Watching the Democrats adopt one policy after another that undermines American security, a lot of Americans are starting -- belatedly -- to ask, "Whose side are these guys on?" Now we have the answer. More

I've often mused that socialism, big government programs and liberal ideology, in general, takes the individual out of society, enabling him/her to cease emulating the hard work that made our country the great nation it stands as today. Thus, self reliance is of utmost importance to the American Ideal, and federal programs, on the whole, are antithetical to our history. More

Our occasional contributor and friend Tom Carew, of Dublin, Ireland, has a new blog containing many video links that should be of great interest. The blog's name is no surrender-ne pasaran. More

It's the Racial Divide made me say what I said. I'm not responsible. Don't rain on MY head. Iraq made me do it. Katrina cried through it. I was just healing wounds. I was sadly misread. More

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - the man who has repeatedly vowed our destruction and who routinely refers to our country as the 'Great Satan' - has just sent a letter to the American people. Astonishingly, his missive reads like a statement from the Democratic National Committee. More

"...when duty and honor call, the Canadian soldier has always stepped forward, front and center, to be counted as a true friend and ally of the United States." So writes Rick Moran today on Rightwing Nuthouse, in an article covering the major role played by Canadian troops in Afghanistan. More

Our contributor Sharon Tosi Moore is an officer in the United States Army Reserves, currently serving in Iraq. Today, she writes about the disputed report of Sunnis burned alive by Shiites. More

Once again, a high State Department official utters, publicly and in undiplomatic language, views which are harmful to our national interest. It's long past time for Secretary Rice to take action that shows that this is not acceptable behavior by firing Kendall Myers. More

The Baker Commission was supposedly convened to deal with Iraq. Yet Steven Erlanger of the New York Times writes today that the "bulk of the report by the Baker-Hamilton group focused on a recommendation that the United States devise a far more aggressive diplomatic initiative in the Middle East than Mr. Bush has been willing to try so far...." More

Cinnamon Stillwell, an AT contributor, describes the serous problems with freedom of speech on college campuses in a San Francisco Chronicle column. "....it's the students who have become the bullies as of late...." More

Latest news from the the So-you-really-want-Hillarycare-do-you? Department (from The Scotsman) Hundreds of Scottish cancer patients are still being forced to wait months for treatment, and ministers admitted yesterday that they had no idea when the problem would be solved. More

The reliable Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) has now issued its fourth consecutive warning that Lebanon is on the brink of a civil war, with Hezb'allah, backed by Syria and Iran, aiming to overthrow Prime Minister Siniora and his cabinet. What will the the UN peace keepers do? Nothing. More

The vultures continue to circle now that SecDef Rumsfeld will soon turn over the reins of DoD to the presumptive nominee, Bill Gates. The latest departing shot comes from former Brigadier General Janis Karpinski courtesy of Reuters. Karpinski was the 800th Military Police (MP) Brigade Commander who had direct leadership responsibilities over the units running Abu Ghraib prison in 2003-2004 More

Shmuel Rosner, Chief US Correspondent for Haaretz, has weighed in again in the continuing debate on what polls revealed about Jewish voting preferences in the recent election. Mr. Rosner's article is worth reading carefully. More

Once again this year, Target Stores has banned the Salvation Army bell-ringers from their stores. Instead the company is donating one million dollars to the charity, and other changes on offer by the company promise to make up much of the none million dollars the charity used to raise each year in front of its stores, according to Salvation Army spokeswoman Melissa Temme. More

Today the American president is meeting with the prime minister of a beleagured ally, beset by a vicious foe that is grounded in pure evil. What if someone like Winston Churchill were Prime Minister of Iraq? Very likely we would be hearing something like this.... More

Monday, the Special Prosecutor filed an interlocutory appeal in the Libby case under the special provisions of the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) respecting the trial court's ruling on what the appropriate test is for providing Libby with classified material for his defense. As a result, a very substantial delay in resolving the case is possible. More

Citigroup has downgraded the New York Times Company to a "sell" rating from "hold", according to Marketwatch. "Even though two secular forces should be helping the industry -- older demographics and slowing broadband adoption -- the actual circulation trends are getting worse," Citigroup said. More

While American wine dealers, restaurants and wine bars advertise the recent arrival of Beaujolais nouveau, the young, raw-tasting wine that the French have persuaded some Americans and many Japanese to celebrate, back in France 8 million liters of Beaujolais wine is to be distilled into alcohol for commercial and industrial use. More

I felt obligated to comment on a statement written by John Redding in his article "Our Divided American House" of November 26. More

The New York Times has lost another major case regarding journalists' right to protect the confidentiality of its sources.WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled against The New York Times on Monday, refusing to block the government from reviewing the phone records of two Times reporters in a... More

The debate over funding for stem cell research has been marked by deliberate obfuscation and overblown promises. There is a huge difference between embryonic stem cell research and the other two types of stem cell research. Today, the left wing Los Angeles Times publishes an op-ed by Sigrid Fry-Revere of the Cato Institute which conforms to this pattern of propaganda. More

Business and state governments appear to be working to enhance financial secrecy for those operating across international boundaries, no matter the consequences for the War on Terror. More

Pierre Rehov's new movie, Suicide Killers: Paradise is Hell features in-depth interviews with young would-be suicide bombers. Rehov is a French Jew who grew up in Algeria and knows Muslim culture in depth. His film sums up the "terrifying serenity" of the teenage suiciders, who have found their personal solution to "sexual frustration plus a constant sense of shame and humiliation." More

David Pryce-Jones, senior editor at National Review has just published a new book, Betrayal: France, the Arabs, and the Jews. The Wall Street Journal reviews it favorably today. More

Hoof in mouth disease seems to be spreading this season. Celebrities diss minorities. Politicians mock others. And now John Kerry seems to have infected Rep Charles Rangel (D-NY) over the intellectual and career attainments of our military personnel. More

Mehmet Ali Agca, the man who attempted to kill Pope John Paul the Great, only to be forgiven by his target, has apparently not had his heart permanently affected. Via Ummah News Links, we see a dispatch from the Zee News revealing that would-be assassin is now calling the pope a "Nazi remnant." More

