Washington Post Blogger Hits Bottom

It's difficult to fathom how one man can muster such sneering condescension, but a creature named William M. Arkin manages to plumb the depths of obscene moonbattery in one fell swoop. He must have really been foaming at the mouth, as he clearly didn't proofread his incoherent screed. Just wade through this portion.

I can imagine some post-9/11 moment, when the American people say enough already with the wars against terrorism and those in the national security establishment feel these same frustrations. In my little parable, those in leadership positions shake their heads that the people don't get it, that they don't understand that the threat from terrorism, while difficult to defeat, demands commitment and sacrifice and is very real because it is so shadowy, that the very survival of the United States is at stake. Those Hoover's and Nixon's will use these kids in uniform as their soldiers. If I weren't the United States, I'd say the story end with a military coup where those in the know, and those with fire in their bellies, save the nation from the people.

But it is the United States and instead this NBC report is just an ugly reminder of the price we pay for a mercenary - oops sorry, volunteer - force that thinks it is doing the dirty work.

I question both his patriotism and sanity.

More at Hot Air, NRO, Ace of Spades HQ, and Power Line.

UPDATE: LGF weighs in.

UPDATE II: Blackfive goes nuclear. A hearty F*** You to William Arkin.

UPDATE III: Michelle Malkin and Ed Morrissey add more.

Arithmetic of Jihad

Some sobering numbers.

It's time we open our eyes and confront reality. Ever since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the media has sought to reassure us that only a tiny minority of Muslims actually support the use of violence against Israel and the West.

It's just a small fringe, a marginal few at best, they tell us, so don't worry about it all too much. One percent or three percent - who cares? Just sit back, enjoy your morning eggs and coffee and have a nice day.

But a look at the numbers tells a very different story. The extent of support for global jihad is frightening in its proportions, and the numbers are anything but insignificant.

Read it all.

They weren't created by George W. Bush, either.

Bye Bye, Biden

The Loquacious Senator digs a hole he will likely never get out of. I have no beef with his derisively dismissing The Silky Pony, The Pantsuit, and Obama as serious presidential timber. Hey, I do it every day. But sometimes speaking candidly reveals an inner self you just may not want the public to see.

Mr. Biden is equally skeptical--albeit in a slightly more backhanded way--about Mr. Obama. "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," he said. "I mean, that's a storybook, man."

I doubt Biden would care to elaborate on who he thinks are the dirty, inarticulate, ugly African-Americans he contrasts with Obama.

My question is, how quickly will the antique media bury this story? They can't possibly have one of their boys looking like a closet Klansman now, can they? They've already got a problem with and old Klansman, but I won't mention Senator Byrd.

Michelle has a couple of questions.

Question A: Who will press Joe Biden to name the names of the inarticulate and dim and dirty and unattractive African-Americans he was thinking about when he, um, complimented Barack Obama?

Question B: Will the Washington Post give this coverage equal to its Macacaphony over George Allen's racial blundering?

I'll give them a crack: A--Nobody, except maybe someone from FNC. B--Hell no.

Allahpundit thinks it's the shortest campaign in history. He has a point. Many other links over there.

NY Times Reports $648 Million Loss

When your enemies are imploding, do not interfere.

Meanwhile, the U.S. economy continues to grow, despite the best efforts of the left to downplay the robust news the past five years and the efforts of the new Congress to torpedo future success.

The alleged experts were once again wrong. At what point does the media find some new experts?

Double Standards at NY Times

K.C. Johnson exposes the hypocrisy of the old, grey hag in the Duke rape case.

Iran Behind Karbala Attack?

Bill Roggio has the details.

On Friday, we reported that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps' Qods Force was very likely behind the attack on the Provincial Joint Coordination Center in Karbala, which resulted in the kidnapping and execution of four U.S. soldiers. Five soldiers total were killed in the operation, and three others wounded. We noted, based on multiple sources in the military and intelligence community, that the attack was far too sophisticated for Shia militias (particularly the Mahdi Army) and it was unlikely al-Qaeda in Iraq carried out the operation. We also noted the attack and kidnapping may have been revenge for the Baghdad and Irbil raids on Iranian diplomatic missions. Today, CNN is reporting the Pentagon is seriously investigating Iran's involvement in the attack, and the Irbil raid was likely a motive for the Qods Force operation

Via Michelle Malkin.

Drudge has a note about a developing NBC story:

NBC NEWS confirms a secret U.S. military report that says 'Iranian Agents' may be behind a deadly ambush in Karbala, Iraq that left five American soldiers dead. The report also claims the Iranian revolutionary guard is providing intelligence on U.S. and Iraqi military to Shiite extremists, in addition to sophisticated weaponry. Developing...

Democrats will surely call for dialogue to resolve the crisis. Meanwhile, Senators warn against war with Iran. Perhaps they'll have a different take after the mushroom clouds.

Foul-mouthed Spitzer Blows Top

Typical thuggish Democrat behavior. Obviously this would be national news if he were a Republican. But the Democrats care about the children, so he'll get a pass.

ALBANY - Gov. Spitzer viciously berated a state lawmaker, saying, "I am a f - - - ing steamroller" who will crush the assemblyman and anyone else who stands in his way, The Post has learned.

Sources told The Post yesterday that an enraged Spitzer bitterly denounced Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco last week after the Schenectady-based Republican called to complain that he had been cut out of negotiations on a just-announced proposed new state ethics law.

"Listen, I'm a f - - - ing steamroller, and I'll roll over you and anybody else," Democrat Spitzer angrily yelled at Tedisco - who was driving in his car and speaking on a cellphone, sources familiar with the conversation said.

Spitzer then boasted about his political strength, saying, "I've done more in three weeks than any governor has done in the history of the state," the sources said.

Tedisco later said, "He [Spitzer] has a different side to him than a lot of people realize.

"I think at some point he is going to lose it," Tedisco added.

Spitzer thinks very highly of himself. He's a punk.

