they have no idea what that means to the global warming debate. bq. After dropping for about 15... More

Bookworm read Tony Kushner's "defense":http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la—op—kushner22jan22,0,1100643.story?coll=la—news—comment—opinions of his screenplay for Steven Spielberg's ??Munich?? in the ??Los Angeles Times??. She was not much... More

In an article called "Naomi Wolf: I had a vision of Jesus," the Glasgow, Scotland Sunday Herald reported that feminist heroine Naomi Wolf has turned to spirituality. This will outrage the feminist Left, but it may actually mark a new trend, since Madonna last year revealed her conversion to... More

Noted and prolific, New York—bred and now long—time Israel resident, author Naomi Ragen is commenting on Oprah Winfrey's forthcoming trip to Auschwitz. Oprah will be in the company of noted author and Nobel Peace Prize winner* Elie Wiesel. Let me say this. While it is... More

Of a good man's probity  An inquisitor he is keen  While his own moral slate Is woefully unclean.  Vasko Kohlmayer  1 24 06   More

Yesterday Ed Lasky examined the curiously petty criticism launched at Elie Wiesel by the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and as Bookworm noted, NPR. It looks like a smear campaign by the left. What else could explain an attempt to cast the biographical book Night as a novel, in other words... More

Paul Jackson's article today on Canada's Conservative victory published here on AT was intended for an American audience. For his readership in Canada (in Calgary and all the other cities where his column is syndicated), Paul has written a slightly different article. The headline and sub—head... More

The New York Times says that new Canadian PM Harper has "evolved into a centrist." I suppose that means to them that he is not as much a lesser life form than he was when he was more to the right. ...in the end, Mr. Harper seemed to reassure the public that he had evolved into a centrist in recent... More

A report out of New Delhi indicates that India wants to complete a natural gas pipeline from Iran, through Pakistan that will terminate in India.  Even though a planned visit by Iran's Petroleum Minister Kazem Vaziri—Hamaneh was cancelled, the proverbial 'unnamed' senior Indian petroleum... More

Last Friday, we pointed out that Mike Malloy, a host on Air America, profanely refused an invitation to come to CPAC and actually talk with conservatives. He is quite clearly afraid to engage in the battle of ideas, and throws out the Nazi label to shut down conversation. That evening, I received... More

I have warned the liberal press that they made a huge mistake in demanding a full investigation of the phony Plame "outing." Looking at the first move of Scooter Libby's defense team last Friday, it seems my prediction that the press will regret  jumping on the... More

It seems the Pakistani authorities are as "anxious":http://pakistantimes.net/national23010601.htm to find the secreted bodies as Al Qaeda was to hide them. bq. DAMADOLA: Pakistani authorities arrested a suspected militant with links to al—Qaida operatives that were targeted in U.S. attack... More

Bookworm noticed yet another attack on Elie Wiesel, in addition to those Ed Lasky noted. It appears that three iconic liberal elite outposts have the same trumped—up line trying to build the case for a "fake" when the facts are undeniably true and the most that can be said is that translator... More

Shelby Steele has an article in today's Wall Street Journal, "Hillary's Plantation." Predictably this has led some conservatives to moan that 90% of all blacks still vote Democrat and naysayers to claim Steele has no factual basis for asserting Hillary won't be able to hold black... More

There have been  a lot of conflicting statements and a fake photo designed to suggest that  that the Damadola strike was clumsy and ineffective in getting the target and that  anger in Pakistan and innocent victims were the principal result of the effort. But the fog is clearing. It... More

Election Law blog looks to the Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC ruling and suggests the Supreme Court is moving toward deregulating campaign ads. This gets technical, but the third paragraph below sums up the implications for campaign advertising. This unanimous per curiam opinion makes essentially... More

This says it all about Palestinian political culture: man nicknamed Hitler is running seat in Parliament (and will likely win) Ed Lasky   1 22 06 More

If there is any truth to this story about the supposed high school journalist who went to Iraq, the American media will be guilty of complicity in a hoax. Their ability (or will) to get to the bottom of scams in which they have been duped will once again be shown to be laughable. But, of course,... More

Some kind of line was crossed when UN Secretary General Kofi Annan stood in front of a map from which Israel had been extinguished, and addressed a group celebrating Palestine. Call it the mainstreaming of the elimination of Israel. Our UN Ambassador John Bolton — the man the Democrats... More

CNN has been reduced to peddling conspiracy theories. Hugh Hewitt has covered the ravings of Jack Cafferty: Less than 30 minutes ago, Jack Cafferty on CNN's The Siutuation Room, which may soon be renamed The Rubber Room: The last time we got a tape from Osama bin Laden was right before the 2004... More

CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) invited the opposition to come to its meeting next month and talk. Who better to talk to than talkers? So Air America's Mike Malloy received a polite invitation. After all, last year Al Franken came and broadcast from CPAC's radio row. Malloy's classy... More

The Chinese are traking to the streets in record numbers of cases, protesting pollution, corruption, high—handedness, seizures of property, and other examples of the autocratic behavior of their masters. The New York Times reports: The number of "public order disturbances" rose 6.6 percent... More

Gateway Pundit caught Hillary peddling nonsense about diplomacy to the students and scholars at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. She must think they are very stupid. Her contrafactual assertion that President Bush is continuing the foreign policy of Jummy Carter... More

Daniel Byman, writing in the Los Angeles Times, has his numbers wrong, though he agrees Israel's policy of targeted assassinations has worked to reduce attacks in the current intifada. Since the recent intifada killed more than 1,000 Israelis, the 172 killed in 2002 could not be the high year in a... More

Kofi Annan, that friend of humanity, that icon of all that is good and decent, has blocked a UN Security Council effort, a rare incidence of unanimity there, to advance the disarmament of militias in Lebanon. The New York Sun reports: The U.N. Security Council yesterday weighed a new... More

Belarus under Alexander Lukashenko has become the most problematic of European states. A dictatorship, Belarus is forging ties with our global antagonists China, Russia, and Iran. It is supplying materiel and technology to Iran. Lukashenko is also pursuing some steps in the direction of unification... More