Can this report possibly be true? And if so, why am I reading about it first from an Isareli website, Arutz Sheva? (IsraelNN.com) The American mint has removed the official "In God We Trust" motto from the face of it dollar coin and has relegated it to the gold-colored coin's thin edge. Mint officials said the reason for the change is to leave more room for portraits of former presidents and the Statue of Liberty. More

Two Maine teen-agers are under arrest for detonating 2 acid bombs inside a shopper-filled local Wal-Mart, according to the Associated Press. Fortunately, no shoppers were seriously injured by the explosives, which were reportedly made from household items More

As a retired CO of two US Navy nuclear submarines and a former Deputy Commander of ASW Forces, Pacific, you are wrong. Chinese submarines have every right to go wherever they wish in international waters. If they decide to operate in the vicinity of US Navy forces, we have the right to track them - very aggressively - if we can. More

The Jewish newspaper, The Forward has carried an article claiming that far fewer Jews voted for the GOP than claimed in a survey sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition More

Our friend John Rosenthal of Transatlantic Intelligencer has noticed that the Department of Homeland Security has just issued a waiver to permit Khaled Al-Masri to obtain a visa and enter the United States. The State Department had previosuly denied him a visa based on the basis of "terrorist activities." More

So many hearts break at this time of year, The season of joy and warmth, families near. Stockings are hung by the chimney with care. 'Happy Hanukah' rings through the wintry air More

Ever the staunch protectors of the beltway military establishment, the Washington Times' Gertz and Scarborough, reinforce the belief that now-retired General Eric Shinseki had told the powers that be in 2003 that a much larger invasion force would be needed to secure and occupy Iraq. More

A surprising thing seems to have happened in the recent two military engagements of our side against the Islamic radicals - the Israel/Hezb'allah War and the Iraq War. Neither Israel nor ourselves defined our objective in our respective wars as "victory." Rather than victory we both seem to have opted for attempting to secure the good opinion of our enemies. More

Expert sources claim that the new Tor-M1 antimissile systems Vladimir Putin is selling to Iran are the most advanced in the world. The Russian system may be able to protect Tehran's nuclear sites from any US or Israeli attack, thereby ensuring Ahmadinejad's march to nuclear arms. A nuclear exchange... More

At our Thanksgiving table, we had a discussion among friends and family of our own memories of Thanksgivings past. Inevitably, the topic turned to family arguments that went bad. People storming out of the celebration and driving away in a cloud of dust seems to be phenomenon that seems to occur with some frequency in more than one family. More

This is the best-ever overview of the issue. It's from AEI's new magazine, The American, and the first issue is terrific. More

From Britain's Channel Four come compelling pictures of animals in utero. Hi technology 4D ultrasound enables us to appreciate the development of mammals in the womb. These are not to be missed. More

Imagine if George W. Bush slyly promoted Hillary in 2008 because he personally disliked the GOP candidate. It's not in character for President Bush, but it is exactly how Jacques Chirac has acted more than once. According to the London Times, Chirac is now trying to destroy his party's pro-American candidate Nicolas Sarkozy. More

A group that advocates diversity excludes a potential member because of its uh, diverse thinking. Another pathetic sketch from Saturday Night Live? Nope, this is every day really live. More

If you give Dr. El-Affendi the benefit of the doubt (considering his audience, he can't sound too pro-western without the risk of being completely ignored or worse), about half of what he says sounds like something you'd read on AT! We heartily welcome such sensible viewpopints. More

A few weeks ago a Chinese diesel submarine surfaced about five miles from a US carrier battle group. Even in peacetime conditions such a provocation entitles a defender to open fire and sink the intruder, but the commander of the US carrier group chose not to. Whether or not his decision was the right one is almost beside the point now. More

What should be driven home in "lessons learned" concerning the Iraq Campaign is that first and foremost, the enemy must be utterly defeated before starting any massive humanitarian projects. Yet, in spite of the skewed views of some of our leadership in this regard, the story of Iraq reconstruction is nothing short of remarkable More

Via our frequent contributor Noel Sheppard writing on Newsbusters, we learn that YouTube and MySpace are being used to recruit and train jihadis. More

I greatly admire Mark Steyn. He is one of the most insightful and witty commentators writing today.... However, in his latest column, Steyn offers a defense of the Bush Doctrine that just falls flat. More

For those who have been paying attention (instead of relying on the impressions generated by MSM coverage of the supposed rapes and killings in the Superdome), Hurricane Katrina's aftermath has offered quite an education in humanity: the good, the bad, and the ugly. More

What's going on with certain religious leaders and the Democrats? Am I overly suspicious? More

Our friends at Texas Rainmaker were hacked yesterday. Suddenly Arabic script appeared on the site while other content was unavailable More

As a service to our readers who might have felt too distracted by the evil Bushitler gang to pay much attention to anything else in last few years, here's what's happened in the news. 1. The North Koreans exploded a nuke. It looks like a  fizzle. The Norks also tested three kinds of missiles.... More

Is not rape.  Is not murder.  It's a white man using a racial slur in public. Last week, comedian Michael Richards —— famous for his role as Kramer on the hit TV show Seinfeld —— went on a "racial epithet—laced tirade" after his stand up routine at the Laugh... More

The Boston University College Republicans are aiming to create a backlash against racially—targeted scholarships by creating one of their own — for whites only. Looking to draw attention to what they call the "worst form of bigotry confronting America today," Boston University's... More

Via Ummah News Links, we learn of a British investigation into possible kickbacks on an arms deal with the Saudis by British Aerospace. The interesting direction of the probe is that it may be targeting members of the Saudi Royal Family. From the UK Guardian via The Hindu: The U.K.... More

Well, well, well. If Political Affairs ("Marxist thought online") is to be believed, the Communist Party, USA is declaring victory in the Democrats' sweep of both houses of Congress. "The right—wing stranglehold on Congress has been broken," declared Joelle Fishman, chair of the Communist... More