Eight Arrested in UK Terror Raid

The BBC says the plotters were going to try a different approach, involving the kidnapping and filmed execution of a British service member.

A different approach? This is the Religion of Peace we're talking about. Every approach involves mayhem and death. What's so different about that?

BBC Home Affairs Correspondent Daniel Sandford said sources close to the investigation said the aim of the alleged plot was to kidnap a serving member of the armed forces, perhaps while they were on home leave.

The Ministry of Defence said it could not confirm or deny reports of such a plot.

Security sources said a terror plot not aimed at mass casualties would mark "a different approach to terrorism in the UK".

Naturally, those close to the monsters are shocked by these developments.

Mohamed Barber told BBC News his cousin was one of the men arrested in Alum Rock.

"We can vouch for him he is innocent. He doesn't even have time to go to Friday prayers - that's how busy he is," he added.

Abdul Ghaffoor, a regular shopper at the raided store, said he had never heard politics being discussed in the shop.

Busy alright. Busy planning murder. Allegedly, of course.

UPDATE:Lawhawk has more.

UPDATE II: Allahpundit and Michelle have much more.

Tara Conner on Shorter Leash

I provide you with Tara Conner news because I can. It's really that simple. Now get your perverse minds out of the gutter. The headline wasn't my idea, but it works. I found this on Page 10 of the NY Post, although they call it Page Six.

MISS USA Tara Conner is out of rehab, but Donald Trump and the Miss Universe Organization are keeping a tight leash on her. Friends say the beauty queen has moved from her Trump Tower pad to a bigger apartment farther uptown, which she now shares with a chaperone. "She is not allowed to go to clubs anymore," dished the spy, "and she has a lot of new rules for going out." A spokesperson for Miss USA said, "Plans to move to a bigger apartment with a chaperone have been in the works for months, and Tara is free to go wherever she wants."

FBI Using Broad New Wiretap Method

Let the freakout begin. The levels of paranoia with the nutroots will increase exponentially.

The FBI appears to have adopted an invasive Internet surveillance technique that collects far more data on innocent Americans than previously has been disclosed.

Instead of recording only what a particular suspect is doing, agents conducting investigations appear to be assembling the activities of thousands of Internet users at a time into massive databases, according to current and former officials. That database can subsequently be queried for names, e-mail addresses or keywords.

Such a technique is broader and potentially more intrusive than the FBI's Carnivore surveillance system, later renamed DCS1000. It raises concerns similar to those stirred by widespread Internet monitoring that the National Security Agency is said to have done, according to documents that have surfaced in one federal lawsuit, and may stretch the bounds of what's legally permissible.

Election Law Violated in Kerry's Bunny Suit Visit

The ignominy continues for the hapless Lerch. Not only was the NASA visit a campaign violation, it revives the infamous bunny suit photo once again.

He was against looking like an idiot before he looked like an idiot.

Sen. John Kerry's visit to Kennedy Space Center during the 2004 presidential campaign violated the law, according to a federal watchdog agency.

NASA allowed Kerry to conduct a political stump speech and rally at the space center and broadcasted it to KSC employees, and the latter part violates the law, the Office of Special Counsel ruled, according to Local 6 News partner Florida Today.

Beaming the presidential campaign rally to government employees all over the spaceport violates laws prohibiting electioneering using federal resources, according to the report.

Hot Air has more.

Global Warming Hysteria

As the global warming hysteria reaches epic proportions, the fearmongers have changed the name to climate change, but it hasn't reduced the hot air coming from those who want to ram laws down out throats while dismissing any counter-evidence to their ridiculous claims.

This whole charade is just another power grab by the left, a means of controlling the discussion and lightening our wallets. Do not buy into the propaganda, especially when it's coming from the United Nations.

Now, more apocalyptic predictions are coming forth and they're getting more insane by the day.

Just some snippets via Drudge today.

Climate change means hunger and thirst for billions: report: It's a UN report. Send directly to the circular file.

10 Years to Save the Planet: That's what the idiot Ted Danson said in 1988. Nineteen years later, we're still here. Unfortunately, so is he. A bunch of actors and musicians pretending to know what they're talking about.

UN Pushes for Special Climate Summit: The UN again. Once more, send to the circular file.

Global warming: rise of 4.5 C if pollution doubles, says draft report: The UN drivel is piling up.

Meanwhile, there is a brief respite of sanity:

Two powerful new books say today?s global warming is due not to human activity but primarily to a long, moderate solar-linked cycle. Unstoppable Global Warming Every 1500 Years, by physicist Fred Singer and economist Dennis Avery was released just before Christmas. The Chilling Stars: A New Theory of Climate Change, by Danish physicist Henrik Svensmark and former BBC science writer Nigel Calder (Icon Books), is due out in March.

Singer and Avery note that most of the earth?s recent warming occurred before 1940, and thus before much human-emitted CO2. Moreover, physical evidence shows 600 moderate warmings in the earth?s last million years. The evidence ranges from ancient Nile flood records, Chinese court documents and Roman wine grapes to modern spectral analysis of polar ice cores, deep seabed sediments, and layered cave stalagmites.

Ten years from now, when presented with evidence that all this nonsense was just that--nonsense--the fearmongers and doomsayers will have already moved on to another cause, completely ignoring all the absurd claims they're making today.

UPDATE: Nostrilitus weighs in. Sheer demagoguery.

WASHINGTON - The Democratic chairman of a House panel examining the government's response to climate change said Tuesday there is evidence that senior Bush administration officials sought repeatedly "to mislead the public by injecting doubt into the science of global warming."

Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said he and the top Republican on his oversight committee, Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia, have sought documents from the administration on climate policy, but repeatedly been rebuffed.

UPDATE II: OK, enough already. Global Warming comes to the Super Bowl.

Sowell: A Deep Moral Rot

Another devastating dissection of the alleged Duke rape case by the brilliant Thomas Sowell.