I have argued here that Independent and  Special Prosecutions are an abomination and should never be utilized again  "The Culture of Strife." Isn't it ironic?  Just as the man who was Vice President in what was surely the most corrupt Administration in U.S. history, Al Gore, is... More

Bill Roggio offers the latest on the Domadola strike,concluding: It is clear the reports from earlier in the week that al—Qaeda is refocusing efforts in Afghanistan are accurate. With the recent capture or killing of several high—level al—Qaeda leaders, including Abu Hamza Rabia... More

While  disgruntled Democrats (are there are other kind?) are still grousing about Bush's 2000 election victory and questioning the validity of his 2004 win, how are they reacting to the following incident of Democrat dirty tricks? MILWAUKEE —— Witness testimony, cell phone... More

"Unemployment Calims Plunge"  WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) —— First—time claims for state unemployment benefits plunged by 36,000 to a seasonally adjusted 271,000 in the week ended Jan. 14, the Labor Department said Thursday. This marked the lowest level for initial claims... More

Here is the entire email: Sir, in reply to your article: A caption Saturday, January 14, on NYTimes.com with a photograph of damage from a U.S. airstrike in Pakistan misidentified an item in the photograph. Agence France—Presse, the agency that provided the photograph, later changed the... More

Russia is once again thwarting  the efforts by the United States to take real measures against a dangerous rogue state. To pretend that Russia is some kind of serious diplomatic arbitrator in the current Iran nuclear standoff is simply preposterous. The Russians have no interest in helping to... More

Our national security correspondent Douglas Hanson has an op—ed in the Washington Times this morning, entitled "The Mullah's War Games." As AT readers have come to expect, Doug places the military strategies of the mullahs in context, showing how the current nuclear threat is part... More

Andrew Klavan, writing in the Los Angeles Times, posits that anti—Semitism is part of the reason God made the Jews His Chosen People. THERE IS ONE good thing about anti—Semitism: It lets you know who the bad guys are.... ...there's something about this particular form of prejudice... More

Yesterday, we caught Slate cluelessly recycling the fake photo the New York Times posted to its home page last Saturday. In less than an hour, Slate removed the photo without comment. Then AT pointed out their lack of decency in failing to acknowledge their publication of a fake. Slate... More

As a management consultant I have seen many organizations hobbled by an inability to integrate their data systems. When the organization is as large and bureaucratic as the US government, the challenge is all the greater. Yet, as the trumped—up scandal over NSA surveillance shows, technology... More

The British have an expression, 'one doesn't know where to look.'  Meaning that the statement just made is so embarrassing — in this case so historically fatuous — that you don't want to catch anyone's eye.  It came to mind when I heard Hillary's vituperation that the House is... More

Even if they weren't a leftwing organization, I am not a big fan of reports by Human Rights Watch or any of these NGOs. These dry annual reports are put together haphazardly and add nothing we don't already know. They also have a false moral authority, particularly galling when you know what kind... More

Remember the "human shields"? The people who went to Iraq to protect oil refineries, power stations, hospitals, and other potential targets from American bombing? Saddam's best friends from the West, in other words. Well, one of them, a Brit named Phil Sands, found himself taken captive by some of... More

After reading Cinnamon Stillwell's article Hollywood's Propaganda Binge,  I looked up the Golden Globe nominees on the website boxofficemofo.com. With the exception of the excellent Johnny Cash biography Walk the Line (18th highest gross), the major award winners have made little impact.... More

While the media seem to have written off the notion that Zawahiri was killed in the attack on Damadola. I'd wait to see if we get another video of him before jumping to conclusions. The day after the bombing, a small but curious report appeared in the Pakistan press: PESHAWAR: Two men were killed... More

One of the world's oldest and largest news agencies, Paris—headquartered AFP, has treated us to a textbook example of journalistic deceptiveness. The last two paragraphs in a story about the execution of Clarence Allen in California read as follows: Polls show that while most Americans still... More

One of the truisms of Washington, DC is that all politics are local. Except for one group of politicians: those who seek national attention. Most Congressmen are charged with and accept the responsibility of caring for their constituents. Hence the phenomenon of earmarks — special... More

The New York Times fake photo lives on. Once in the bloodstream of the left wing media, staged pictures acieve immortality because they are so useful. Slate uses* the posed pic (without comment) to illustrate an araticle questioning the legality of the air strike aimed at al Zawahiri. As... More

Our contributor Nidra Poller has written a sobering account for Tech Central Station of the way France handled the incident of Muslim "youths" terrorizing 600 train passengers in the early morning hours of January 1st. Cover—up, appeasement, denial, and other familiat French habits are amply... More

The New York Times has constructed a second wall around its op—ed columnists, many of whom still bear bruises from criticism they received form bloggers before their publisher erected the "Times Select" subscription wall around them. Unless you subscribe to the print version of the Times, or... More

UCLA recruiters have long delighted in bringing star high school athletes to their campus during the winter months, when warm weather and sunshine prove particularly attractive to many from colder climes. But the sort of sunshine that operates as a disinfectant, public scrutiny, is proving much... More

Because the powerhouse political law firm of Williams and Connolly succeeded in getting much of the Barrett report redacted before release, what we learn of its content will leak out in dribbles over a period of time. Maybe that's a good thing, reminding us all of what Hillary! would prefer we... More

The Democrats may want to scratch their "culture of corruption" meme soon. Human Events reports: Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D.—Nev.) sent a letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton on March 5, 2002, asking her to veto an agreement between the state of Louisiana and the Jena tribe of... More

The excellent British financial newspaper The Business ran a feature over the weekend titled UK Tax Grab Even Larger than Germany's. It opens with this: Britain's tax burden will surge ahead of Germany's for the first time in a generation this year. It signals the end of an era for the UK as it... More

The ACLU and the Center for Constitutional Rights are suing President Bush, the NSA and some other agencies over the NSA surveillance program. Guess who one of the prominent plaintiffs is? None other than Rachel Meeropol, grand—daughter of Communist spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. The... More