The sniper killing of Lebanon's Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel threatens all members of the democratic regime there. Nobody is safe. Rick Moran, whose coverage of Lebanon is excellent, thinks that Syria is likely to be behind the killing, bot Hezb'allah's Nasrallah. I doubt whether... More

The 20th century was a time of great crimes of mass slaughter. The Holocaust, a systematic attempt to commit genocide against an ancient and persecuted people, is often—remembered, though some, like Iran's president, try mightily to erase the memory. But the Holocaust  was not... More

Doug Ross has created an abridged, illustrated version of Michael J. O'Shea's article, "What Do We Do with the Remains?" Check it out. And thanks, Doug! Thomas Lifson  11 21 06 More

Tunisian philosopher Mezri Haddad has written a passionate and courageous denunciation of Islamist ideology in his blog: "Arab Public Opinion... Has Found, in Antisemitism, the Perfect Catalyst For All Its Narcissistic Wounds and Social, Economic, and Political Frustrations" (Memri) Haddad is... More

Something has been happening in Ramadi, a city described by the UK Times as fighting against becoming al Qaeda's capital. Perhaps you missed this in your reading of the American media:  While the world's attention has been focused on Baghdad's slide into sectarian warfare, something... More

It seems that the higher educators are surprised that government tax credits often lead to universities raising tuition by the amount of the tax credit. Welcome to the real world of business and filthy lucre, professors! A guy selling towels at a street fair could have told them as much. From... More

Bruce Kesler of Democracy Project catches the New York Times once again either ignorant of or covering up the nature of communist repression. This time it isn't covering up something major like Stalin's liquidation—by—famine of millions of Ukrainians (the paper got a Pulitzer Prize for... More

That's the headline in Haaretz. The text of the article is just a bit more complicated: U.S. President George W. Bush and President Jacques Chirac of France met several weeks ago. Bush told his French counterpart that the possibility that Israel would carry out a strike against Iran's nuclear... More

Quote: From the most recent report from the Congressional Budget Office: 1. Corporate income tax revenues almost doubled over the last two years, from $189 billion in 2004 to $354 billion in FY 2006. 2. Corporate income tax receipts rose by 27.2% from FY 2005 to FY 2006. 3. Individual income tax... More

John Bolton, the US's ambassador extrordinaire to the UN is an interim appointment because many Senators, led by the soon to be ex—Senator John Chafee (R—RI) opposed him.  Known for his bluntness, Bolton definitely lived up to his reputation last week in what a Calcutta newspaper... More

Palestinians in Gaza are now using so—called "human shield" tactics in response to Israel's policy of notifying targets that they are to be bombed from the air, so as to avoid human casualties. From the UK Times: The warplanes were forced to abort their mission minutes after Israeli... More

As a possible military confrontation with Iran looms, no spot on earth is more sensitive than the Strait of Hormuz, a possible choke point for Persian Gulf oil shipments. The military installations there could have major implications. A few weeks ago, I went to Google maps and they had updated... More

Reader David R. (he prefers anonymity) shared with us a letter he sent to NPR over the on—air behavior of Daniel Schorr. Since NPR receives tax money, it has an obligation to be both fair and accurate. Here is the letter: Dear Mr. Scott Simon, Daniel Schorr almost got through a news... More

Aeroflot survives as Russia's largest international airline, a remnant of the old Soviet aviation monopoly. In an industry roiled by low fare carriers, it has somehow managed to adapt and survive, albeit sometimes encountering problems with state intrusion. I have never flown on Aeroflot, in part... More

Via the blog Alabama Liberation Front, I learned that ...a child molester was apprehended after he was photographed at an abortion clinic —— where he took the victim, to get rid of the evidence —— by a couple of pro—life activists. It's an amazing story, not least... More

As conservatives nurse their wounds from America's latest election, Canada demonstrates that not all is lost. Ever since the Liberals lost the last election, Prime Minister Harper has been working hard to restore Canada's honor. And this incident at the UN shows how much that means. From The... More

Steve Gilbert of Sweetness & Light eviscerates ABC News for misleading the public about a case supposedly about protecting "press freedoms." In 2005 a violent protest by anarchists resulted in a police officer being brutally attacked, and a police car vandalized. Blogger Josh Wolf filmed the... More

Evangelical Christianity is booming — in France of all places. On second thought, it is not so surprising, given the spiritual vacuum created by thorough secularization in that country. The Washington Times yesterday carried a brief but noteworthy treatment of the phenomenon. ...even as... More

The so—called "realist" school of Middle East policy bears considerable responsibility for gotting us into the crisis of democracy Iraq now faces. The exact causal chain eludes many observers. On Friday the Washington Post featured one Charles Krauthammer's typically fine... More

EUreferendum has an excellent (but appalling) list of taxpayer money wasted by the British Ministry of Defense on joint European weapons projects. It is a reprise of the many Airbus stumbles, which is itself a repeat of the great Concorde money loser. Like some overblown African dictatorship, the... More

Last Sunday, the St. Paul Pioneer Press published a piece  by former Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith relaying his thoughts on the outgoing SecDef Donald Rumsfeld.  He exposes the antique media's and the retired flag officer cabal's blatant disinformation campaign while... More

Rick Moran, following up on his article for AT Tuesday, describes the worsening of the situation in Lebanon at Rightwing Nuthouse. Despite the frantic efforts of Middle East diplomats, it appears almost certain that the March 14th Forces and the opposition led by Hezb'allah are headed for some... More

In this increasingly 24/7 world there is a small minority that is firmly 24/6——in other words they won't work one day of the week, will minimize their contact with the commercial world.  They are the Sabbath observers.  Mainly religious Jews and Seventh Day Adventists who... More

Google currently lists 334 news stories about Mostafa Tabatabainejad. The events which inspired this? The AP/CNN report says, A UCLA police officer shocked a student with a stun gun at a campus library after he refused repeated requests to show student identification and wouldn't leave,... More

After winning big in New York state Hillary Rodham Clinton promised/warned "Health care is coming back,"  adding, "It may be a bad dream for some." As Americans write ever larger checks for health insurance premiums while paying more for non covered medical costs many find this idea rather... More

