Who says Vice-President Dick Cheney doesn't symbolize "Everyman?" Just look at these incredible career parallels. … [Read more...] about Amazing Career Parallels

BBC: Kember Enjoys First Day at Home ...Mr Kember, 74, restated his opposition to foreign troops in the country, but thanked the soldiers who rescued him. "I do not believe that a lasting peace is achieved by armed force but I pay tribute to their courage and thank those who played a part in my rescue," he said. He went on to thank those of many faiths who had appealed and … [Read more...] about Kember’s Thanks

Pssst! Hey, you...Vladimir Putin. Here's a hint. Don't apply for the sudden opening at the Washington Post for a blogger:THE career of President Vladimir Putin of Russia was built at least in part on a lie, according to US researchers. A new study of an economics thesis written by Putin in the mid-1990s has revealed that large chunks of it were copied from an American … [Read more...] about Why Russia’s Strongman Putin Could Never Work For The Washington Post

AP: POLICHARKI, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan court has dismissed the case against a man who converted from Islam to Christianity for lack of evidence, an official said Sunday. The court, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, had been under intense international pressure to drop the case against Abdul Rahman, who faced a possible death sentence for his conversion. Some … [Read more...] about Case Dropped Against Afghan Christian

In a way, it's a non-story since you could see this one coming: Prospects for robust ethics reform in the 109th Congress are dimming, even as the criminal probes that prompted it are intensifying. It's a political calculation that could cost lawmakers in this fall's elections, if they misread the degree to which voters care about bribery inside the Beltway.Yes, let's hope so. … [Read more...] about Surprise, Surprise: Ethics Reforms Falter In Congress

Rep. Katherine Harris has done a political about-face on using her extensive inheritance to fund her own political campaign — yet another seeming sign that her campaign is in trouble:In an effort to jump-start her sputtering Senate campaign, Rep. Katherine Harris went on national television invoking the memory of her late father and saying the money he left her will form … [Read more...] about Katherine Harris Campaign Says “Never Mind!” On Her Vow To Fund Her Own Campaign (UPDATED)

TMV thought there was at least the possibility of it being a slip of the tongue when a (since-fired) radio host called Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice a racial epithet. Here's another view. … [Read more...] about More On The Radio Host Fired For Calling Rice A Racial Epithet

At first glance, you think President George W. Bush should have peered a bit more deeply into Russian President Vladmir Putin's soul: it turned out that the Russian may have been Putin on the US on when it came to Iraq:As U.S. troops moved toward Iraq in 2003, Saddam Hussein received intelligence about their battle strategy and troop movements from a Russian ambassador, … [Read more...] about Russia Was Putin US On When It Came To Iraq

But it won't go down in the record books (and that's something to carp about and if you don't think so, just read the link for the halibut.) … [Read more...] about They Caught A Record-Sized Fish

It's because of the kinds of questions (illustration is below): … [Read more...] about Why Larry King Is Losing Viewers

Washington Post columnist David Ignatius concludes that George Bush may now be moving into the phase that stymied another president — Lyndon Baines Johnson, during the Vietnam war:Now it gets painful for George W. Bush. Iraq is wrapped around his presidency as tightly as Vietnam was around Lyndon Johnson's. Bush keeps telling the country he has a plan for victory, but the … [Read more...] about Is George Bush Sliding Into LBJ Territory On The Iraq War?

BBC: Kember returning to UK amid row Freed British hostage Norman Kember is returning home - to a row over whether he thanked the soldiers who saved him.... … [Read more...] about CPT Short on Gratitude?

The Washington Post's former conservative blogger Ben Domenech who resigned yesterday amid allegations that he plagiarized past work has ripped into his former editors, calling them "fools". His fiery retort comes in a story on the conservative website Human Events:In his first public comments since resigning earlier today as a blogger for washingtonpost.com, Ben Domenech says … [Read more...] about Washington Post‘s Resigned Conservative Blogger Calls His Former Bosses “Fools” (UPDATED)

This is very good news:An Afghan Christian facing possible execution for converting from Islam was likely to be released from jail "soon," a senior government official said following huge Western pressure over the case. "He is likely to be released soon," the official said, adding there would be a top-level meeting on the matter Saturday.Awesome. Religious freedom deserves no … [Read more...] about Abdul Rahman May Not Be Screwed

Alan Stewart Carl thinks this is a difficult topic and that we'll be debating this issue over the next few years. And unfortunately, it seems like it'll remain difficult...This is one of those issues that is difficult to discuss because it is incredibly complex and yet many insist on taking simplistic and misleading positions. This is not just about basic rights (although … [Read more...] about The Immigration Issue

One of my roommates is making me watch "The O'Reilly Factor." He's not impressive. But when it went to commercial, I was informed "this show is brought to you by Waste Management," my local garbage collection company. Irony amongst the Fox producers? Or just proof there is a God? … [Read more...] about Apt

Washington Post Op-Ed: Is President Bush the leader of our government, or is he just a right-wing talk-show host? The question comes to mind after Bush's news conference this week in which he sounded like someone who has no control over the government he is in charge of. His words were those of a pundit inveighing against the evils of bureaucrats... … [Read more...] about E.J. Dionne Today – In Charge, Except They’re Not

Well, Red America is no more and plagiarism brought it down. That's right...Ben Domenech has resigned due to some heavy pressures from the left, the right, and probably his own conscience. This looks bad for bloggers, right? Well, as the executive editor of washingtonpost.com explains...We appreciate the speed and thoroughness with which our readers and media outlets surfaced … [Read more...] about Thanks Ben

College security teams are using Facebook to investigate their students. Sketchy, or fair use? … [Read more...] about Facebook Mafia

Kobe Bryant: Soon to be Jew? The Jerusalem Post has the scoop. But did it have to end with this line? But Bryant dispelled the notion of replacing Schayes as the greatest Jewish basketball player of all-time. "I don't know if I'm converting, but if I do, you can definitely add another athlete to the pool," he said. And if he does, that's one tip-off Bryant won't be too … [Read more...] about Into the Fold