As the great warrior lies in a Jerusalem hospital bed fighting for his life, or, indeed, perhaps already beyond that, it is worth while recalling the position he held in the minds of Israeli soldiers, for all that he was a very controversial figure in the country at large. Ariel (Arik) Sharon had... More

O—o—o—h that Ted Kennedy——all beefy and sanctimonious and hypocritical as he once again grilled a real lawyer who was admitted to college and law school on his own fine merit and graduated with highest honors he earned, unlike, well, Ted Kennedy.  And now the... More

"Us Manufacturing Capacity Utilization Hits Five Year High" Marketwatch reports: For all of 2005, industrial production increased 3.2%, compared with a 4.1% gain in 2004. Capacity utilization increased by 1 percentage point from December 2004 and is now 0.3 percentage points below its... More

Vienna is the host city for the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, the body whose seals were recently broken by Iran's governemnt as it moves ahead with its nuclear program, all the more threatening in light of its president's expressed intention to wipe Israel off the map. Nobody should be... More

Our frequent contributor John B. Dwyer has a column today in the Washington Times, entitled "Disinformation on Iraq." Readers familiar with his work as a military historian will not be surprised at the historical perspective he brings to present—day disinformation. Speaking of his work as a... More

Remember James Rubin? Here's a hint: he was the State Department's chief spokesman under Bill Clinton. Another hint: he is married to CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour. What ever happened to him? He's alive, and on the air, on Sky News, the "sister channel" of Fox News, a fellow subsidiary of... More

The MSM are fond of cliche—ing that the recent Katrina devastation and response  in New Orleans exposed America's racism. Well yeah, but not the way they mean.  All the sensationalist reporting about cannibalism in the Superdome, blacks suffering disproportionately more, neglect by... More

Dictatorships wield arbitrary power, so that they look strong to those of us accustomed to the open political struggles characteristic of free societies. But the exercise of arbitrary power does not necessarily make for a robust regime. If he were alive, the former Shah of Iran could comment from... More

Dishonoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, former vice president and presidential candidate Al Gore spoke not of love and respect and tolerance, as were King's ideals, but rather of partisan politics and contempt of the other.  Hijacking the holiday occasion to denounce Bush for... More

If you still think Europe is not a madhouse these days, a book soon to be published will cure you. James Lovelock, described by The Independent of Britain as "an independent environmental scientist and Fellow of the Royal Society" (no less), proclaims to the world today that "The Earth is... More

When I earned my master's degree in English at the University of Texas at Austin and entered the doctoral program, I began teaching English composition. Before the semester began, the new instructors were required to attend a week of meetings. During one of the meetings, an experienced instructor... More

A few days ago, George Galloway, the controversial, anti—Israel member of the British Parliament, raised money for a pro Arab charity by pretending to lick milk from the hand of an actress on television. (And here you thought British politicians were so—o—o serious and... More

William Krulac of Greensburg, PA writes us with some more information on the artillery shell: I am a former artilleryman with twenty years of experience.  I have fired nearly every cannon system in the US Army inventory. The text of the [AT] article is largely correct.  I agree that the... More

Brent Scowcroft, National Security Advisor to Presidents Ford and Bush 41, advises a greater role for the UN in Iraq. The United Nations could be asked to assume a greater role in providing a more ecumenical political umbrella and expertise in building and coordinating institutions, programs and... More

The CENTCOM Newsletter for the week of 9 January 2006 can be found here. Among the stories covered this week: Amran, Yemen — If two—year—old Ebtisam Salim could have talked, she would have complained of having had diarrhea and a fever for almost two weeks.  But she was nearly... More

Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh's two minute movie Submission, the extraordinary short film that sealed Van Gogh's fate, was screened in Los Angles this weekend at American Film Renaissance.  Brilliant, artistic, and gruesome,  it depicts the internal struggle of  a  Muslim... More

Rick Moran is on the job, posting his response and plot summaries for the season debut of 24. I have yet to run into anyone who was disappointed, and many of us think that the season is off to a smashing start. Lori Byrd's reactions are equally enthusiastic. My two cents: I think the Derek... More

Michael Barone and John Leo, two writers I greatly admire , noticed as I did the contempt the Democratic elite displayed for Judge Alito, who, it seemed to me, is the very sort of person who until the 1960's represented the party's base.  Barone notes that divide is most evident at our... More

Thirty—six years ago to this day a son of a Bedouin farmer became the premier of Libya.  Muammar al—Qaddafi, a captain in the Libyan army, had wrested control of the country from King Idris the previous year.  The anti—Western dictatorship which ensued closed US and... More

George Jonas, the author of the book Vengeance, on which Steve Spielberg's Munich is based, is among many others notably unhappy with the film, which is proving to be a rare box office dud for Hollywood's richest director. Jonas writes an amusing and sobering account of the 'development hell" the... More

Maybe not everyone, but a lot of conservatives. Not to mention many millions without notable political positions. The Ace of Spades kindly linked to our two articles about 24, and provided further (and consistent) thoughts on the show. Lorie Byrd, another of our favorite bloggers, also... More

The Free Europe Institute has an interesting commentary about France's version of our Protest Warriors.  It seems during the tenth anniversary of the death of President François Mitterrand, France has been holding a week—long celebration not unsurprisingly at the national headquarters... More

Belmont Club describes the growing war between the Sunni insurgents and al Qaeda in Iraq and the coming showdown with Iran .The author,Wretchard,   a keen  observer, notes that much of the Democrat opposition to Operation Iraqi Freedom is because the now minority party views it all... More

Long lines and rationing — was there ever any communist regime without them? They happen because of price controls, something that was rife in the old Soviet Union, and still exists in Cuba. The dynamic is now appearing in Venezuela. In one of its finest crops, its glorious coffee. Venezuelan... More

A website called Islamophobia Watch accuses AT of a "rant" (and implicitly of Islamophobia) for this article on Muhammad's use of torture, as carefully documented with reference to Islamic holy scripture. There is no analysis, of course, merely a label flung out. James Arlandson, author of... More