Shari'a steadily extends its penetration of North American society, carried on the back of poltiically correct sensibilities. Ummah News Links calls our attention to a story from the Canadian Press news agency, where the rights of Canadian men have been truncated to avoid offendeing the... More

Professor KJC Johnson whose blog, Durham—in—Wonderland has been covering the Duke Lacrosse case, is interviewed by FrontpageMag and offers the most complete and accurate account of the matter. Read it all and be revolted by the unethical behavior of the press, the prosecutor and the... More

A New York Times article on Murtha, and his Hardball outburst about ethics charges as "crap", whitewashes him. Here is the extent of the reporting on Murtha's comments on the MSNBC show: As for the ethics package promoted by Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Murtha said he was complaining that... More

The Boston Globe reports that 3 local imams have been arrested on charges of involvement in a scheme to obtain "religious worker" visas fraudulently. In an era when Muslim religious figures have become propagandists leading their followers to extremism and have been implicated in terror... More

In this column in yesterday's Washington Post, David Ignatius hails the return of James Baker to the corridors of power in Washington and calls for him to be appointed special Middle East emissary . He lays on the praise and the fawning. He states that Baker gives the term "wheeler—dealer" a... More

The UK courts seem to be in a race against the Nonth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to find the looniest decisions imposing made—up "rights" in accord with left wing values. From the London Evening Standard, via the Gulf Times: Almost 200 drug—addicted convicts will share an... More

It's hard to say what to make of the return of Daniel Ortega to Nicaragua. He says he's business friendly. He says he's found Jesus. But most signs in his election point to the reemergence of the old Marxist Sandinista autocrat he was in the 1980s. It's bad news for our hemisphere. But it's... More

Suppose the GOP candidate in '08 were a conservative who communicates better than George W., has excellent  executive experience, knows how to appeal to a wide range of voters, and runs on constructive conservative ideas?  Of all the current candidates, only Governor Mitt Romney fits that... More

A reader writes us: I heard a mind boggling news story on KHAY in Ventura, CA this morning. [Ed.: see here]   Toys for Tots refused the donation of Jesus dolls that quote Bible verses because they may offend someone.   This is the apex of political correctness gone crazy.  We now... More

The Prince of Wales apparently was looking forward to coronation as King with the help of a multi—faith clergy. The Evening Standard reports (via Ummah News Links) Charles has long made clear his yearning for a ceremony in which Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Sikh beliefs take a place alongside... More

Dan Riehl of the Riehl World View has run two very interesting posts building on published material about Nancy Pelosi's family fortune(s), and the possible role of (gasp!) political influence in securing lucre for relatives. The issue immediately at hand is Treasure Island, formerly the property... More

Jules Crittenden, city editor and columnist for the Boston Herald, has started a personal blog to eat up all those spare hours left over after doing two jobs. Freed from the constraints of bureaucracy and newsprint, he is taking advantage of his ample supply of information and imagination. In one... More

December 15 is the target date for the "election" of a new Supreme Guide for the mullah regime. Ahmadinejad's guru, Ayatollah Yazdi, is thought to be a candidate. It's like the SS taking over from the SA stormtroopers in 1933. They're both awful, but one is super—awful. That super—awful... More

It's from Brian Ross, so take it with a grain of salt. He says: Convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff is scheduled to report to federal prison tomorrow, over the objections of federal prosecutors who say they still need his help to pursue leads on officials he allegedly bribed. Sources close to the... More

Some interesting reading from an unlikely source.  Robert Gates, now the new Secretary of Defense. Writing in the New York Times on August 16th, 1998, in a vain effort to block the mindless bombing four days later of the Al Shifa pharmaceutical plant in the Sudan, Gates stated... More

British Intelligence often leaks its public statements through The Telegraph of London. In recent days the current head of MI5, Dame Eliza Manningham—Bullington, has been issuing dire warnings about some 1600 domestic Islamists her agency has been following. These characters are known to be... More

Ah, in these shifting, rapidly changing times how reassuring to learn that some basics are forever. Just two days after retaking the House and promising to end the "culture of corruption," Rep. Charles Rangel and a dozen other congressmen rubbed elbows with business leaders in sunny Panama.... More

AP reported last night that the Judge in the Scooter Libby case has ordered that the special prosecutor has been too restrictive in his reading of which material he must and will provide the defense: U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton said Libby has a right to use some classified... More

The Iranians say their program is near completion. Netanyahu says Iran will attempt to destroy Israel, and if nobody else will try, Israel will have to stop it. The re—supply of Hezbollah, the arming and training of Hamas, and Syria's new belligerent tone on getting back the Golan,... More

Fresh off the AP wire: Inflation at the wholesale level plunged at a record pace in October, led by big declines in the price of gasoline and new cars. Wholesale prices fell 1.6 percent last month, tying the record decline set in October 2001, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. It was the... More

I was looking at the Veterans Day celebrations Saturday. We remember the valiant actions of the past, but only half—heartedly. Why? Because, while nostalgia can be a good thing, what is now, and what we face in the near future, is far more pressing.  For the fist time in... More

Yesterday Rush Limbaugh voiced his deep disappointment over the fact that the tactics of anger, lies, slander and deception seem to have worked in last week's elections. It seems, he said, that even after all these years the American public does not appear to have learned to see through Democrats'... More

Andrew Ferguson of Bloomberg points out some of the reasons that Democrats may not quite know what to do with Senator—elect James Webb. Let those other pundits and reporters obsess over the new Democratic leadership as it brings its own special brand of ``progressive reform'' to Capitol... More

I am glad to be neither Democrat nor Republican. To be a Democrat is to be afflicted with the insanities of a barren life solely seen through a  political glass, where every aspect of  living has a political remedy that only Democrats can foist upon us all, if only they have enough power.... More

Sherlock Holmes, that most observant of detectives, once solved a crime by noticing what did not happen that normally should have; in his case a dog didn't bark.  And now, several weeks after Iran announced that a Moroccan won its demented Holocaust cartoon contest, someone else finally... More

