The gravity of the problem — and the challenge — facing the GOP heading into the upcoming elections is underscored by this post by John Hinderaker at Power Line:Last night, I wrote a relatively optimistic post about the fundamental strength of the Republicans' position going into the election. Take a look, though, at the poll results from yesterday and the day … [Read more...] about Power Line: Polls Look Bad For Republicans

One of India's leading columnist and former Ambassador G. Parthasarathy thinks so. "A blame game has started in the US, with no dearth of media and non-proliferation pundits stating that it was because the US confined itself to a 'slap on the wrist' for India after its 1998 nuclear tests that others like Pyongyang and Tehran have been emboldened to seek the acquisition of … [Read more...] about Question Mark Over Indo-US Nuke Agreement ?

While big leaders in the United States and some other nations are tearing their hair in the face of North Korea Kim Jong-il's defiance, some sensible guys are suggesting that the sanctions should be such that hurt the dictator the most. Believe it or not but high on the agenda of the UN members is to deprive Kim of his favourite food and drinks that are mostly imported. "No … [Read more...] about UN’s North Korea Sanctions: “Don’t Let Kim Enjoy!!!”

Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh and the Grameen Bank have been jointly awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Nobel Committe has done something unusual...taking notice of the pioneering work being done at the grassroots level to promote entrepreneurship and alleviate poverty. Second, the women are the greatest beneficiaries. "Mr Yunus set up the bank in 1976 with just $27 from his … [Read more...] about Nobel Peace Prize 2006: What’s So Unusual?

Photo by teen photographer Greg P … [Read more...] about A Sunset In San Diego

Question: Is Connecticut Rep. Christopher Shays being coached on his campaign pronouncements by Virginia Senator George Allen? You have to wonder when you read this: U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays was under fire yesterday after saying in a debate earlier this week that the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison was not torture but rather a "sex ring" involving National Guard troops.Oh. And … [Read more...] about Connecticut’s GOP Rep. Christopher Shays Self-Destructs

Air America has now officially declared bankruptcy but no matter what happens to its shows the country's top progressive talk show will not be impacted. This release was put out today by the Ed Schultz Show:FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 13, 2006 Fargo, ND … Ed Schultz, host of America's fastest growing progressive talk radio program The Ed Schultz Show, today assured his … [Read more...] about The Top Progressive Talker Not Involved In Air America Bankruptcy (UPDATED)

The wrong kind of voting machine could bring chaos to the mid-term elections in the United States, says The Economist. "The polls go up, the polls go downand there are still more than three weeks to go: time for any amount of sleaze or terror to influence the voters. But it is quite possible that America's mid-term elections on November 7th will produce a close result, not … [Read more...] about US Mid-Term Polls: A Whiff Of Scandal?

Chris Bowers of MyDD is reporting on new polls that show Democrats headed for a "landslide" victory in November. Indeed, according to this polling, Democrats are "currently ahead in the House by 19 seats, 224-205". And they are doing quite well in key GOP-held districts throughout the country. Unfortunately, Speaker Dennis Hastert is solidly ahead of his Democratic challenger … [Read more...] about A Democratic landslide?

France has passed a law making it illegal in that country to deny the Turkish genocide in Armenia (1915-1917). Does free speech protect the freedom to lie? Perhaps, but what of historical truths, particularly when a powerful nation-state (Turkey) is the one perpetuating the lies? For an excellent examination of the issues involved in this case, see this post from Reaction … [Read more...] about France revisits Turkish genocide in Armenia

This year's Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi economist specializing in micro-credit (loans to the poorest of the poor) and his Grameen Bank. … [Read more...] about And the Winner Is…..

Lest you think that certain things only apply to Republicans, think again as you read this Washington Post editorial. Here are the key parts(read it in full later):THE BEST CASE for Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) is that he was sloppy about financial disclosure rules in accounting for a real estate deal on which he made a $700,000 profit. The more unattractive … [Read more...] about Senator Harry Reid’s Financial Dealings Raise Eyebrows

It'll be hard to characterize this guy's words as coming from someone who wants to "cut and run":The head of the Army is calling for British troops to withdraw from Iraq "soon" or risk catastrophic consequences for both Iraq and British society. In a devastating broadside at Tony Blair's foreign policy, General Sir Richard Dannatt stated explicitly that the continuing presence … [Read more...] about British Army General Calls For UK Iraq Withdrawal

Award winning journalist-editor Shaun Mullen, on his great blog Kiko's House, writes:I've now had an opportunity to read the article and accompanying documentation in The Lancet on the controversial new study that concludes nearly 655,000 Iraqis have died because of the war. My initial skepticism has been replaced by, well . . . non-skeptical anger.Read why HERE. … [Read more...] about ” Iraq: Death By the Numbers”

THIS JUST IN from investigative reporter Andy Borowitz:Mel Gibson Acquires Nuclear Weapon Malibu Nuke Test Raises Proliferation Fears The elite club of nuclear powers gained a new member today as the actor Mel Gibson conducted what he called a successful nuclear test in Malibu, California. With all eyes on North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il and his nuclear ambitions in recent … [Read more...] about This Just In!

From moderate cartoonist Tom Briscoe: … [Read more...] about You’re Being Watched

Big political news today. Former Virginia Governor Mark Warner announced that he will not run for president in '08. The public reason, as is often the case when politicians remove themselves from politics, is family. Which means it probably isn't the real reason, or at least not the entire reason. Warner probably does want to spend more time with his family, and perhaps his … [Read more...] about Warner bows out

Small Craft Advisory becomes Gale Warning for GOP Just a few weeks ago, President Bush and the GOP appeared to be staging a remarkable comeback that would have enabled the Republicans to retain their congressional majorities. The Foley scandal and the deteriorating situation in Iraq have changed all that, and it is clear that as of mid-October, there is a Democratic gale a … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball: A “Deep Blue Sea” in the 2006 Midterms?

Let's see... Some talking heads will say Bill Clinton is behind this:Recent U.S. intelligence analyses of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs were flawed and the lack of clarity on the issue hampered U.S. diplomatic efforts to avert the underground blast detected Sunday, according to Bush administration officials. Some recent secret reports stated that Pyongyang … [Read more...] about Intelligence Failure Played A Role In North Korea Nuclear Crisis (UPDATED)

Right? Um, then how is it that, as WaPo is reporting, "only 33 FBI agents have even a limited proficiency in Arabic, and none of them work in the sections of the bureau that coordinate investigations of international terrorism, according to new FBI statistics"? That's 33 out of 12,000!!! Don't you think a few more agents with at least a modest understanding of Arabic, if not … [Read more...] about We’ve sure come a long way since 9/11