As the fracas continues over the President's authorization of domestic eavesdropping against potential enemies of this country, it is useful to recall the text of the war resolution that was passed by Congress following 9/11.  There is an excellent brief review of the passage of this act by... More

The World Social Forum starts next week, drawing the monolithic leftist rent—a—mob together from wherever they exist in any country. Up until last year, the antiglobalization event was held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, as an alternative to the Davos Forum in Switzerland. It was their... More

Physcon was the nickname for Ptolemy VIII, who became pharaoh of Egypt in 144 B.C. following the assassination of Ptolemy VII at his initiative. Physcon means, roughly, "potbelly," but the nickname has come to stand for a whole related host of human faults: Everything wrong in the Ptolemies is... More

George Galloway at his best: in a television freak show. ...even some of George Galloway's supporters believe he may have overstepped his own generous mark, appearing on a television game show, "Celebrity Big Brother," with sundry C—list celebrities. Mr. Galloway's appearance on the... More

Are you my better?  Now let me see. You are rich and a Kennedy.   The best looking one you used to be, But to remember that takes a long memory.   Pampered, spoiled, but you weren't always. Things were pretty rough in your prep school days.   But you cheated at Harvard, and they... More

Robert Bluey reports that former VP AlGore is to be introduced by former GOP Congressman Bob Barr when he, Gore, offers a major speech attacking the Bush Administration as a 'Police State' on MLK Day at the DAR Constitution Hall.  The address by Gore is being co—sponsored by the... More

After Judge Alito's impressive performance this week (and Justice Roberts' equally impressive performance last September), numerous commentators having been writing the epitaph for the Democrats' strategy of "Borking" conservative judicial appointees.  For example, in today's Opinion... More

The Iran nuclear fiasco has finally reached its first culminating point, and all indications are that the case will be referred to the UN Security Council.  The AP reports today that Iran is planning to block International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections of its nuclear facilities sites... More

The Alito hearings are bringing some strange confessions out of the legal woodwork. I've long wondered what Alan Dershowitz really believes about the law. Dershowitz is routinely trotted out on CNN, PBS, and the alphabet channels as the Harvard Law professor who can comment on just about any legal... More

MEMRI reports that American Nazi David Duke just made a trip to Baghdad where he declared his support for Assad: During a visit to Syria last week, white supremacist and former U.S. State Representative from Louisiana David Duke spoke at a rally in support of Syrian President Bashar... More

Far be it from us for willy—nilly recommending watching the Mainstream Media but every once in a while they stumble upon a topic and treat it fairly. Tonight on ABC we might actually have a chance to see such an astronomically rare occurrence. John Stossel, the iconoclast correspondent for... More

Laurie Mylroie writes a wise article in the New York Sun on the nature of the war on terror, and the way in which the Clinton administration's concept of the war as a law enforcement matter continues to hamper us. Ms. Mylroie is one of the most insightful and valuable commentators we have on such... More

Powerline has a piece on Sen. Kennedy's use of material from the Concerned Alumni of Princeton yesterday.  It turns out that the "bigoted" article that Ted Kennedy was flourishing in front of Judge Alito from the Concerned Alumni of Princeton magazine Prospect was a satire.  It certainly... More

Modern technology is not just responsible for shifting jobs overseas; it can also claim credit for permitting people who prefer to work from home the chance to help their family finances. The upshot? Increased time with family, personal autonomy and increased income, while keeping money and... More

A.J. Strata earlier surmised that the procedures utilized in the NSA monitoring were not as described in the heated partisan fashion which characterized the New York Times' revelation. Today, he appears to be vindicated: The Washington Post has vindicated my suspicions on the role of the NSA... More

I don't think it will happen, anyway. But if the Democrat senators do try to filibuster Judge Alito's confirmation to the Supreme Court, they will be "protecting women" right after having reduced a woman to tears with their cruelty. The imagery doesn't work very well. Thomas Lifson  1 13 06 More

According to the Pew Research Center, only 14 percent of you are closely following the Alito hearings (compared to the nearly half who have paid close attention to the miners' tragedy). Of course, anyone who has been reading AT this week has been forced to pay attention. But I suspect a far larger... More

The New York Times article on the visit by new German Chancellor Angela Merkel discusses the conflicts that complicate relations between America and Germany. The sole focus is on Merkel's and Germany's criticisms about US policy: Guantanamo, the "kidnapping" (by Pakistan) of a German—born... More

Gradually, and in the name of high ideals, the United Nations is moving against the Second Ammendment right to bear arms. An armed citizenry is, of course, anathema to the elitists and tyrants who dominate the UN. The New York Sun explains it all. Once again, the American Left is operating in sync... More

I was listening to the Kennedy—Alito exchange on Concerned Alumni of Princeton when it occurred to me that at last the mask had slipped and revealed something which to date had been less obvious: the contempt the Democratic leadership, many of whom have inherited or married into great wealth,... More

Our Poet Laureate Russ Vaughn remembers, and has been inspired by Harry Belafonte's one and only certifiable hit recording, the Banana Boat Song. Here is his satirical modernized version: The Banana Brain Song Yo—yo, yo—oh—yo—yo, No lights on an' nobody home, Yo, I'm a yo,... More

Dave Marash, an "award—winning former correspondent" for ABC News' Nightline, is joining Al Jazeera, and calls his new post "the most interesting job on earth." Well, I always thought Nightline was Al Jazeera—light, but can a reporter, whose reputation relies on honesty... More

Steven Spielberg's Munich questions the right of Israel to deter terrorist attacks by eliminating the perpetrators.  But what about an issue closer to home?  Theo van Gogh was a movie director and carried a name famous in the history of Western art.  He was murdered in Amsterdam by a... More

A man named Ford Bell is running for the DFL (Democratic) nomination for Senate this year, seeking to succeeed Senator Mark Dayton, whose performance was so pathetic that he didn't bother running for re—election. Dr. Bell is a veterinarian, which is a very honorable profession. But it may not... More

