Yet another milestone in Iraq's transition to democracy: another vote in which Iraqis flocked to the polls, showing a clear thirst for democracy. And this should be good news for several sides: For Iraqis, who are clearly getting an appetite for elections in which candidates have names other than Saddam. For the Iraq war's staunchest supporters, who see the vote and the … [Read more...] about Iraqis Show They Love To Vote

This has been a chaotic couple of weeks for TMV and some of this site's co-bloggers. As a result, there are some stories we've been a bit behind on...but thanks for your patience! For instance, yesterday TMV was gone the bulk of the day and evening and totally away from a computer. The SAME situation will happen today...but hopefully our co-bloggers will be offering you some … [Read more...] about Note To Readers

I have been striving for several days to put together a post that encompasses a number of different, seemingly disparate topics into one whole than points to a fundamental principal upon which our Constitution is based. I have failed. I have been so busy trying to establish myself in the US again after moving back from France that I have not had the time to compose the words … [Read more...] about What does the United States stand for?

Police in New Windsor NY knock down "lewd" snow sculpture to protect the tender sensibilities of passersby. Hat-Tip to Shakespeares' Sister. … [Read more...] about Dumber

How about J-o-h-n K-e-r-r-y. Republican fundraisers are going to have a ball with this one. … [Read more...] about How Do You Spell “Dumb”?

RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY Cover Story: Saudi Religious Extremism In Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, law is based on the Qu'ran and religion governs daily life. Shops are obliged to close three times a day for prayer, and Saudi television devotes hours to programs about religion, frequently broadcasting images of the holy city of Mecca, the site of the Hajj … [Read more...] about R & E Newsweekly: Saudi Religious Extremism

PRESS RELEASE: Religion Watch North Bellmore, NY, Dec. 14, 2005- After the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., evangelical leaders--from Franklin Graham to Jerry Vines of the Southern Baptist Convention-- emerged as the strongest critics and even antagonists of Islam. Numerous surveys have likewise found evangelicals in general to have more negative views on Islam than other … [Read more...] about NEW STUDY SHOWS CHANGING EVANGELICAL VIEWS ON ISLAM SINCE 9/11

In case you missed it, Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen is quite the Bush critic. … [Read more...] about Aragorn takes on Sauron

(This is a fairly long analysis of President Bush's speech yesterday at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. I originally wrote it for The Reaction yesterday evening. Rather than offer a link in a pointer post, however, I thought it better to re-post it in full here at TMV, along with links throughout to related posts. As always, I am curious … [Read more...] about War and choice: President Bush’s deceptive admission of responsibility

A Donklephant contributor and freelance journalist, Michael Totten, attended a Hezbollah gathering in Beirut recently. It did not go well:There were two separate entrances, one for women, the other for journalists and VIPs. A gaggle of Hezbollah security agents manned the doors. Several sat behind a long table. This, apparently, was where I was supposed to check in. I showed … [Read more...] about Chillin With The Hez

Democrats, Republicans and independents: talk radio can be fun but it may be unwise to rely on it for accurate information. Here's one example. … [Read more...] about Why You Need To Read And Make Your Own Decisions

....can be found at the Carnival of the Vanities. … [Read more...] about A Medley Of Great Weblog Posts

Washington Post: Syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak, who has repeatedly declined to discuss his role in disclosing the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame, said in a speech this week that he is certain President Bush knows who his mystery administration source is. Novak said Tuesday that the public and press should be asking the president about the official rather than … [Read more...] about WP: Columnist Robert Novak Says Bush Knows Who Leaked Plame’s Name

Just a month ago, critics lambasted President George Bush for not making the case for the Iraq war and addressing the many criticisms of what led up to it and how it has been conducted. Since then, you could swear that Bush is following this advice on how to rebound — particularly in his latest speech yesterday:A day before Iraq's first parliamentary elections, … [Read more...] about Bush Urges Patience While Taking Blame For Iraq Bungles

I've decided that I'm going to try, as best I can, to provide all of you with a laugh everyday I post here on TMV. After all, with the political landscape as goofy as it is right now, we need a good laugh. So yesterday I presented the chain-smoking mother-to-be who was worried about her unborn baby's health because of the noisy jackhammers outside of her house. And while many … [Read more...] about The Daily Laugh: The British Eminem

Iraqis go to the polls. And in recent days, polls released about Iraqi attitudes have made big news. But what do they mean? How accurate are they? David Adesnik considers those issues here and here. … [Read more...] about The Polls On Iraqis

Glenn Reynolds, aka InstaPundit, has a big post on torture filled with some thought provoking links. Here's a quote from Reynolds:I love lawyers. I am a lawyer. But there are plenty of places where the role of lawyers should be limited, and war is certainly one of them. I think the McCain Amendment is an appropriate use of Congress's authority -- and, indeed, a case of meeting, … [Read more...] about Pondering The Issue Of Torture

...at Metafilter. We've had readers send us great links for some of our posts (especially the pointer posts) and when we ask how they find it...they say Metafilter. And, most assuredly, Metafilter is an addictive "community weblog." It's not a Johnny One Note political site (of course, TMV could never be described that way...) but its chock full of so much variety, so many … [Read more...] about Take A Peek….

It's over. Did the company dig in its heels or did the blog that launched a massive protest campaign due to Ford pulling its ads from gay publications after being pressured by a conservative group change its new policy? The answer is here. More here. And here. … [Read more...] about The Outcome Of Ford Motor Company VS Americablog

One conservative says "hooray--society is allowing for more choice." Another says "boo--government and the judiciary has gotten more intrusive." The liberal in me puts the two together and asks: So, what have learned? … [Read more...] about Two and Two