I came across a sad statistic the other day while combing through Iraq war casualty figures: There have been 88 reported suicides of U.S. troops. I was having trouble putting this number in context. Was it too high? Too low? How many suicides stemmed from the godawful pressures of fighting in an unpopular war against an elusive enemy? I got the context I needed — and … [Read more...] about Iraq & The Army’s Disdain For Its Mentally Ill

One of our favorite websites that looks at foreign policy is American Future, a site that like this one may vary in outlook from time to time (center to center right). It's a no-nonsense website that looks at foreign news. It was one of the first sites to link to our co-blogger David Schraub's great weblog. And it's one of those (few) weblogs dedicated to serious policy … [Read more...] about Welcome Our Latest New Blogger

This ought to shake up some conversation.... Somebody has to say it: Al-qaeda is not an existential threat to America's existence. It's time to stop using rhetoric and proposing policies that pretend that it is one. … [Read more...] about Bald Eagle

I don't remember why I had stayed after my 1 a.m. quitting time as night city editor of the Philadelphia Daily News early on the morning of December 9 some 25 years ago this week, but I do remember that I was talking to the overnight editor when a message crackled over one of the police radio scanners:"Officer down at 13th and Arch. Send back-up and assistance."Police Office … [Read more...] about Mumia Abu-Jamal: Still Guilty After All These Years

...when he's on C-SPAN. PS: And it wasn't from a fan. TMV's Personal View: In policy terms, Carter was one of the most ineffective Presidents in American history. I was in Spain writing for The Christian Science Monitor and other newspapers when he was elected. I was with friends from Madrid University when I watched his debate with then-President Gerald Ford on a TV video … [Read more...] about Former President Jimmy Carter Gets Some Feedback

THIS JUST IN from investigative reporter Andy Borowitz:Bush: Heckuva Job, Al-Maliki President’s Words of Praise May Mean Iraqi Premier is Through In a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki today, President George W. Bush reportedly told him that he had his “full supportâ€? and that he was doing “a heckuva job,â€? indicating that Mr. al-Maliki’s tenure in … [Read more...] about This Just In!!

">Newt Gingrich, one of my favorite conservatives, opened a controversy by saying "Either before we lose a city, or, if we are truly stupid, after we lose a city, we will adopt rules of engagement that use every technology we can find to break up [terrorists'] capacity to use the Internet, to break up their capacity to use free speech [protections] and to go after people who … [Read more...] about Free Speech in the Age of Terrorism

In Denial or Afraid of Losing Face? A must read post by Juan Cole at Informed Comment:AP also reports that President Jalal Talabani, Foreign Minister Barham Salih, and leader of the United Iraqi Alliance Abdul Aziz al-Hakim have all rejected United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's call for an international conference on Iraq. Talabani said, "We are an independent and a … [Read more...] about Talabani In Denial Or…?

(Or "Just another day in the life and death of Iraq XXV" at The Reaction.) From CNN: -- "Nine U.S. troops died in Iraq during the weekend, including five killed by roadside bombs, the U.S. military reported Sunday." -- "Iraqi police found 51 bodies across the Iraqi capital, all shot to death, a Baghdad emergency police official said Sunday. Some were blindfolded with bound … [Read more...] about So is Iraq your cup of tea?

I realize that this image is shocking, but reality is shocking sometimes. To be honest, there were far more shocking ones, this was one of the least shocking ones... that says a lot, doesn't it?. For as long as I can remember, I have supported pro-choice movements. The support mostly based on the Idea that the government has, in general, no right - or at least should have no … [Read more...] about Abortion: A Personal Dilemma

John Bolton has resigned as US ambassador to the UN. Bush was, obviously, disappointed.President Bush today accepted the resignation of John R. Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, expressing deep disappointment that "a handful" of senators had blocked his confirmation last year. "It is with deep regret that I accept John Bolton's decision to end his service in the … [Read more...] about Bolton Resigns… Bush Accepts

Earlier this morning, I wrote about the New Orleans Saints -- a story of success and hope in the larger tale of a struggling city. For forty years, the Saints have been part of the rich gumbo of New Orleans’ soul — one of many crucial elements that, when mixed together, created an utterly unique culture. They’re neither the only ingredient nor the oldest, but they’re … [Read more...] about Saints and Sinners in New Orleans

The Wall Street Journal ran an article about how some Senators are asking the Oil Industry to stop resisting efforts to curb Global Warming. The WSJ articles says:"Every dogma has its day, and we've lived long enough to see more than one "consensus" blown apart within a few years of "everyone knowing" it was true. In recent decades environmentalists have been wrong about … [Read more...] about Global Warming – Pound Wise and Penny Foolish

A... different kind of education An interesting article at TNR about the conservative model for improving schools.My wife spent a few years teaching in a mostly low-income elementary school. The main thing I remember her telling me was that parental involvement was a near-perfect predictor of her students' performance. The kids with active parents did well, and the kids with … [Read more...] about Conservatives and Education

New Reaction co-blogger Capt. Fogg (of Human Voices) looks at how Dennis Prager and his Fox-friendly ilk attack the foundations of American constitutionalism (most recently with the Ellison-Koran controversy and their attempts to legislate religion). You can find his full post here. … [Read more...] about Does Dennis Prager hate America?

On CBS's Face the Nation yesterday: -- Lieberman: "I believe that America is a mighty enough nation that we should never fear to talk to anyone. But anyone who believes that Iran and Syria really want to help us to succeed in Iraq, just is missing the reality. Asking Iran and Syria to help us succeed in Iraq is like your local fire department asking a couple of arsonists to … [Read more...] about Hagel v. Lieberman

Hugo Chavez has been re-elected in Venezuela, easily defeating challenger Manuel Rosales in yesterday's presidential election. With 78 percent of the vote counted as of last night, Chavez was ahead 61.3 to 38.4. And Chavez was as humble as always: "Long live the socialist revolution! Destiny has been written... We have shown that Venezuela is red!... No one should fear … [Read more...] about Venezuela votes

Given the way politics works, it sounds like New York Senator Hillary Clinton is off and running, according to the New York Times:Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has begun a calculated series of meetings with top New York Democratic officials to signal that she is likely to run for the presidency in 2008 and to ask for their support if she does, according to one state Democratic … [Read more...] about To Hillary Or Not To Hillary?

“Quick: What is the Bush administration foreign policy?â€? (Sound of my foot tapping as time passes.) “Yup. I thought so. You don’t know what the Bush foreign policy is. That’s because it’s a trick question. The Bush administration doesn’t have a foreign policy.â€? From an historical perspective, this is mighty strange. For many years, presidential election … [Read more...] about Missing in Action: A Bush Foreign Policy

Conservative Judaism's debate on the issue of same-sex sex is a model of how religion can treat controversial and difficult issues with humility and respect. … [Read more...] about Five Teshuvot