Everything's free in America for a small fee.  So say the Stephen Sondheim lyrics of 'America' in West Side Story.   Isn't this the basic idea behind guest worker programs for otherwise illegal immigrants?  From the White House to the statehouses of the affected border states,... More

I have always found sanctimony from Sen. Feingold particulalry unappealing since he was instrumental in engineering the first significant curbing of free political speech in this country since its founding (yes, he had help, but that does not change the main point).  One of these days, the... More

Columbia University's "whitewash dean"  Lisa Anderson took a Saudi—funded junket shortly before dismissing complaints of anti—Israel bias and professorial misbehavor. Now, it turns out that she wouldn't have even been allowed to take such gift, had she worked in the Journalism... More

Who said that the Mainstream Media is incapable of discretion when it comes to releasing "hot" news stories? As we know, journalists obsessively cover any kidnapping or attack on Americans or coalition forces in Iraq, regardless if this gives aid or comfort to the enemy. There seems to be one... More

How does an elderly but vigorous professor become a popular hero in la bell' Italia these days?  By seducing his students in exchange for top grades, videotaping the action, and writing a hot best—seller. Il dottore Ezio Capizzano, a 70 year old  Professor of Law (no less), has been... More

A number of brave Muslims have spoken up against Islamist totalitarianism. And then there are the others — like  Sa'id ibn Nasser Al—Ghamdi. Al—Ghamdi was awarded the highest university honors for his 1988 doctoral dissertation at the Ibn Saud Islamic University in Saudi... More

At last, Mark Levin has started blogging. One of the sharpest minds anywhere, Mark combines shrewd insight into the law with a great sense of strategy and that rarest of qualities, clear prose understandable to those of us deificient in legal erudition.  He also has a wicked sense of... More

While continuing to peruse Joshua Muravchik's excellent new book, The Future of the United Nations, I find myself shocked (no nauseated) by the dictatorial regimes that have run the UN for the past ..oh...50 years or so. The latest story I have come across involved former  US Attorney General... More

With the Alito hearings clogging the airways and numbing our minds, President Bush's speech before the VFW in D.C. didn't get the full attention it deserves, except that part of it criticizing the "Murthites."   Here is a link to the speech, and an excerpt:  "Support for the... More

I have the Alito hearings on the tube as I write this.  Leahy is hectoring Alito on the warrantless "spying" by the administration and he is getting very worked up about it. Which brings up an interesting point.  Dan Quayle — much underestimated in my view — wrote an... More

Well..the Times did not exactly state this, but one might draw the conclusion that the violence erupting in the Gaza Strip is Israel's fault if you read this paragraph in today' article: The densely populated, heavily armed territory is taut with frustration from decades of political injustices,... More

The New York Times has lost almost 20% of its circulation in New York City between 2001 and 2004, its competitor, The New York Post reports. And the Post gleefully notes that its own circulation in NYC has soared 29% in the same period. So comparing the papers' circulation in New York... More

The New York Times article on Iran's breaking of an agreement to restrain its nuclear "research" with the Europeans and the IAEA downplays the threat of Iran's pursuit of a nuclear bomb. Despite years of deception, despite collusion with the nuclear weapons bazaar of A.Q. Khan, despite work... More

"State Budget Shortfalls Vanishing as Bush Policies Succeed" President Bush's tax cuts have worked their magic on the economy, buoying state level tax collections As a result, the Wall Street Journal reports ($link) Just prior to his state of the state address last week, Governor George Pataki... More

Academic officials in prestigious universities like Columbia may not be covered by the conflict—of—interest regulations which apply to public officials, but surely these tax—exempt institutions owe some sort of duty to basic principles of honesty. Last year, Columbia students... More

Winston Churchill, who seems to have done almost everything, fought in the British campaign against Islamic radicalism in the Sudan in the 1890's.  A figure who called himself The Mahdi  — a long awaited kind of messiah — had created a Muslim army that had taken Khartoum and... More

Steven Spielberg's lavishly—promoted film Munich almost is making me reconsider my opinion on abortion. This project should have been killed in the editing room. It so ill—conceived that even the process of promotion has been badly bungled. According to Box Office Mojo, after 18 days... More

Matt May takes Senator Schumer on a well—deserved trip behind the pundits' woodshed. More

Brian Schwarz notes in China Challenges that the days of glamorous living for foreign expats in Hong Kong may be coming to an end. Coming just days after the conservative Heritage Foundation awarded Hong Kong the top spot in its 2006 Index of Economic Freedom, the local government is debating an... More

Campus is indeed an ideal place for Cuban dictator Fidel Castro to hide his agents. Although such leftists possess no security clearances, it's still possible for them to do damage — not against the U.S. military or the U.S. government, but directly against helpless U.S. citizens. A Google... More

American Thinker has discovered that there is one Canadian, and probably a few more —— at least in the Western Provinces —— with a favorable attitude towards the States, in general, as well as American Thinker and its fearless leader and publisher, in particular.  Mr.... More

Alicia Colon has written another brilliant column, this time on the Left's faulty memory. This woman should be syndicated across America and widely read. Dick Weltz   1 10 06 More

Very worrisome news from the UK, via, of all sources, the leftist Sunday edition of the Guardian, the Observer.   British officials have allowed the export to Iran of a cargo of radioactive material that experts believe could be used in a nuclear weapons programme, The Observer can... More

While reading Joshua Muravchik's brief but illuminating book, The Future of the United Nations, I came across this interesting factoid.The level of salaries for "professional" staff is determined on the basis of the "Noblemaire Principle," according to which, the international civil service should... More

Not moral or political — that was long ago. This time, it is financial bankruptcy of the Palestinian Authority that is in question. The Palestinian Authority, the largest employer in the territories, is facing a fiscal crisis that could result, as early as next month, in it being unable to... More

German sources, the UPI is reporting, say that Susanne Osthoff, the kidnapped archeologist who was released just before Christmas, was in fact a free lance spy for her country: These sources, admit that a ransom was paid for her release but contend that the release of Muhammad Ali Hamadi,... More