It has now become more and more obvious, even to some people who initially believed the “rape” charges against Duke University students, that there was never a speck of evidence to support the charges and a growing amount of evidence to the contrary.

However reprehensible District Attorney Nifong’s words and actions have been throughout this case, it would be a serious mistake to see in this tawdry episode just the vileness of one man.

The larger tragedy is what this case revealed about the degeneration of our times and the hollowness of so many people in “responsible” positions in the media, in academia, and among those blacks so consumed by racial resentments and thirst for revenge that they are prepared to lash out at individuals who have done nothing to them and are guilty of no crime against anybody.

The haste and vehemence with which scores of Duke University professors publicly took sides against the students in this case is just one sign of how deep the moral dry rot goes, in even our most prestigious institutions.

Read it all.

Really Resenting The Pantsuit

John Podhoretz applies the smackdown to Mrs. Clinton's most recent absurd statement.

There are plenty of us who resent the fact her husband, The Great Stainmaker, did not take the opportunity to get Osama bin Laden when he had the chance. Though can you imagine the hysterical reaction from the left has George W. Bush got up and whined about that after 9/11?

Elsewhere, there are doubts about her electability. All I know is I can't stomach another 18 months of this ridiculous media fawning over her.

Blinky the Blogger

I doubt Stretch Pelosi knows how to even log on to a computer, let alone create and edit a blog. But let's play along.

Pelosi also hired a full-time staff member this month dedicated to blogger outreach, and is making plans to launch a blog of her own. The day she was sworn in, bloggers were given special accommodations at the Capitol to cover the event, and fed lunch.

It's all evidence of the newfound attention bloggers from left-leaning Web sites are commanding on Democratic-run Capitol Hill, especially from the new speaker, a San Franciscan with an appreciation for the power of the Internet and grass-roots activism.

I always love the media terminology for hardcore leftists. In this case it's "left-leaning." If they leaned any more to the left, they'd tip over.

The story claims they're reaching out. But only if you're on the good side.

"They've gone from an initial writing blogs off, then moving to skepticism, then moving to, 'OK, maybe we can find a way of working with these guys,'" said John Aravosis, who runs Americablog.com.

"It's a power base and it's influential and it's an opportunity. And you know what? It exists," Aravosis added.

"It should only scare you if you're on their bad side."

Believe me, I'm more amused than scared.

Michelle Malkin has more.

UPDATE: Silly me. How could I forget the photo? (Courtesy of Paleo Lithics.)

Democrats Unveil Massive Spending Bill

This should be no surprise to anyone, considering it's in their DNA to tax and spend Americans into oblivion. Forget any debate about it either.

The GOP needs to grow a spine and start opposing these measures, otherwise they'll find themselves in a permanent minority.

WASHINGTON - Democrats have unveiled a massive spending bill combining the budgets of 13 Cabinet agencies with increases in aid for lower-income college students, while cutting President Bush's funding requests for foreign aid and closing military bases.

House Republicans such as party whip Roy Blunt of Missouri slammed Democrats plans to advance the huge $463.5 billion measure through the House Wednesday without giving Republicans or rank and file Democrats a chance to offer changes in an Appropriations Committee session or on the floor.

Most lawmakers — and the public — were to get their first chances to read the budget tome Tuesday, barely a day before the House was supposed to vote it up or down.

It will be interesting to see how all those "moderate" Democrats who were elected in November vote on this bill. Do they dare oppose their leadership? I doubt it.

UPDATE: Salon has linked the post, and some children have been by to comment. Welcome, and feel free to look around.

Hamas, Fatah Declare Ceasefire

We'll see how long this lasts. Two, maybe three days at best.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Warring Hamas and Faith factions in the Gaza Strip declared a cease-fire early Tuesday in an effort to end factional fighting that has left more than 60 Palestinians dead in the past two months.

The cease-fire was agreed at a midnight meeting between Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas and a representative of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of the rival
Fatah. Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar of Hamas said it would go into effect at 3 a.m. local time.

Meanwhile, the family of today's suicide bomber in Eilat celebrates, as noted by LGF.

Disgusting subhumans.

“The whole family was very happy when it heard that Muhammad is the hero who carried out the attack,” said Naim Saqsaq, the brother of Muhammad Saqsaq, who carried out the suicide attack in Eilat that killed three people.

“We knew that he was waiting and praying for this moment. He always said, ‘If only I could be a shahid, if only I could carry out an attack.’ And here Allah gave him the privilege,” he told Ynet.

Another Sucker Bails Out Air America

This time, the sucker is Stephen L. Green, a real estate developer and brother of perennial losing candidate Mark Green, one of the more annoying fixtures on the New York political scene. Brian Maloney has the story.

If Green hadn't stepped in, Air America's shutdown would have been a sure bet, as negotiations with the French family had been breaking down for over a month. But as recently as last week, the Wall Street Journal was reporting the French deal as a nearly- done deal.

As for the troubled network's future, we see no reason why its outlook would improve under this scenario. Though it's losing the huge expense of Franken and his overpriced help, he was also the top ratings- earner and best- known name in the lineup.

Even with Franken, Air America's ratings show no signs of growth and the network continues to lose affiliates, with more on the way. There's simply no business reason to keep it going.

Bashing this country, and Bush in particular, is the greater deciding factor than making money.

Also on the story: Michelle Malkin and A Blog For All.

Freedom Ends in Venezuela

The AP calls it major change. Call it what it is: Communism. The champion of the oppressed, the downtrodden, and the leftwing nitwits in the United States is ready to wreck his country. Farewell freedom.

Hugo Chavez has just about everything a president could want: popular support, a marginalized opposition, congress firmly on his side and a booming economy as he starts his new six-year term.

Now, he's about to become even more powerful — the all-Chavista National Assembly is poised to approve a "mother law" as early as Wednesday enabling him to remake society by presidential decree. In its latest draft, the law would allow Chavez to dictate measures for 18 months in 11 broad areas, from the "economic and social sphere" to the "transformation of state institutions."

