From the indispensible website Watching America, comes a translation of a piece that ran in the Financial Times' German edition by Washington correspondent Thomas Klau. It paints a bleak portrait of the present situation in Iraq, and what's at stake for the U.S. Part of it:In light of the developments in Iraq and the political almanac in the U.S., if the Americans hold out for … [Read more...] about Iraq: More At Stake Than Vietnam

...at Hinessight which bills itself as The Anti-Drudge. There are a few anti-you-know-who-Report sites around that have survived and others have vanished. But Hinessight is one that truly looks destined to survive — because once you use it, you get hooked. Drudge is anchored in underlying Republican assumptions and Hinessight has more of an independent and Democratic … [Read more...] about Take A Peek…..

Spengler in Asia Times Online predicts an October surprise that'll propel the GOP to victory — and it's spelled I-r-a-n:One hears not an encouraging word about US President George W Bush these days, even from Republican loyalists. Yet I believe that Bush will stage the strongest political comeback of any US politician since Abraham Lincoln won re-election in 1864 in the … [Read more...] about Speculation On George Bush’s October Surprise

Since South Africans enjoy (true) Democracy, the political climate has, mostly, been one of unity, or better said consensus: as the NYT puts it "essentially a one-party system"; the only part of true relevance is the African National Congress. The party delivered first Nelson Mandela and after that current SA President Thabo Mbeki -> again, (mostly) in a spirit of true … [Read more...] about A Test For South Africa’s Democracy

The latest news story to spark what Americans apparently love and can't get enough of — controversy where each side screams at the other — is the news that Bill Clinton put aside political niceties and spoke his mind on Fox News, blasting Chris Wallace and charging that he was invited on the program under false pretenses. Crooks and Liars has the transcript here. … [Read more...] about Bill Clinton Takes On Fox News Over 911 And “False Pretenses” Interview

Andrew Sullivan:It is one of history's great tragedies that American conservatism, born in part in resistance to Soviet torture, should end by endorsing it in America, by Americans. And not just endorsing it, but brandishing the use of it as a tool to gain re-election and maintain power. If there is a conservative soul, and I believe there is, the current "conservative" … [Read more...] about Quote Of The Day: Andrew Sullivan On Torture

Officials in several countries are scrambling to confirm a report that Al Qaeda terrorist chief Osama bin Laden is dead. The report that has gotten biggest play has come from a French newspaper. But Time Magazine now also has a report, also quoting Saudi sources, who say the same thing.A French regional newspaper quoted a French secret service report on Saturday as saying … [Read more...] about bin Laden Dead? Officials Scramble To Confirm Reports (UPDATED)

THIS JUST IN from investigative reporter Andy Borowitz:Lewinsky Mulls '08 Run Former White House Intern Offers Self as Alternative to Hillary In a development that could drastically alter the playing field of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, former White House intern Monica Lewinsky confirmed today that she was considering making a bid for the Democratic … [Read more...] about This Just In!

The latest issues of importance to Jews (and Judeo-philes). … [Read more...] about Jewish Update

Why the hype about Obama isn't due to his race. … [Read more...] about The Real Deal

Liberty and Justice co-blogger Muslihoon, published a passionate post at his own blog in which he describes L&J's other co-blogger Isaac Schrödinger's situation, explains why he needs help and how people can help him. On an extremely positive note, Isaac found a great and experienced lawyer (for obvious reasons, the identity of the lawyer cannot be made public), many … [Read more...] about Helping Isaac Schrödinger

Heraclitus finds a "mixture of vulgar relativism and vulgar self-interest" among his students. Apparently we've reached the point where even genocide -- whether in Darfur or anywhere else -- isn't enough to produce moral indignation, let alone a suitable response to the killing of hundreds of thousands. See here. … [Read more...] about Genocide? What genocide?

(Yes, I'm going to sound a bit partisan here. But this, it seems to me, calls for it.) The New York Times got it right yesterday: One of the cornerstones of the Republican Party’s strategy for winning elections these days is voter suppression, intentionally putting up barriers between eligible voters and the ballot box. The editorial is a response to legislation passed in … [Read more...] about Stop the vote!

It's a sad, sad day for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Lee Bollinger has withdrawn Columbia's invitation to Ahmadinejad. By doing so he overruled a prominent dean, Lisa Anderson. The dean of Columbia's school of international and public affairs, Lisa Anderson, had independently invited Mr. Ahmadinejad to speak at the World Leader's Forum, a year-long program that aims to unite "renowned … [Read more...] about Ahmadinejad Not Welcome At Columbia University

NOTE: Due to the importance of this story we'll keep this post at the top of this site for some of the day. There are NEWER posts below — so keep scrolling. News that several high-profile Republican Senators who had stalled President George Bush's intent to give a legislative green-light to tough interrogation — some say "torture" — of terrorist suspects … [Read more...] about Detainee Interrogation Deal Short-Circuits GOP Division (UPDATED)

One of the greatest musicians would have been 80 today. Kiko's House writes about A Love Supreme. … [Read more...] about A Day Of Remembrance For Music Lovers

Not enough ticket sales. … [Read more...] about Big Political Speakers’ Event Cancelled In San Diego

My grandmother's condition is getting worse and worse for quite a long while already. That is why she was moved into what we call a verzorgingshuis - I do not know the correct English word for it, it literally means 'taking care off home' - last Wednesday morning. She has to stay there for a while, before they will move her into a verplegingshuis (nursinghome). The Dutch … [Read more...] about The Way We Treat Our Elderly People

Pope Benedict XVI has opened a can of worms not because he seemed to stigmatize Islam but because he prompts each of us to evaluate how we perceive meaning and purpose in our daily lives. Both the Pope and Islam see faith as including firm belief in the divinity of the founders of their respective religions. They also require obedience to their doctrines and scripture, which … [Read more...] about Faith and reason together clarify meaning and purpose

PLUS - September 19 Primary Updates Sabato:Recently I was in a taxi cab in San Antonio, Texas, and tossed out my favorite query for cabbies: "What's the dumbest question you've ever been asked in your cab?" A lovely Latino lady who had been driving passengers for years said, "That's easy. Just the other day a man asked me when we passed the Alamo, 'Why in the world did they … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Dumb Questions for the 2008 Presidential Contest