Our Declaration of Independence asserts, 'We hold these truths to be self—evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.'  Thomas Jefferson captured the... More

The BBC reports that Pakistan's Northwest Province (next to Afghanistan) has a new law that is ...setting up a Taleban—style department under a cleric to enforce Islamic morality. It gives the new department the power to use the police and media for the promotion of Islamic values. The... More

Pat Santy, who publishes the wonderful Dr. Sanity website, has done us all a favor by discovering and commenting on what can only be understood as a deranged article on Daily Kos, portraying Iran as... progressive. Lest anyone have any doubts about exactly where the lunatic left stands, I urge... More

In what is billed as "major foreign policy speech," Tony Blair suggests an overall Middle East settlement that would bring in either Syria or Iran, or both, on the assumption that they will adopt a peace policy. ...a major part of the answer to Iraq lies not in Iraq itself but outside it, in the... More

M. Simon of the blog Power and Control highlights an intriguing connection which came to light in a Newsweek article. Newsweek has an interesting story about Baker Botts [the law firm of James Baker]. April 16 — After months of working below the radar, a huge U.S. legal team hired by the... More

Odds are that he won't. He would have more leverage within the Democrats than if he switched. He has been a lifelong Democrat with many friendships and other ties. But he wisely refuses to rule it out, preserving his leverage. However, this could make Lieberman bolt: Democratic leaders in the... More

Pelosi supports Murtha as Maj. Leader because of his national security/war on terror credentials. Has she forgotten he was willing to be bribed by Arabs? From The Hill. Speaker—in—waiting Nancy Pelosi (D—Calif.) threw her support behind Rep. John Murtha (D—Pa.) for majority... More

Nancy Pelosi has thrown her support to cut and runner, slanderer of our troops, Abscam figure and pork barreler Murtha as Majority Leader. Waxman has announced he's going to investigate everything. (Including the war which, despite today's New York Times article, to the contrary, has... More

Conservatives are suicidally polite. We feel bound to act nice, and so we go along with whatever euphemism the Left chooses for itself. On their side, Democrats loudly argue for truth in advertising for baldness cures ——— but not in the marketplace of political ideas, where... More

Bookworm Room wonders what happens when you have the left's favorite oppressed groups at each others' throats. The Left likes underdogs.  Gays are underdogs.  Palestinians are underdogs.  Muslims are underdogs.  What happens when you throw all three into the mix?  This: A... More

Fannie Mae is revving up their PR machine again. Target: the new Congress. This Sunday the Fannie Mae PR arm is sponsoring  the 2006 Fannie Mae Foundation Help the Homeless Walkathon on the national mall  in Washington. To promote her current concert tour 90s vintage singer... More

"Nurses in training get dummies for patients" from the San Francisco Chronicle The price might be right, but consider the benefits of experience. More

Ali Abunimah, a disciple of Rashid Khalidi, is out with a new book calling for an end to the Israeli—Palestinian conflict. He has constructred a clever argument that sounds reasonable to many. But the inevitable consequence of what he argues, his real goal in my opinion,  is an end to... More

While participating in my community's Veterans Day observance over the weekend, I was reminded of the sacrifices countless numbers of Americans have made to defend this country and to preserve the liberties enjoyed by all of us. I am saddened that negativity about the Iraq War (Bush's war) became... More

One of my favorite correspondents had some interesting observations about Steven Warshawsky's article on Mark Steyn's new book, and has given me permission to share them. He suggests  that there is more room for long term optimism than Steyn allows. I like Mark Steyn, but Steven Warshawsky's... More

Don Surber calls on the lame duck Congress to pass the recent agreement with India over nuclear cooperation. I agree with Don that it should be an urgent priority, especially since the next Congress may not be as favorable. Essentially, the agreement makes an exception for India, accepting its... More

The Baker commission seems to be doing a lot more than just re—thinking Iraq. It appears to be copiously leaking a Vietnam—type cut—and—run plan that will leave the Gulf far more dangerous than it is now. The Vietnam model looks like a "face—saving" retreat by the... More

Don't expect the MSM to pay any attention, but an anti—Islamist protest happened in Turkey's capital city Ankara. Via Ummah News Links: The funeral of former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit turned into a protest against the Islamic—rooted government on Saturday. The protest began when... More

And here we go, right on schedule: Melvin A. Goodman, a former Soviet analyst for the agency, said on Thursday that during the 1980s, Mr. Gates acted as a 'filter' for intelligence, trimming findings on the Soviet threat to match the hard—line ideological expectations of his boss, William J.... More

Forcing John Bolton out of the United Nations ambassadorship, as defeated Sen. Chafee still promises to do, would be a victory for terror—supporting regimes (particularly if Bush is forced to replace him with someone that would be more appealing to the Democrats and to terrorists, such as... More

Normally, one might expect the New York Times would celebrate the financial success of a black American.  But not when that would lead them to praise a Republican at the same time. So J.C. Watts, football star and former Congressman, finds himself in the crosshairs for his role in... More

One of the consolations of defeat is watching your opponent cope with the difficulties of victory. The Democrat majority on the House promises to be a somewhat uneasy one, with Speaker Pelosi determined to keep a lid on the leftist imperatives demanded by the senior leadership. For many years, Rep.... More

Investors Business Daily reports that John Conyers is "fighting bigotry." The likely new chairman of the House Judiciary Committee says he's just fighting bigotry in leading a Democrat jihad to deny law enforcement key terror—fighting tools. But he is in the pocket of Islamists. John... More

Peter Boylan of the Honolulu Advertiser covers the case of a scientist who is accused of leaking sensitive defense technology to China, and who could end up facing a death penalty. Noshir S. Gowadia, a 62—year—old resident of Ha'iku, Maui, allegedly provided "substantial... More

Tom Maguire of Just One Minute notes the New York Times bragging it leaked portions of the National Intelligence Estrimate at a critical time to help the Dems.  Although he notes that the leak was disingenuous: Unsurprisingly, the Times report was a bit tilted; a few days later Bush... More