Chavez calls it a new era of "maximum revolution," setting the tone for months of upheaval as he plans to nationalize companies, impose new taxes on the rich and reorient schools to teach socialist values. With near-religious fervor and plenty of oil wealth, Chavez is mobilizing millions of Venezuelans, intent on creating a more egalitarian society.

For now, the economy is flush with oil money and business is brisk at Caracas shopping malls. But among whistle-blowing anti-Chavez protesters, middle-class retiree Teresa Cifontes grimaces at what she sees coming: "Within one year, complete communism."

Cifontes, 65, is so dismayed at the changes that she can't tolerate Chavez's admirers — even within her own family. Her nine brothers and sisters all used to attend family get-togethers, but now three no longer come because their Chavismo sparks heated arguments.

"They're blind," she says bitterly. "What he's forming is a dictatorship."

The damage done to Venezuela will be irrevocable.

Massive Miami Blowout Planned for Castro Death

Forget the Super Bowl. The party of the year in Miami could well be down at the Orange Bowl to celebrate Castro's death. Keeping things solemn of course. They don't want to show exuberance in the face of another human being's death. Yeah, right. Sure. Whatever.

All I know is I'd really like to be there.

So would Allahpundit.

Sandy Berger Joins GOP

Just kidding, of course. But if he were a Republican, I suppose the media would be interested in this story. Forget that. They'd be obsessed with it. Since he's a Democrat, however, they just don't care.

John Fund asks a lot of interesting questions today, and for some bizarre reason, we are not getting any answers.

Maybe while The Pantsuit is out on the campaign trail having softballs lobbed at her, some intrepid reporter will ask pertinent questions. Though I highly doubt it.

Palestinian Savage Kills 3 in Israel

I guess dialogue and payoffs aren't working.

Investigations into Monday morning's suicide bombing in Eilat, the first to strike Israel's southernmost city, indicated that the 21-year-old bomber (Muhammed Faisal al-Saksak, a resident of the Gaza Strip and member of the Fatah-affiliated Aksa Martyrs Brigades) may not have intended to detonate his explosives pack in a bakery, but planned to execute the attack in a more crowded area.

Hot Air has much more as the story develops.

Fairness Doctrine Anything But Fair

The stormtroopers of the Left despise free speech, which is why they're attempting to resurrect the cockamamie Fairness Doctrine. Any thought of saddling America once again with this law needs to be quashed forthwith. Nat Hentoff explains why.

Tehran's Useful Idiots

They're known as Democrats.

As President Bush works to find strategies for victory in Iraq and dealing with the Iranian threat, the Democratic Party seems determined to send every possible signal to our enemies that they have nothing to worry about when it comes to the projection of American power in wartime. Prominent Democrats are increasingly behaving as if their primary mission is not to defeat Islamists determined to destroy Western civilization, but to do everything they can to ensure that they can turn Mr. Bush into a lame duck for the next two years regardless of the consequences for our national security.

This irresponsible behavior manifests itself on an almost daily basis as anti-war lawmakers are divided into two camps on Iraq: a small but increasingly vocal group that demands withdrawal whatever the consequences, and a larger, more intellectually dishonest group that is afraid to act on its convictions and cut off funds for operations in Iraq.

Read it all.

CAIR and Jack Bauer

The terrorist frontgroup CAIR has a real problem with the fictional television show 24. Why are they so touchy? Perhaps because Americans know the overwhelming majority of modern-day terrorists are Muslims and they feel guilty? No. They realize more and more Americans know they mean us harm and infiltrating our media, government and security operations is a way to do us in. They fear Jack Bauer as a symbol of Americans fighting back.

On that note, an excellent piece in NRO today discusses the problems CAIR has with the program.

Why Do They CAIR about Jack Bauer?

Yet again, the old, tired “major” American Muslim organizations have come out in full force to object to something unobjectionable. This time, they’re angry about the storyline of 24, the highly popular TV drama on Fox: When the recent premiere episode ended with a terrorist network detonating a nuclear device in a Los Angeles suburb, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced its fear that “this would serve to increase anti-Muslim prejudice in American society.” The show had begun with a depiction of an America gripped in fear after an eleven-week run of suicide bombings, apparently by radical Islamist terror cells, in cities across the country.

Read the rest.

The Pantsuit Knows Evil

Who knows? Maybe she had a chat with Juanita Broaddrick. Or some dialogue with Kathleen Willey. Or perhaps a conversation with Sally Perdue.

One questioner asked Clinton if her track record showed she could stand up to "evil men" around the world.

"The question is, we face a lot of dangers in the world and, in the gentleman's words, we face a lot of evil men and what in my background equips me to deal with evil and bad men," Clinton said. She paused to gaze while the audience interrupted with about 30 seconds of laughter and applause.

Meeting later with reporters, she was pressed repeatedly to explain what she meant. She insisted it was a simple joke.

"I thought I was funny," Clinton said. "You guys keep telling me to lighten up, be funny. I get a little funny and now I'm being psychoanalyzed."

She told reporters that evil men included al-Qaida leader
Osama bin Laden, who remains at large. "Isn't it about time we get serious about that?" she said.

No, nobody takes him seriously. Maybe she's talking about Republicans. After all, they're the embodiment of all evil according to her fellow travelers.

More at LGF, Malkin, and Hot Air.

RIP, Deborah Orin-Eilbeck

A great journalist has passed away. Longtime New York Post readers will always remember her as Deborah Orin, one of the more savvy Washington correspondents, and always a straight shooter.

I had no idea she was battling cancer, though I noticed a lengthy absence until she recently returned to the Post. I found this out via a Drudge link from the White House.

President and Mrs. Bush Saddened by Death of Deborah Orin-Eilbeck

Laura and I were saddened to learn of the death of Deborah Orin-Eilbeck. Deb had a distinguished, decades-long career as a journalist, covering every Presidential campaign since 1980 and joining the New York Post's Washington bureau in 1988. Deb fought a valiant battle against cancer with the same tenacity, devotion, and determination that she brought to her work in the White House briefing room through numerous Administrations.