More than a few years of my life were marked by frequent excursions into Southern California, including working in some of the world's most beautiful landscapes in the mountains and the on the coast.  But vast areas in the '60s and '70s were dominated by the 'mechanical mosquitoes' of oil well... More

Via the San Francisco Chronicle: A college professor and his wife, a college administrator, have been charged with being longtime illegal agents of Cuban President Fidel Castro, according to documents filed Monday. Carlos Alvarez, a psychology professor at Florida International University, and his... More

The president of the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW), Joanne Tosti—Vasey, has called for the resignation of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, after Paterno expressed regret that a Florida State football player was prohibited from playing in the Orange... More

Macsmind is reporting that Sen. Rockefeller may be the target of investigators examining the leak of classified information on the NSA surveillance program. I'm trying to confirm this information, but several sources are telling me today that some investigators working on the NSA leak probe... More

Rabbi Aryeh Sperro, writing in Human Events Online, is not afraid to question the patriotism of some liberals. It is another article I wish I had written. Some highlights: ...dissent is not service. Dissent is simply personal gratification, a right guaranteed. Though I have a right to eat, my... More

Of all the thousands of potenital critics the New York Times could have hired to review James Risen's new book, they choose an author well—known for his conspiracy theories regarding American Jews' control of the US Government and their infuence over foreign policy. Note his emphasis on the... More

James Gannon writes a provocative USA Today essay about the decline of Christianity in Europe. Is this a portent for America?   Ed Lasky   1 09 06 More

The BBC made the mistake of asking radio listeners of its Today show what they think about an important question, and got an answer not to its liking. As befits an elitist outfit with a guarranteed revenue source, it proceeded to air a panel of commentators to sneer at the rubes who participated in... More

Michael Ledeen reports that credible accounts from inside Iran say Osama bin Laden died there three weeks ago: ...according to Iranians I trust, Osama bin Laden finally departed this world in mid—December. The al Qaeda leader died of kidney failure and was buried in Iran, where he had spent... More

Congressman Vito Fossella is demanding that Lebanon hand over to the United States Mohammed Ali Hamdi, who brutally tortured and murdered U.S. Navy Petty Officer Robert Dean Stehem in 1985, helping to usher in the era of brutal Islamicist terror. Germany released him to Lebanon, after serving only... More

Easy. Four Tops.  1965. "It's the same old song" ("but with a diff'rent beat since Roberts is on") Greg Richards   1 08 06 More

The CENTCOM Newsletter for the week of 2 January 2006 can be found here.  Among the stories covered this week: Camp Lemonier, Djibouti — Soldiers from several African countries have been participating in a course designed to groom young Marines into non—commissioned officers. ... More

On Thursday, January 5, 2006, President Bush signed into law  a five—year, $3.9 billion extension of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), originally enacted in 1994 under President Clinton.  VAWA is a particularly pernicious piece of pork—barrel legislation that puts... More

It is increasingly clear that IPSOS, a French polling company with close ties to the French leadership is producing polls for AP designed solely to allow them to run editorials in the guise of news stories. The samplings are widely out of line; the questions off the mark, and the results not... More

Last week he stated that Mao wrote the Communist Manifesto and professed his belief in a patent hoax.This week he states that Goldwater was President. The Washington Post's Dana Milbank notes some of the wisdom flowing from Sen. Ted Kennedy regarding Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, when he... More

After ignoring Western complaints about massive intellectual property violations for years, local government officials in both Shanghai and Beijing have announced the closure of popular markets well—known for selling fake products.аWhile foreign brands continue lose millions of dollars in... More

Bob Weir ventured close to an anti—business rant yesterday ("Soul—selling an on Massive Scale"). Yes, Enron is certainly a scandal.  And I very strongly suspect that Lay and Skilling were involved.  But it was also part of the bubble.  Lay owned a lot of stock as the... More

James Waterton  of Samizdata looks at the jiggering of the books at China's banks and thinks it may be heading toward economic collapse and political disintegration.  As I speculated above and in my previous article, Chinese economic collapse will probably preface political... More

Tom Carew writes us from Dublin, Ireland, about what he aptly calls the "stock Sharon slur" —  a charge that has resonated for decades now, based on nothing. Here is his letter: Many reports on the gravely—ill Israeli PM Arik Sharon, are not complete without their version of... More

Bookworm forced herself to listen to Tony Kushner, screenwriter for Munich, interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air. Her review of the interview offers fascinating insight into the mentality and moral sense which went into producing the moral travesty disguised as a thriller. Read the whole... More

The current issue of the well—respected magazine The National Interest leads off with a short article by Dmitri Simes outlining the chronology of American actions and mistakes that nurtured the growth of jihad. The lead actors are none other than Zbigniew Brzezinski and Nobel Peace Prize... More

Richard Miniter debunks a highly politicized study published in the prestigious British medical journal The Lancet. He does a very good job of exposing some of the grounds on which the study, which claimed 100,000 deaths from the American invasion and occupation, can be judged a phony. But there... More

Michael Kinsley, writing in the Washington Post, sees the handwriting on the wall for the daily newspaper industry, a theme we have covered many times. He focuses on the complexity, cost, and delay of the distribution system. Being a leftist himself, does not include bias as among the reasons for... More

The Weekly Standard's Stephen Hayes has been trying for a significant amount of time to get released publicly the captured Iraqi documents (only 2.5 % of which have as yet been translated). He advises that some are about to be released. And they should put an end to the preposterous claims that the... More

Senator Edward Kennedy (of all people!) examines what he calls Sam Alito's "credibility problem." How about Ted's credibility problem? He relied on nepotism to get ahead, cheated on college exams, and left a girl to drown whilhe he waited hours to notify authorities. And that is before we talk... More

China may be sending signals that it will move some of its massive foreign cuirrency reserves out of dollars. Of course, as a holder of dollars, Beijing would lose by driving down the price, and American exporters would gain, while Chinese exports to the US would become more expensive. China... More

