You make Bush look good, popularity-wise. … [Read more...] about Adieu, Monsieur Chirac!

Guess. Then click here. … [Read more...] about Who’s the Republicans’ favorite Democrat?

According to Congressional Quarterly: MONDAY, NOV. 28, 2005 – 2:16 P.M. Rep. Randy “Dukeâ€? Cunningham, R-Calif., pleaded guilty today to federal charges of conspiring to take bribes from a defense contractor. Appearing in U.S. District Court in San Diego, the eight-term congressman also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of tax … [Read more...] about CQ: Rep. Cunningham Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy, Tax Evasion

Make of this what you will. I'll just report it as is: Human rights abuses in Iraq are as bad as they were under Saddam Hussein if not worse, former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi has said. "People are doing the same as (in) Saddam's time and worse," Allawi said in an interview published in Britain on Sunday. "It is an appropriate comparison," Allawi told The Observer newspaper. … [Read more...] about Iraq then and now — some things remain the same

I know a couple of private security guards in Iraq -- truly honourable men doing incredibly difficult work -- but this is extremely ugly and gives them all a bad name. … [Read more...] about The “trophy” video scandal

Bull Moose takes a detailed look at this question. Here's a very small part of his intriguing post:Despite its manifold merits, the blogosphere is beset by a proliferation of crudity, hyperbole and hyper-partisanship. And all of that is often found on the most popular sites on the left and the right. The Moose is often amused over being denounced by some of the larger lefty … [Read more...] about Are Bloggers Really Necessary?

The New York Sun's Josh Gerstein writes what some talking heads in television have begun to say in passing: Arizona Senator John McCain's star is (for now at least) on the ascent:Senator McCain of Arizona is emerging as an early favorite for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 as a result of a shift in the issues dominating the American political landscape, according … [Read more...] about Is Senator John McCain’s Political Star Rising?

They're laying it out and so it WILL happen. But they're leaning on Biden? More here.® … [Read more...] about The US Plan To Achieve Withdrawal

Over the past couple months, I have pondered this piece a dozen times and written at least a dozen copies. In 1849, Henry David Thoreau published "Resistance to Civil Government", which later became known as "Civil Disobedience". Infamously, Thoreau said: I HEARTILY ACCEPT the motto,—"That government is best which governs least"; and I should like to see it acted up … [Read more...] about A Government in Turmoil

Ray Kurzweil has the answer...maybe. First, try taking a look at his new book, Fantastic Voyage, and see what you think. Sure, he could be full of it, but something tells me he's onto something special. Just look to Aubrey de Grey's research on free radicals and cell destruction, and you'll get even more affirmation that Kurzweil's thought may have some serious merit. Anyway, … [Read more...] about Living Forever?

A new poll confirms that most Americans think the Dems' call-outs on the war are damaging our soldiers' resolve. From the Washington Post:Democrats fumed last week at Vice President Cheney's suggestion that criticism of the administration's war policies was itself becoming a hindrance to the war effort. But a new poll indicates most Americans are sympathetic to Cheney's … [Read more...] about War Criticism Hurts Troop Morale/War Success

Needless to say, Aljazeera is not amused. I've got an update on this story here. … [Read more...] about Update: The plot to bomb Aljazeera

Kevin Drum on taking terrorism seriously: "The American public can hardly be expected to take terrorism seriously if it's obvious that the Bush administration itself views al-Qaeda as primarily a political opportunity rather than a real problem. Sooner or later, we're going to pay the price for this feckless and irresponsible approach." I think America's paying it … [Read more...] about Terrorism and opportunism

"The hallmark of the Dick Cheney administration is its illegitimacy." Does that get your attention? It should. It's the first line of "The long march of Dick Cheney," Sidney Blumenthal's latest piece at Salon.com (thankfully available in full here). Here's the next line: "Its essential method is bypassing established lines of authority; its goal is the concentration of … [Read more...] about The “wisdom” of Dick Cheney

Is she Robert Novak's niece? Heh...sorry Viveca... Click here to find out more. … [Read more...] about Who Is Viveca Novak?

Finding new drug combinations to fight the ever-mutating disease is an amazingly difficult task. That's why supercomputers all across the world are linking up in hopes of discovering new ways to defeat this worldwide scourge. Discover more here. … [Read more...] about GRID Computing vs. AIDS

Alito's personal opinions in 1985 of the Warren Court's views on reapportionment have raised eyebrows on both sides of the aisle recently, but understandably only Democrats have been making hay about it given its importance to black voting rights. Here's more from the Washington Post:Democrats began raising questions about Judge Alito's position on the principle of one person … [Read more...] about White House Quells Alito Reapportionment Concerns

Bioethics writer Wesley J. Smith notes some Europeans are growing worried their rationed health care programs might devolve into excuses for euthanasia by governments that want to avoid caring for the most vulnerable - and expensive - patients:Soon euthanasia might be the price the solidarity principle of the welfare state imposes on those people whose health care is costing … [Read more...] about Is managed care in America starting to reflect “duty to die” in Europe?

According to Editor & Publisher (hat-tip AMERICAblog), two US Representatives have been injured in a truck accident near Baghdad. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) and Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) were sent to the hospital while other politicians present were uninjured. … [Read more...] about Congressmen Injured in Iraq

That's what Senator Joe Biden, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, asked in an op-ed piece at in The Washington Post yesterday: "Over the next six months, we must forge a sustainable political compromise between Iraqi factions, strengthen the Iraqi government and bolster reconstruction efforts, and accelerate the training of Iraqi forces." The problem … [Read more...] about “When will our troops come home?”