Laura and I send our condolences to Deb's husband Neville Eilbeck, and to her family, friends, and colleagues. She will be missed by all of us at the White House who cared deeply for her.

UPDATE: Michelle Malkin pays tribute. NY Post story here.

U.S., Iraqi Forces Kill 250 Terrorists in Najaf

Consider it progress. Keep it up before the funding is cut off.

U.S. and Iraqi forces killed 250 gunmen in a fierce battle involving U.S. tanks and helicopters on the outskirts of the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf on Sunday, a senior Iraqi police officer said.

Always with the holy cities.

The day-long battle was continuing after nightfall, Colonel Ali Nomas told Reuters, as tens of thousands of pilgrims converged on the nearby city of Kerbala for the climax of the Ashura commemorations.

A U.S. helicopter was shot down in the fighting, Iraq security sources said. The U.S. military declined comment. A Reuters reporter saw a helicopter come down trailing smoke.

Shi'ite political sources said the gunmen appeared to be both Sunni Arabs and Shi'ites loyal to a cleric called Ahmed Hassani.

It appears two crew members from the chopper were killed.

A Reuters reporter about 1.5 km (1 mile) from the fighting said he heard intense gunfire and saw U.S. helicopters rocket groves sheltering militants. He saw smoke trailing from one helicopter before it came down in the midst of the fighting.

He was unable to see what had happened to the helicopter, but officers in Iraq's 8th Army Division and policemen said it had crashed and that the two crew members were dead. The U.S. military said it did not comment on operations still taking place.

More at Hot Air.

UPDATE: AP report here.

U.S.-backed Iraqi troops on Sunday attacked insurgents allegedly plotting to kill pilgrims at a major Shiite Muslim religious festival, and Iraqi officials estimated some 250 militants died in the daylong battle near Najaf. A U.S. helicopter crashed during the fight, killing two American soldiers.

Mortar shells, meanwhile, hit the courtyard of a girls' school in a mostly Sunni Arab neighborhood of Baghdad, killing five pupils and wounding 20. U.N. officials deplored the attack, calling the apparent targeting of children "an unforgivable crime."

MSNBC just reported the two U.S. soldiers killed; didn't mention the 250 sent packing.

Cowardice Has Consequences

The Democrats want to pretend 9/11 never happened.

The repercussions of an airline's decision to remove a group of imams from a commercial flight in Minneapolis could be heard in Congress this year, with civil rights groups pushing Democratic lawmakers to ban racial profiling.

The incident happened in November, made national news and reinvigorated an old proposal that got little attention from the GOP.

Now, a champion of the legislation, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction on the issue. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., who sponsored legislation to ban racial profiling in the last Congress, now chairs the Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution.

No bill has been introduced so far, but Feingold made it clear the issue will be a priority for him.

I'd criticize Feingold, but since he's already restricted free speech, he might write another bill and come after me.

Power Line calls it Flying Imams: The Sequel.

9/11 Wasn't So Bad?

Absolute lunacy. Just read it. (Hat tip Van Impe at LGF).

History being rewritten while we live it.

Iran Nuke Plans in Chaos?

There seems to be a new story every day as to how far along the Iranians are on their nuclear development.

Iran's efforts to produce highly enriched uranium, the material used to make nuclear bombs, are in chaos and the country is still years from mastering the required technology.

Iran's uranium enrichment programme has been plagued by constant technical problems, lack of access to outside technology and knowhow, and a failure to master the complex production-engineering processes involved. The country denies developing weapons, saying its pursuit of uranium enrichment is for energy purposes.

Jules Crittenden has more.

Meanwhile, Iranian officials deny earlier reports of 3,000 centrifuges being installed. OK, it's probably 2,999, and when we take out their nuke plants, the John Kerrys of the world will say we rushed to war needlessly, as there weren't really 3,000 centrifuges.

An Iranian nuclear agency official has denied claims made by a top lawmaker that the Islamic Republic had begun installing 3,000 centrifuges at an uranium enrichment plant, Iran's state-run news agency reported late Saturday.

Hossein Simorgh, spokesman of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization public relations department, said "no new centrifuges have been installed in Natanz," referring to the nuclear facility in central Iran, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

Earlier Saturday, lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi said Iran was currently installing the 3,000 centrifuges, underlining that the country would continue to develop its disputed nuclear program despite U.N. sanctions.

It was not immediately clear why the two officials made contradicting statements.

It's called smoke and mirrors. In another stunning development, friends of the Massachusetts junior senator denounce U.S. policy toward Iran.

Sunday Steyn

Mark Steyn waxes eloquent on, well, almost everything today. I particularly enjoy when he picks on Blinky, who is certainly an easy target.

In the State of the Union, the president (as presidents are wont to do on Tuesday nights in January) spoke about energy, but he didn't seem to have any. Five years ago, when he was genuinely engaged by the subject, he wanted to drill in ANWR and go nuclear: He was energetic about energy. When both those excellent ideas went nowhere, President Bush retreated to some familiar bromides about vague targets and new regulations and increased efficiencies: His list was listless.

This seems to suit the Democrats. The only energy displayed by Nancy Pelosi was the spectacular leap to her feet within a nano-second of the president mentioning Darfur. Up went Madam Speaker and the entire Democratic caucus like enthusiastic loons on a gameshow. Darfur! We're all in favor of Darfur. People are being murdered! Hundreds of thousands! We oughtta do something! Like, er, jump up and down when it's mentioned in a speech. And, er, call for the international community to mobilize. Maybe one of those leathery old '60s rockers could organize an all-star concert or something. If Darfur were indeed a game show, the Sudanese would quickly discover it's one of those ones where you come on down to discover you've missed out on all the big prizes but you're not going away empty-handed: No, sir, here's your very own SAVE DARFUR! T-shirt autographed by Nancy Pelosi and George Clooney.