Speaking of criminal prosecution of the media, Inquiring minds want to know: When will CBS and other parties known and unknown  be prosecuted for releasing a classified report on Abu Ghraib and braodcasting photographic evidence in a criminal proceeding?  Apparently, those that... More

Milt Rosenberg, one of the most astute and stimulating radio talk show hosts in America, provides an archive of discussions he has had with various distinguished authors and thinkers. One particularly illuminating discussion he has recorded is with a small group of black conservative activists in... More

Few people come close to Joseph Epstein as perceptive critics of media, literature, and the culture. In the latest issue of Commentary, he addresses the decline and fall of the daily newspaper industry. The entire essay is well worth reading. But his comments on the New York Times, and on press... More

Scott Johnson of Powerline sets forth the law on criminal prosecution for publishers who print classified information and concludes the New York Times and Washington Post are, indeed, subject to it. Co—blogger John Hinderaker thinks that the NYT miscalculated, thinking the President lacked... More

Hamas has been responsible for the deaths of many Israelis, Europeans and Americans. Hamas has been dedicated to the destruction of a people and a nation. Hamas has been a roadblock to peace in the region for many years. Hamas was just given a pay raise by the UN —which for years has been... More

Propaganda about Halliburton and purportedly nefarious ties between Vice President Cheney and the granting of contracts to Halliburton related to Iraq has become the leitmotif of anti—Bush protests. Supposedly "obscene" profits (why is this always the term used when discussing... More

Yesterday, we characterized Rep. Jane Harman as "honest". Apparently too soon. Junkyard Blog is all over her case, wondering "Who got to Jane Harman?" In our view, someone who says the right thing and then reverses course under political pressure is even worse than a mere liar. Hat tip: Sally V. More

An open letter Dear Mr. Attorney General: Twice in recent days we have seen published evidence of unethical conduct warranting disciplinary action on the part of FISA judges. Since they have hidden their conduct under a cloak of anonymity, the normal process of filing complaints with the Clerk of... More

Sweetness & Light takes down the Honolulu Star—Bulletin's account of the crowd addressed by Mother Sheehan in Hawaii. Memo to liberal liars in the newsroom: if you are going to inflate the size of crowds by a factor of seven, make certain no photographers are present at the event. Once... More

Last year, I described the NCAA's assault on the University of  Illinois' use of the nickname Fighting Illini, and their Chief Illiniwek mascot. George Will joins the anti—PC side of the debate today with a similar argument. But there is now good news to report — good news,... More

Mark Steyn's recent article for The New Criterion (reposted on the OpinionJournal.com) 'It's the demography, stupid',  seems to have been linked on a huge number of conservative websites and blogs,  In it he wrote: so—called post—Christian civilizations——as a... More

"Jobless Claims Plunge to Five Year Low" AP, via Breitbart Richard Baehr  1 05 06 More

An  American professor at Northwestern University,  Arthur Butz, has sent a letter of support to Iranian President Ahmadinejad.  And Iran's media embarrasses itself again in this report of "world prominent" figures sending expressions of support to President Ahmadinejad... More

The left blogosphere is puzzling over the deletion from a transcript of an Andrea ("everybody knew Plame worked for the agency") Mitchell interview in which she suggests the NSA had picked up some conversations between Christiane Amanpour and others. Tom Maguire is on the case: How did Mitchell... More

Jay Nordlinger wrote an excellent column at NRO some time ago about the emergence of the Indian—American community as a battleground for the GOP and Dems. Long—time readers know that we have from the beginning of this site strongly emphasized both the Indian—American strategic... More

Jonah Goldberg has an excellent column today looking at all the lies underlying so many liberal "saints." When you put them all together, the pattern becomes unmistakable. The cause always seems to require embellishment, and when the cause is based on a flawed premise the lies become more... More

Representative Jane Harmon is modeling behavior which ought to be standard practice for Democrats, but which isn't. Power Line found this honorable statement from the honorable Representative: As the Ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, I have been briefed since 2003 on a highly... More

As blogger Alex Beech first reported, Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez is an unusually virulent anti—Semite, openly courting the newly enboldened Islamofascist regime in Iran, and along with them, spewing savage views about the West that culminate in his hatred of Judaism. His Christmas Eve... More

There may be some progress in identifying the source of the leak of classified NSA secrets. If suspicions being raised today play out, a harmonic convergence of anti—Bush leftists may be exposed. Bill Gertz is reporting that a former NSA employee has asked to testify before Congress about the... More

Fluffy Bunnies, Rainbows & Unicorns cites the prologue of James Risen's book, State of War : The Secret History of the C.I.A. and the Bush Administration and frankly, I think it makes the President look great: "The ease with which the Bush administration has been able to overcome... More

Never count this guy out.  And as the editorial says, don't expect apologies from the CIA and the State Department for their horrendous persecution of Iraq's next oil minister. Now that the ultra—religious parties in Iraq have sidelined the secular, pro—democracy reformers, which... More

Today it appears that Nancy Pelosi, who learned of the NSA surveillance program during Congressional hearings in October 2001, and/or her staff have been cooperating with the New York Times on the NSA story. The American Spectator's blog has the story: "It now appears —— based on... More

It is one thing for the New York Times to endure criticism from the likes of bloggers and talk show hosts. We can be dismissed because, despite our growth, we lack prestige, tradition, and clout — especially within the liberal bubble. But when certain Wall Street investment houses talk, as... More

As for public opinion, a USA Today/CNN poll says that "49 percent of respondents said most members of Congress are corrupt." Most? Wow. It's not true, in my humble opinion, unless you count the legalized bribery of the campaign finance system, but speaks volume about public opinion. But the GOP... More

The Washington Post comments on Russia's outrageous attempt to blackmail democratic Ukraine (and by extension the rest of Europe dependent on Russian gas supplies). ...Vladimir Putin once again has overplayed his hand. In his zeal to reestablish Moscow's dominion over Ukraine, he has, as he did... More

