From The Washington Post: Sunni and secular political groups angrily claimed Tuesday that last week's Iraqi national election was rigged, demanded a new vote and threatened to leave a shambles the delicate plan to bring the country's wary factions together in a new government. Faced with preliminary vote counts that suggest a strong victory by the United Iraqi Alliance, a … [Read more...] about Allegations of fraud mar Iraqi elections

An Op-Ed in the Washington Post: The white Christmases that Irving Berlin dreamed of weren't the earliest ones he used to know. He spent his first five Christmases in czarist Russia, and his only recollection of that time, at least the only one he'd acknowledge as an adult, was that of watching his neighbors burn his family's house to the ground in a good old-fashioned, … [Read more...] about Harold Meyerson: The Christmas He Dreamed for All of Us

I wake up for a bit and what do I find? An email update from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz tells me that there's been an explosion at a Cincinnati OH mosque. I live in the City of Cincinnati. I quickly go to the Cincinnati Enquirer and find that, yes, a bomb went off outside the Clifton Mosque late yesterday evening. I drove by this mosque Monday afternoon, it's in a … [Read more...] about UPDATED: This Sort of Thing Usually Happens at Synagogues or Black Churches

The ripples over President George W. Bush's secret go-ahead for domestic spying, and his subsequent defense of it, have morphed into a bigger wave with the announcement that a federal spy court judge has quit in protest. The Washington Post reports:A federal judge has resigned from the court that oversees government surveillance in intelligence cases in protest of President … [Read more...] about Spy Court Judge Quits In Protest Over Bush Domestic Spying (UPDATED)

I attempted to discuss that question this past summer at my weblog Random Fate, and in light of Joe's post below discussing the founding of The Moderate Voice it seems appropriate to review my personal view of what constitutes a "moderate" and how that is not the same as a "centrist":What is a moderate? A short addendum to “What is a moderate?â€?You will not always see … [Read more...] about What is a “moderate”?

Over the past few months, this site (which turns two years old this month) has been visited by many new readers...so we want to again explain what the site is about and how it works. I did a dry-run in mid-December 2003, writing The Moderate Voice under a pen name for the first few days and then officially writing it under my own name about 10 days later. The first post … [Read more...] about Welcome New Readers

King Kong so far isn't killing 'em at the box office, but some experts say in the long run that can change...or can it? One problem is that the original came in at about 100 minutes; the new version came in at over three hours. Here's a review by Stephen Green aka Vodkapundit who wasn't too enthused by what he saw. TMV can't wait to see King Kong, since he loves the original. … [Read more...] about Could King Kong Have Used A Nice Film Editor?

Especially in light of the recent elections in Iraq, you'll want to visit the Carnival of the Liberated. … [Read more...] about Want To Read Iraqi And Afghani Bloggers?

Someone has just thrown a big, fat monkey wrench into NYC and that someone is the transit union...and a judge is not pleased:A Brooklyn judge slapped the transit workers union with a $1 million a day fine and exposed an internal rift, as a mediation session aimed at stopping the walkout was slated for this afternoon. But any prospects for a quick resolution were tempered by … [Read more...] about Transit Strike Hits New York As Judge Fines Union

Some thoughts from Centerfield.... … [Read more...] about Is Impeachment Talk Overblown And Premature?

...according to Roger Ebert (I can't wait to see King Kong...) … [Read more...] about The Year’s Ten Top Films

If you told me this story would be getting a positive mention from Powerline and Captain's Quarters, I wouldn't have believed it for a moment. It's about a Minnesota Army Medic and his commitment to saving lives--both of his Army colleagues, and the insurgents he may have been fighting just moments earlier. A truly inspiring tale. And I agree with Powerline's conclusion as … [Read more...] about War and Humanity

I never really thought about the hidden cost of torture, but recently I read an editorial that really opened my eyes to what those who do the torturing have to go through. More here. … [Read more...] about On Torturers

And so starts a rather weird meme about New Mexico's governor. … [Read more...] about Bill Richardson: In Touch

I take a look at a recent George Will column and some thoughts from current and former intelligence agents about this whole wiretap thing. More here. … [Read more...] about What Cost Freedom?

A judge doesn't think mentioning "intelligent design" in Pennsylvania classrooms is a smart thing to do — and he has banned it in a major legal ruling: "Intelligent design" cannot be mentioned in biology classes in a Pennsylvania public school district, a federal judge said Tuesday, ruling in one of the biggest courtroom clashes on evolution since the 1925 Scopes … [Read more...] about Judge Says “Intelligent Design” Not Smart In PA Classrooms

Needless to say, there's been a lot of reaction in the blogosphere to President Bush's Sunday speech on Iraq. Two leading conservatives, Michelle Malkin and Ed Morrissey, even live-blogged it. Also needless to say, those on the Right loved the speech and took advantage of the opportunity to slam Democrats and other opponents of the war — indeed, to slam anyone and … [Read more...] about Patriotic pretension: President Bush and the un-Americanism of the Right

Is it April Fool's Day? No, it's just the occasion of Time's yearly foray into nonsense... Not that I've ever cared much about the nonsense that is Time's XXXXX of the Year award (man, woman, thing, being, etc.), but this year's recipients, Bill and Melinda Gates and U2's Bono, seem particularly underwhelming to me. That is, the award seems particularly underwhelming to me … [Read more...] about Time‘s (underwhelming) People of the Year

Speaking of Ariel Sharon (see below), there is much cause for concern: Over the weekend, Mr. Sharon suffered a minor stroke. In my view, he should have won this year's Nobel Peace Prize. More, his health and well-being should be of concern to anyone who cares about the prospect of peace between Israel and Palestine. … [Read more...] about The health of Ariel Sharon

...Because I believe that transparency, checks and balances, and a discussion about presidential power during the war on terror are all absolutely vital to preserving American values. Thank you Mr. President, for clearing that up. … [Read more...] about I Love Terrorists