Darfur is an apt symbol of early 21st century liberalism: What matters is that you urge action rather than take any. On Iraq, meanwhile, the president declared: "Let us find our resolve, and turn events toward victory." And the Dems sat on their hands.

Speaking of Pelosi, today she's in Afghanistan. I don't think it would be a stretch to say she'd need help finding it on a map.

Useful Idiots Gather in DC

They love the sound of their own voices. So do our enemies.

Vietnam War protest icon Jane Fonda took the stage in her first anti-war demonstration in decades as tens of thousands massed to demand that Congress cut off funds for the Iraq war.

"I haven't spoken at an anti-war rally for 34 years," said Fonda, whose visit to Hanoi in 1972 outraged many pro-Vietnam War Americans and damaged her reputation as an actress.

"But silence is no longer an option," she said to cheering protesters.

Silence? When have these morons ever shut up?

Here's a nice case of child abuse. I bet they feel really good putting this young skull full of mush up there to mimic their vile propaganda.

Standing on her toes to reach the microphone, 12-year-old Moriah Arnold told the crowd: "Now we know our leaders either lied to us or hid the truth. Because of our actions, the rest of the world sees us as a bully and a liar."

The sixth-grader from Harvard, Mass., the youngest speaker on the National Mall stage, organized a petition drive at her school against the war.

Oh, and what's all this talk about "just poop"?

Muslims Urged to Shun 'Unholy' Vaccines

There's loony, and then there's complete insanity. This pretty much takes the cake. I bet when they contract certain diseases, they'll blame the Jews.

A MUSLIM doctors’ leader has provoked an outcry by urging British Muslims not to vaccinate their children against diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella because it is “un-Islamic”.

Dr Abdul Majid Katme, head of the Islamic Medical Association, is telling Muslims that almost all vaccines contain products derived from animal and human tissue, which make them “haram”, or unlawful for Muslims to take. Islam permits only the consumption of halal products, where the animal has had its throat cut and bled to death while God’s name is invoked.

Islam also forbids the eating of any pig meat, which Katme says is another reason why vaccines should be avoided, as some contain or have been made using pork-based gelatine.

His warning has been criticised by the Department of Health and the British Medical Association, who said Katme risked increasing infections ranging from flu and measles to polio and diphtheria in Muslim communities.

So very civilized.

Report: Fresh UN Corruption

Truly shocking there would actually be corruption in such an august body.

Of course, as with all the other myriad scandals, nothing will ever happen.

Fresh allegations of corruption within the United Nations have surfaced in a confidential audit report that claims the 2003 election of the current chief of the U.N. weather agency was manipulated.

The report, obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, centered around payments to government delegates at the Geneva-based World Meteorological Organization, which coordinates the study of the world's weather and climate.

WMO instructed Maria Veiga of Portugal, an independent auditor who wrote the report, to investigate the financial irregularities in 2003. Three years later, she was fired for what the agency described as "serious misconduct."

The auditor, however, said she was blocked from pursuing her investigation, received intimidating phone calls and was threatened with legal action by one WMO official before being dismissed.

In a 65-page summary of her findings, Veiga said that Muhammad Hassan of Sudan, a former WMO staffer, skimmed some $3 million from the agency while he was working in its training department.

Reason number 2,859,732 to boot these thieves out of the United States.

Hollywood Too Timid in War on Terror?

The answer to that question is a resounding yes, according to author Andrew Klavan. Considering the absurd study noted yesterday, this puts the craven cowardice of Hollywood into clear focus.

I RECENTLY attended "FBI 101," a G-man seminar for Hollywood writers. I do this kind of thing a lot: law enforcement seminars, ride-alongs, citizen academies and the like. It's a simple deal. The writers get information and research contacts; the lawdogs get a fighting chance at being portrayed realistically and maybe, on occasion, even sympathetically.

Now, in my case, the federales were preaching to the converted. Any agency with a record of battling gangsters, communists and dirty pols can show up as good guys in my work anytime. And never mind just their record. Since 9/11 — chastened by blunders from within and above — the FBI has reinvented itself as a thin gray line against Islamic terrorism. Pulling 16-hour days, volunteering for repeated tours of duty at FBI outposts in the Middle East, constantly aware that their failures will be remembered when their successes are forgotten, the G-people are clearly heroes.

But if they're hoping that their seminar will win them props from filmmakers in general — a picture or two celebrating their courageous work in the war on terror — I suspect they are going to be disappointed. In the history of our time as told by the movies, the war on terror largely does not exist.

Which is passing strange, you know. Because the war on terror is the history of our time. The outcome of our battle against the demographic, political and military upsurge of a hateful theology and its oppressive political vision will determine the fate of freedom in this century.

Television — more populist, hungrier for content and less dependent on foreign audiences — reflects this fact with shows such as "24" and "The Unit." But at the movies, all we're getting is home-front angst and the occasional "Syriana," in which "moderate" Islam is thwarted by evil American interests. But the notion that this war is about our moral failings is comfort fantasy, pure and simple. It soothes us with the false idea that, if we but mend ourselves, the scary people will leave us alone.

Read the rest.

The Hollywood that exists these days is in many cases interested strictly in ideology. No matter how many box office bombs the likes of Clooney, Penn and Robbins deliver, they never seem to learn their lesson.

North Korea Denies Cooperation With Iran

No reason to doubt what they say, right?

North Korea on Saturday dismissed speculation it was helping Iran develop its atomic programs, insisting it was behaving as a responsible nuclear state.

"In a bid to mislead public opinion, some Western media recently spread the rumor that the DPRK is cooperating with Iran in nuclear development," the North's KCNA news agency quoted an unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying.

The DPRK is the official name of the communist state.

"Their assertion is nothing but a sheer lie and fabrication intended to tarnish the image of the DPRK by charging it with nuclear proliferation."

It's high time they both got hit hard. Enough games.