The New York Times reports on a trend among states of mandating that 65% of school budgets be spent on classroom teaching, as opposed to educational bureaucracies, as a way to boost student educations. This would provide up to 14 billion dollars of INCREASED spending for our students in Americ.... More

The headline described it as 'a new mission.'  It was referring to the U.S. Army cutting red tape and getting an Iraqi child, 'Baby Noor,' to America for critical surgery to cure a birth defect. It is not a new mission.  Since the liberation of Iraq, U.S. military doctors, medical... More

'The wave of the Islamic revolution will soon reach the entire world.'  Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the Majlis that his recent comments regarding the destruction of Israel were the impetus to 'to awaken the Muslims who are in a state of lethargy'.  Even more... More

Sweetness & Light thinks it has the obvious answer: [Public editor Byron] Calame pretends not to see the obvious explanation for The Times' postponement of its latest treason. They and the rest of our one party media were already on track to bring down the President via the "Plame Leak." They... More

Tom Maguire thinks Risen was in the expanding universe of people who knew about Plame long before Novak's story and thinks one of the talking heads on the blather circuit where Risen is shilling his book should ask him. He makes out a plausible case that Risen did know: ...since Mr. Risen is an... More

Newt Gingrich famously engineered the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994 at least in part by nationalizing the election with the Contract With America. With that thought in mind, herewith a strategy for the Republican Party to gather in front of the Capitol and sign on to in 2006: We are... More

The Washington Times generally doesn't join the blame America first crowd, nor pile on European countries when it's undeserved, but today's editorial is one the rare exceptions.  In 'Is the West losing Russia?', The Times does a superb job summarizing Russia's slide back into a totalitarian... More

Kidnapped aid worker for Palestinians: "I feel like I have been stabbed in the back" As Norman Podhoretz said a generation ago, "A conservative is a liberal mugged by reality..." When will more Europeans begin to wake up and get mugged by reality? Ms. Burton has campaigned for Palestinain "rights"... More

Ever since the New York Times revealed the horrifying news that President Bush authorized the National Security Agency to monitor both sides of conversations that involve known al Qaeda operatives, the usual chorus of carping critics has whined incessantly 'Why didn't they just go to the FISA... More

The Jerusalem Post reports  nearly 3,000 attacks against Israel during 2005 despite the "truce" declared by Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resistance and Fatah's Al—Aksa Martyrs in January of that year. Of the 160 potential suicide bombers arrested by Israelis security forces, the vast... More

I wouldn't be surprised if Steven Spielberg  makes nice later on by very, very publicly establishing a lavishly funded foundation with a portion of the film's profits for  Israelis and Arabs where they can all get together and discover — surprise! — the other is... More

Frederick Stakelbeck, Jr., whose work has appeared here a number of times, has written a disturbing but important analysis of Nepal's growing strategic and military ties with China, in the wake of the seizure of absolute power by King Gyanendra last February. The United States and India put... More

An article in the Canadian National Post on Monday showed an Ipsos—Reid poll indicating the Conservatives would capture 33% of the popular vote with the Liberals taking 32% if an election were held today. This comes in light of another new scandal involving the Liberal finance minister Ralph... More

Somebody please stop the New York Times before it kills what fifteen million Iraqi voters are risking their lives for: a tiny but hopeful democracy. To greet the New Year, the NYT headlined a story, Iraqi clerics found on Pentagon payroll Ever since Saddam was overthrown ———... More

Ah, those Sunday morning news shows where political talking heads say the darndest things!  Perhaps celebrating a bit much the night before, Senator Charles Schumer, (D—NY, Harvard University,BA; Harvard University Law School, JD) New York's junior, other senator,  greeted the new... More

The MSM won't cover it, so we will. A total of 72 weapons caches, including ten metric tons of explosives, has been uncovered by our Coalition troops in Operation Green Trident, working just south of Fallujah.   More

Having seen CIA guru Herb Meyer's The Siege of Western Civilization in DVD (2003), I was struck by Mark Steyn's new piece that integrates, addresses, and projects what Western Civilization faces in the 21st Century, sprinkled with zingers.  Both are well worth the time.   The path is... More

Ultima Thule notes and analyzes the Russian cutoff of natural gas supplies to Ukraine just as the European winter reaches its coldest point. Aussiegirl writes: By baldly carrying out threats to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine and Western Europe, Putin has cast himself in the role of irresponsible... More

The European Union's accounting branch has never approved a single budget: it just can't find the paperwork. Jacques Chirac was bought off by Saddam Hussein's Oil—for—Food scam, through his bagman Charles Pascal. High level corruption is pretty much the norm in major European countries.... More

Isn't there a contradiction in this NYT story? Doesn't it gut the whole rationale for the article? There is this first sentence: ...Pentagon contractor that paid Iraqi newspapers to print positive articles written by American soldiers has also been compensating Sunni religious scholars in... More

Iran's President Ahmadenijad has offered conflicting fanciful stories about the Holocaust, first denying it, then saying that first Europe and later Canada should be the refuge for the Jews, not Israel. Now he is saying that the estbalishment of Israel is actually a plot to complete the Holocaust.... More

force multiplier: "a military term referring to a factor that dramatically increases (hence multiplies) the combat—effectiveness of a given military force." In Iraq an IED explodes, An American soldier dies, But that blast will grow as the media blow It up before our eyes. And trumpet to... More

The Astute Blogger got it first: The United States seems to be signaling to Turkey that there may be a first strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, and this time around, we expect cooperation from the Turks. Or else. Belatedly, elements of the MSM are catching up with the huge story. UPI reports that... More

Is the New York Times finessing its leaking of  of the National Security Agency's eavesdropping by allowing  its public editor, Byron Calame,  to mildly criticize the executive editor and publisher for not answering his questions about the situation? For the first time since I... More

Byron Calame, public editor of the New York Times, addresses his newspaper's role in publishing leaked classified information about the NSA's surveillance program. As the Department of Justice has launched an investigation of the probably criminal leaking and possibly criminal publication of the... More