One of the issues that is being debated following this week's Democratic victory in the 2006 midterm elections is whether Republican candidates were hurt by the perception that they are too "anti—immigrant."  This is the argument being made by Linda Chavez , who is a reliable Republican... More

The GOP leadership is like the upper management guy who's been around a long time.  He did great things in the past —— broke sales records, came up with great ideas for the company's growth, etc.  He rose to a high position and had the respect of everyone.  He thought he... More

Tuesday reminded me, grimly, of Vince Lombardi's  remark that, "You don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing"  And also of Elisabeth Bishop's poem "One Art." "The art of losing isn't hard to master; so many... More

Dr. Bob Godwin of One Cosmos writes one of his trademark essays, moving back and forth among the psychoanalytic, the political, and the spiritual/cosmological levels of analysis. Because some of his terminology and his way of arguing are so unfamiliar to many, and because his conclusions and... More

The oddly named Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), which played such a noxious role in the Plame matter, hate Robert Gates. My friend Fedora emails: Gates is one of VIPS' favorite targets. I expect to see Ray McGovern and/or Melvin Goodman write a pre—emptive hit piece... More

Odd how the media's flaying of overblown scandals has helped create a Congress that has real crooks and their associates in powerful positions. It is "most corrupt Congress ever" in Don Surber's words. Oh well, the Washington Post can now drop that Macaca Section of the paper, finally let its... More

I know he is being called "Senator Nothing," but the Bob Casey that beat Rick Santorum was Something in Pennsylvania. I heard Rush Limbaugh say that the aging population in PA was one of the main reasons. I won't go into detail, but it was about near term benefits to the elderly vs. long term goals... More

Two days after the mid—terms, the New York Times discovers that Democrats can be corrupt, too. Who knew? Ed Lasky   11 9 06  More

The New York Sun's blog It Shines for All notices a certain item in the UN's Morning Headlines publication, in which the Democrats' victory is (to its eye) almost celebrated. Why is the U.N. commenting on member state elections? We're told that this isn't normally done. So why is the Republican... More

The voters of Union County in North Carolina, in their infinite wisdom, have elected a corpse. Okay, the position on the soil conservation board was not a headline—grabbing race. But, ahem, shouldn't the board of elections have, umm, noticed? From the Charlotte Observer: Union County... More

The Telegraph reports on the case of  Shabnam Mughal, lawyer who appeared in immigration court dressed completely in black with a full—face covering leaving only her eyes visible. The judge, George Glossop, asked Miss Mughal on Monday if she would "kindly remove her veil to assist with... More

Michael Barone's blog on US News& World Report's site is well worth reading. He notes that This election was conducted in something like an idea—free zone. Barone also list the very real accomplishments of the Republican Congress from 1994 to 2006 and notes... More

Islam is a demanding religion, both for its adherents and for those who share the planet with them. It is quick to anger when non—believers in predominantly non—Muslim countries do something which offends Islamic sensitibilities. The imperative to struggle, violently and... More

Two Los Angeles billionaires are said to have made a bid to purchase the Tribune Company, publisher of many newspapers including the LA Times. Eli Broad, a philanthropist, and Ron Burkle, head of the investment firm Yucaipa Companies, submitted a "competitive bid" for the Chicago—based... More

Donald Rumsfeld is taking the hit for the GOP losses in the midterms. The Bush White House is thereby retreating from a confrontation with the Pentagon bureaucracy, just as it retreated from a confrontation with the intelligence behemoth. My reading is that Bush and Cheney are determined to achieve... More

Moderate white Democrat congressman almost became extinct after 1990, when Congressional districts were redrawn to maximize Black and Hispanic seats.  This year the Democrats wisely decided they could not win in suburban and rural districts with openly liberal candidates, and set out to... More

Nic Fleming of the Telegraph reports that part—human, part—anumal creatures are heaed our way from a lab somewhere, and no science fiction writer is involved. All in the name of embryonic stem cell research. British scientists have applied for permission to create embryos that are... More

Can you imagine this election with an evenhanded media? The GOP would still be in control of Congress. Our foreign policy would still be robust, rather than maidenly. Our enemies abroad, like Ahmadinejad and Chirac, would not be having a good day today. And the constant revision of history... More

The pain of defeat extends to the state level in too many states. I wonder how the Democratic wins at the state level will play out in terms of redistricting? An even more painful dynamic awaitrs us going forward. Recall SCOTUS gave states the leeway to redistrcit outsde the regular census. The... More

Remember reports of "widespread" voter complaints in Virginia, including the story that potential voters were threatened with arrest? Our contributor Noel Sheppard investigated the way the story broke, and Newsbusters today has his investigation. the media have been all over allegations that... More

Delusion must run deep in those surprised by yesterday's results. Back in July it was clear to me that calling the Democrats names while governing as liberals was not going to work this time around. The conservative base was, and is, disgusted with the results of Republican domination of all three... More

Rick Moran writes a deeply pessimistic analysis at Rightwing Nuthouse: If there is one thing exit polls are good for, it is breaking down the vote by age, income, religion, ideology, and other important indices. Here's the bad news from exit polls taken for House races nationwide: Republicans saw... More

They must not have gotten the memo. How did this article ever get published by the Associated Press and in printed in the Seattle Post—Intelligencer, no less? Stories of women being abused and raped in the Palestinian territories. And a woman Western journalist actually caring... More

Reuters has gone 'way beyond parody today with its headline, Danish Muslims say arrests hurt integration hopes. Try to keep a straight face: Just as Danes were breathing sighs of relief that the wounds caused by cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad were healing, they were re—opened with the... More

Federal Express, whose former slogan was the famous "When it absolutely, positively has to be there on time", has run out of patience with Airbus. The wait for delivery of its order for 10 A380s is over. Fedex cancelled, and just ordered 15 Boeing 777F aircraft instead. It is the first... More

Rick Moran analyzes the battle for the House and predicts a Democratic pickup of 18—23 seats at Rightwing Nuthouse. There is some interesting analysis, including a look at 13 seats written off to the Dems where he sees a GOP win at least a possibility. More