Pervez and Blinky Meet in Pakistan

I guess Working Grandmother Pelosi thinks she's President now. I can't possibly see how anyone takes her too seriously.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record) arrived in Pakistan Saturday for talks with the country's president expected to touch on cooperation against Taliban and al-Qaida militants and U.S. aid to the South Asian country, officials said.

Neither the U.S. delegation nor President Gen. Pervez Musharraf was scheduled to make any public comment after the meeting, which coincides with concern in Pakistan about a U.S. bill that would link American aid for Pakistan's military with its commitment to combating resurgent Taliban militants.

The reports yesterday indicated she would be spending the weekend in Iraq. Since she's already made up her mind she wants to cut and run, I guess she didn't have to stay too long. Maybe Musharraf can give her a burqa as a keepsake memento from her trip.

Karbala Atrocity

When the frothing moonbats are in the midst of their latest temper tantrum today, consider the events that recently took place in Karbala, and understand the enemy we're dealing with. The New York Post editorial today has a sobering reminder.

Those who insist so loudly on following Geneva Conventions rules regarding captured terrorists need to take a long, hard look at the latest atrocity in Iraq, news of which broke yesterday.

Four U.S. soldiers, one of them a New Yorker, were captured - and promptly murdered - last Saturday in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles from Baghdad, officials confirmed.

Two of the slain soldiers were found handcuffed together in the back of a vehicle.

Soldiers die in combat, of course.

But the murder of disarmed and helpless troops - killing POWs, in effect - is what's at issue here.

The killers traveled in vehicles used by U.S. government convoys, wore U.S. combat fatigues, had American weapons and spoke English. That got them past an army checkpoint and into a U.S. compound - where they opened fire with grenades and rifles.

Of course, this is probably cause for celebration in some quarters. Or another cheap excuse to cut, run, and declare defeat.

Indeed, it puts into perspective the complaints about U.S. "atrocities" committed against prisoners at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib.

Frankly, complaints about degrading photos and alleged desecration of the Koran can't hold a candle to the savage abduction and execution-style murders of brave soldiers.

Those who have led the outcry over what they hysterically decry as U.S. "war crimes" in Iraq have a particular obligation to speak out against genuine atrocities of the kind committed by these terrorist insurgents.

Their failure to do so will only serve to confirm their actual motive: not to hold America to the highest moral standard, but to undermine the U.S. effort and ensure a Vietnam-style defeat in Iraq.

Don't hold your breath waiting on condemnation from the left. After all, they're with the enemy.

More at Hot Air: Iranian fingerprints?

Schilling to Run Against Kerry?

Believe me, I have no love for the Boston Red Sox, though if this were to come to fruition, I'll donate time and money to the campaign.

A pitch for Red Sox ace Curt Schilling to replace John Kerry in the U.S. Senate.

Today's Boston Herald reports there's a move to draft Schilling as Kerry's opponent in the 2008 senate race.

An online poll of 800 voters has Schilling leading Kerry by 96 percent.

Schilling says he isn't ready to toss his hat into the political arena yet.

The Herald report says the groundswell began after a local radio host suggested Schilling would be an ideal candidate to run against Kerry in 2008.

But Schilling may doesn’t feel he’s a good match for Capitol Hill.

“While I am a registered voter, I have too many problems with the political scene, and I don’t think I’d fit into it,” he said.

Schilling, who is planning to retire from baseball after this season, did give a glimpse of what he would do in a political office. His first task would be to “fire everybody and anybody who had anything to do with the Big Dig,” he said.

Schilling said in 2008 he’ll vote either for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), whom he called a personal friend, or Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). “If they are both on the ticket it will be a tough choice,” he said.

I imagine he has some loyalty to McCain after his years in Arizona. But Obama?

Whiny Muslim Babies Seethe Over Movies

If these people weren't such a menace and threat to the civilized world, this would almost be amusing.

There was a time, after the Nazis, when every Hollywood bad guy seemed to be German.

With the onset of the Cold War, they became Russian.

Now the blockbuster bogeyman is Muslim, according to a study published today.

Popular films, from action movies to cartoons, are portraying “crude or exaggerated stereotypes” of Muslims who are shown as the “enemy within” bent on “attacking” the western way of life, the report claims.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission said films as diverse as The Siege, a portrayal of a terrorist attack on New York starring Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis, the British comedy East is East and Disney’s Aladdin are reinforcing impressions that Muslims are violent and dangerous.

Hmm. A terrorist attack on New York. Ring any bells? The laughable part here is the ridiculously few movies they claim represents some mythic Islamophobia:

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Indiana Jones must find the ark of the covenant before the Nazis. The report says: “The cultural stereotypes and scenarios are patently obvious,” pointing to a street scene featuring bazaars, veiled women and bearded men in traditional dress, all set to snake-charming music.

Aladdin (1992)

The report queries why a children’s cartoon describes Aladdin’s homeland as “barbaric”, and notes that “good Arabs” including Aladdin are given American accents while the rest of the cast have “exaggerated and ridiculous Arab accents”.

The Siege (1998)

Palestinian terrorists attack New York city in response to the US military abduction of an Islamic religious leader. The report says that the film depicts Muslims as the “enemy within” and that the characters display the “monolithic stereotype of the Arab/Palestinian Muslim being violent and ready to be martyred for their cause”.

East Is East (1999)

A mixed-race Anglo-Pakistani family in 1970s Salford struggle against the traditional background enforced upon them by their father. The report says the representation of the Muslim husband as a polygamous wife-beating tyrant “fits into many of the negative perceptions people have of Muslims”.

Executive Decision (1996)

Palestinians hijack a Boeing 747 to launch a nerve gas attack on Washington DC. Report says the film “plays on the worst fears ... about a potential terrorist lurking in every Arab/Middle Eastern/Muslim-looking person, and the incompatibility of Islamic and western values”.