A question lurking in my brain Since last week's Turkey shoot; Do we honor Big John's bitter pain; From that big hole in his foot? After all he has a history Of injuries self—inflicted; And by now it's not a mystery, He's Purple Heart addicted.   Big fool at a big convention, Salutes a... More

Aleksander Boyd of Vcrisis lives in London and is a leading critic of the regime of Hugo Chavez. London Mayor Ken Livingston has pursued a special relationship with Chavez, hosting him in London, and was planning a return visit to Venezuela. His friendship was to have been rewarded with some sort... More

Andrew Bolt of the Herald—Sun put it very well. Australia's Muslims were given a test. And they failed. Via Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch: It's the code of the tribe: the worst of us is better than the best of you. We have urgent work to do if we want to save ourselves. Excuses over.... More

The Democrats are adjusting their schedule of primaries and caucuses in the season leading up to the 2008 presidential nominations. The Los Angeles Times reports, The Democratic National Committee, looking for more diverse voices in choosing the party's next presidential nominee, recently bumped... More

Our contributor Rocco DiPippo is currently in Iraq. Writing at the The Autonomist, where he blogs, he posts pictures and a brief description of an impropmptu celebration he encountered, following the announcement of the verdict. Loft pronouncements about the death penalty from the EU, and carping... More

A very serious line is about to be crossed, in which public records are to be falsified as a matter of policy. Of course, like most terrible ideas proposed as policy, this one is cloaked in the garb of compassion. But it is never a good idea for governments to deliberately lie in matters of public... More

Bloomberg reports that the New York Times Company says it is studying taking a writedown on its purchase of New England media properties, most prominently, the Boston Globe. One advantage of such a writedown is to get the bad news out of the way, and start reporting good news with no overhang.... More

On the eve of a national election gloomers and doomers seem to have overlooked this wonderful historic news. It is not often that the nation's unemployment rate sinks to 4.4 percent. It did in 2001, when dotcom entrepreneurs were still writing checks that didn't bounce. Jobs were also... More

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

The Boston Globe writes, " First, unless there are levels of theft and fraud that would truly mean the end of American democracy, a Democratic House seems as close to a sure thing as we ever get in American politics three days before an election... November 2006 will be remembered either as the... More

As I predicted in earlier coverage of the management troubles at Airbus, the decision on producing a brand new model, the A350 XWB intended to compete with Boeing's 787, is proving difficult.  Engineering and financial resources are already pinched by the need to solve the problems of the A380... More

It's hard to keep up with the media reported conventional wisdom that turns out to have been wrong. Remember the "Brutal Afghan Winter" Am I the only one who remembers consistent warnings of widespread violence that was sure to follow a guilty verdict against Hussein? OK. Where is all the... More

Both the New York Times and its sister paper, the floundering Boston Globe, covered the emergence of a serious and powerful Wall Street foe girding for battle with the company over its two tier shareholding system, attempting to mobilize pressure to get the company to abandon it. A battle of some... More

"Abortion Alternative" is one of the  hundreds if not thousands, of phony names registered in Curt Weldon's district, garnered by the union—sponsored ACORN operation and under investigation by the  District Attorney's Office. According to its Web site, ACORN is "the... More

Jules Crittenden, city editor of the Boston Herald, speaks for many in Massachusetts when he writes of his taking "taking one for the team" when it comes to helping out the Republican Party. He means being represented by John Kerry & assorted friends. The joke is painfully close to home for Bay... More

As a scientist with thirty years of experience working with data just like election polls, I think the Left is having its victory orgasm way too soon. The pollsters are using the same assumptions since the famous Truman upset election of 1948. They are now questionable or plain wrong. The biggest... More

Something is going on, and a few races are closing fast.  Mason Dixon has Chafee ahead today by one point. This would be his first lead in months. Everybody has written this race off. I would hate to hold the Senate by Chafee's vote, and have him pull a Jeffords, but it would be better than... More

Don Surber captures a warrior culture versus caring culture moment. Eleanor Dachtler of Las Vegas lost a son in Iraq, Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas H. Anderson two years ago. He was 18. Jimmy Carter's kid is running for the U.S. Senate from Nevada. He wanted to use Dachtler at a campaign event.Kid... More

Cindy Sheehan's and Code Pink's  favorite dictator is having a hrad time at home. A.M. Mora y Leon reports on Publius Pundit: This story might speak for itself through its photos — what looks like millions of people — have marched across the 15—mile length of Caracas, from... More

The Latest Disinformation from Vanity Fair [Michael Ledeen] My experience with Vanity Fair is even more extensive than David Frum's, having been the subject of a 30,000 word screed that ends with the author's bland confession "there is no evidence for any of this." So I am not at all surprised to... More

Vanity Fair has come out with its usual election eve hit job. This time it selectively quotes leading neocons on their views respecting the war, editing their lengthy remarks to suggest dissatisfaction with the Administration and the war. Michael Rubin has already responded, ss has David Frum. I... More

Arthur Herman, who wrote (among other books) the superb To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World has written an article "Getting Serious About Iran" for Commentary magazine that contemplates the potential of military action against the Iranian regime. The regime has... More

The UK Times writes that Iran is setting off a nuclear arms race among Sunni Arab countries in the Middle East. If this is true, proliferation will soon explode across the Islamic world. Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and smaller states such as Tunisia and the UAE want to acquire nuclear... More

Eureferendum is an important website for vigorous critics of the poor equipment the British armed forces have been given in Iraq and Afghanistan. They make a good case that the mission there is being undermined, either by incompetence or on purpose. Two examples: The British of all Western armies... More

Now Bill Clinton is joking about War on Terror. John Kerry is not the only Democrat joking about the war on terror these days.  News director Jon Gibson, KKNT—AM in Phoenix, played the audio tape of Bill Clinton speaking these words on the campus of Arizona State University last... More

Jonathan Strong, of The Strong Conservative, is on the case of Maher Arar, who portrayed himself  an innocent victim of an over—zealous intelligence investigation by the FBI, CIA, CSIS, and RCMP, a charge eagerly trumpeted by the Canadian and American media. Arar is a ... More

The New York Times responds to Kate Zernicke's outright fabrication of what John Kerry actually said at Pasadena City College. A Political Memo article yesterday about the fallout for Senator John Kerry over what he called a 'botched joke' referred incompletely to the differences between prepared... More

Amir Taheri, a noted expert on Iranian affairs, has written a superb article for Commentary magazine regarding the possibilities of regime change in Iran. He is skeptical toward those who have called for engagement with the regime. Historically, when diplomatic efforts are extended to dictatorial... More

World Net Daily reports that Terrorists could assemble a small group of fewer than 20 to construct a Hiroshima—size nuclear bomb, purchase the fissionable uranium needed and transport it to the U.S. city of their choice for less than $10 million, says a new report published in the... More

We received the following open letter to President Bush from Diego Sevi of Augustra, Georgia, and thought it worth passing along: Dear Mr. President, The one Glowing and Noble Achievement of the Iraq War is with the Kurds. That is where the foothold of democracy is planted and where [M]uslims know... More

The F 117A Nighthawk fighter, the first stealth aircraft, is being quietly retired from service. This mighty achievement of American technology thrilled me the first time I learned of it. Not just its capabilities, but its frightening bird—of—prey appearance spoke volumes about our... More

During the Vietnam War, one of the most powerful forms of protest was the self—immolation of varaious Buddhist clergy, often carried—out before television cameras and broadcast into the homes of horrified Americans. Many certainly believed that this demonstrated the depth of opposition... More

Not for the first time, the IAEA is teaming up with the New York Times to embarrass Bush on the even of an election. I seem to recall that the  International Atomic Energy Agency (a United Nations Agency known by the acronymn "IAEA") had previously tried an election eve gambit (also with the... More

Patterico eviscerates Kate Zernicke of the New York Times, who must respond or risk becoming the embodiment of liberal perfidy in the antique media, an international laughingstock. She went to comic lengths to hew to the Kerry line in coverage of his gaffe, and buried his "actual... More

As ordinary government servants here and abroad desperately work to protect us from growing threats, we are faced with the most banal, idiotic election campaigns in my recollection. I feel as though I'm watching a Bertold Brecht play where Macaca and Mark Foley's IMs grab the headlines while... More

Kerry's "botched" joke was aimed right at the audience he knew was there. The audience, which laughed, obviously didn't think it was botched. Two accounts deepen our understanding of the match between the room (as comedians call the nature of an audience) and the material. From the American... More

Betsy Newmark has commented on the fact that with the GOP seeming to be doing well in early and absentee voting, it might therefore fare less well in voting on Election Day itself, which is when exit pollsters do their interviews. Those numbers, the manna of the 2004 "Ohio was stolen conspiracy... More

Female genital mutilation is a life—altering barbaric practice, which has no place in America. Thank goodness a Georgia jury handed down a "guilty" verdict and a judge imposed a ten year sentence on a father who assaulted his own two year old daughter in the name of Islam. The AP speculates... More

Remember Linda Chavez? She had to withdraw from consideration for a cabinet post because one of her employees was an illegal alien. So how about Nancy Pelosi, who would be third in line for succession if she becomes Majority Leader? Investors Business Daily brings us the following information about... More

California usually earns its "land of fruits and nuts" title when it comes to electoral results, especially for US Senators and a majority of the seats in the state legislature. But when it comes to ballot initiatives, the results are more mixed. This the most recent round of polling shows some... More

On Tuesday, Michigan voters will be considering  the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, a ballot measure that would make it unlawful for public employers, public contractors and public schools, to discriminate or grant preferential treatment on the basis of race, ethnicity, skin color,... More

One doesn't normally think of the small inland city outside Los Angeles as a leftist hotbed, like Ann Arbor or Berkeley — in fact, quite the opposite — it has a historic image as a dowager of a town, Republican to the bone, where the principle activity is the annual rose parade among... More

Boo Hoo, those mean old bloggers are picking on the poor little New York Times. Clay Walker of the site Times Watch (see note below) attended an Upper West Side gathering of deep thinkers from the liberal establishment. For those who already know the Times has a liberal bias, the Halloween night... More

Slowly but surely movie box office attendance is wilting in the face of ever more attractive home theatre viewing options. On response has been to experiement with different options for the commercial showing of movies. Satdium seating in tiers has been de rigeur for awhile now. One interesting... More

Ever since the Romans used it, the fierce eagle has been popular as a symbol of a great country. Now, Scotland, which used to have its own kings and  where many want independence beyond the current state of devolution, is considering appropriating the golden eagle as its symbol. Hamish... More

Madness descended upon the campaign trail as Sen John Kerry stepped on his own self—implanted land mine.  Caught on videotape continuing his thread of disparaging and contemptuous remarks about our soldiers and marines that actually started in 1971, Sen Kerry now blames his deliberate... More

The Speaker of the House wields far more power than the Majority Leader of the Senate and is easily the most powerful figure on Capitol Hill. The Speaker is third in line for Presidential succession. So the constituents of the Speaker have a powerful influence on the government. The phrase "San... More

Major Mike at My Sandmen translates John Kerry for those who didn't get a good enough education to understand him correctly. 'Kerry then told the students that if they were able to navigate the education system, they could get comfortable jobs — "If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq," he... More

Put on your tinfoil hats, all you Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) trackers! On Halloween, Senator Hillary Clinton ghave us all something special —— calling for "a more internationalist foreign policy" at the Council for Foreign Relations, as reported by l'Agence France Presse... More

Michael Yon is a blogger who has done the most incredible job covering the war in Iraq. Unfortunately, aa Democratic candidate has misappropriated  one of the most significant  pieces of his work and used it without permission. Stefan Sharansky of Sound Politics writes: Several readers... More

A Dutch imam is under investigation for possibly having incited the attack which killed film maker Theo Van Gogh. Radio Netherlands, via Ummah News Links, reports: Mohammed Bouyeri, the man who murdered Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh almost exactly two years ago is serving a life prison sentence,... More