House of Sand and Fog (2003)

An abandoned wife is evicted from her home, which is taken over by an Iranian family forced to flee their country following the 1979 revolution. The report says the film constructs a “negative description of the revolution, without enabling any detailed or balanced analysis of the event”.

Frankly, outside of Raiders of the Lost Ark, I haven't seen any of these movies. A rather paltry selection of films in this absurdly flimsy study. How did they miss United 93?

Here's an assignment for these pitiful souls. How about stop denying that many Muslims are terrorists, stop being so paranoid about every little perceived slight you suffer (hey, those things happen to everybody), denounce Islamist violence, and stop being such babies.

Bush Denies Iran Attack Plans

I guess it would be better if he just divulged it all. Surely, the media can keep a secret.

George W. Bush on Friday sought to deny widespread rumours his administration was preparing some kind of military action against Iran. Mr Bush confirmed a report in Friday’s Washington Post that he had authorised US troops to shoot and kill Iranian operatives in Iraq, but denied this was a prelude to stronger action.

“We believe we can solve our problems with Iran diplomatically,” said the US president. “It makes sense that if somebody is trying to harm our troops, or stop us from achieving our goal, or killing innocent citizens in Iraq, that we will stop them.”

Meanwhile, the useless Mohammed ElBaradei so graciously lets us know the Iranians are installing the centrifuges.

Iran expects to start installing thousands of centrifuges in an underground facility next month, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Friday, paving the way to large-scale uranium enrichment, a potential method of making nuclear weapons.

On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, Mohamed ElBaradei said: "I understand that they are going to announce that they are going to build up their 3,000-centrifuge facility ... sometime next month."

Silky Pony Living in Luxury

File this one away for future reference next time you hear John Edwards deliver his tired Two Americas spiel. Actually, maybe there are Two Americas. One for us regular folk and another for hypocritical ambulance chasers.

Presidential candidate John Edwards and his family recently moved into what county tax officials say is the most valuable home in Orange County. The house, which includes a recreational building attached to the main living quarters, also is probably the largest in the county.

The Edwards residential property will likely have the highest tax value in the county,- Orange County Tax Assessor John Smith told Carolina Journal. He estimated that the tax value will exceed $6 million when the facility is completed.

The rambling structure sits in the middle of a 102-acre estate on Old Greensboro Road west of Chapel Hill. The heavily wooded site and winding driveway ensure that the home is not visible from the road. "No Trespassing" signs discourage passersby from venturing past the gate.

Don Knight, Orange County building plans examiner, told CJ that, including the recreational building, the Edwardses' home would be one of the largest in Orange County.

Cost of New Meadowlands Stadium Skyrockets

This story just broke a short time ago, but it does not bode well for the taxpaying citizens of New Jersey.

NEWARK, N.J. - The price of the new football stadium for the
New York Giants and New York Jets has risen by $600 million to $1.4 billion.

"Costs continue to go up," said Alice McGillion, a spokeswoman for New Meadowlands Stadium Corp., a company that represents the team owners.

She seems so casual about it, as if it's a five-cent bump on a can of soda. But we're talking about $600 million here.

The teams awarded a contract to Swedish construction company Skanska AB, which said Friday it had received a $998 million order to design and build the open-air stadium at the Meadowlands sports complex in East Rutherford, N.J.

"It shows the continued momentum and we are on the timeline that we need to be for a 2010 opening," McGillion said Friday.

The teams, which announced the joint venture in 2005, originally estimated costs at about $800 million.

You can read the rest of the story, yet nowhere does it explain how or why projected costs have nearly doubled in less than two years. Considering the teams are not scheduled to play there until 2010, you can safely assume $1.4 billion will not be the final tab. All along it's been reported the State of New Jersey will not be footing any substantial portion of the tab and we're in a pretty dire fiscal condition with the highest property taxes in the nation. Governor Corzine promised a reduction in that area, but I'll believe it when I have the check in hand.

I've been in the current Giants Stadium many times over the years and it's only 31 years old and in decent shape; certainly not palatial like some of the structures built recently, but a serviceable football stadium that should have lasted far longer. And for which we're still paying:

The state isn't paying for the stadium's construction, but will continue to pay debt on the old stadium, about $120 million.

Maybe with any luck some of the $600 million will go toward a retractable roof. It doesn't make sense to me that a strictly open-air facility be constructed which limits the number of events that can be held there--Super Bowls and Final Fours immediately come to mind.

Troops Authorized to Kill Iranians in Iraq

Well, it's about time. Granted, this is the Washington Post, so we need to wait a couple of news cycles to see how this pans out. I can just see the nervous libs fretting how we might upset the Islamofascists and create more terrorists. They missed the strategery memo: We create more terrorists so we can kill more terrorists.

The Bush administration has authorized the U.S. military to kill or capture Iranian operatives inside Iraq as part of an aggressive new strategy to weaken Tehran's influence across the Middle East and compel it to give up its nuclear program, according to government and counterterrorism officials with direct knowledge of the effort.

For more than a year, U.S. forces in Iraq have secretly detained dozens of suspected Iranian agents, holding them for three to four days at a time. The "catch and release" policy was designed to avoid escalating tensions with Iran and yet intimidate its emissaries. U.S. forces collected DNA samples from some of the Iranians without their knowledge, subjected others to retina scans, and fingerprinted and photographed all of them before letting them go.

Sneaky, aren't we? I can almost hear the drumbeats of protest from the ACLU caterwauling about how we violated our enemies' rights. Our enemies, their allies.

The good news doesn't end there.

The White House has authorized a widening of what is known inside the intelligence community as the "Blue Game Matrix" -- a list of approved operations that can be carried out against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. And U.S. officials are preparing international sanctions against Tehran for holding several dozen al-Qaeda fighters who fled across the Afghan border in late 2001. They plan more aggressive moves to disrupt Tehran's funding of the radical Palestinian group Hamas and to undermine Iranian interests among Shiites in western Afghanistan.

In Iraq, U.S. troops now have the authority to target any member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, as well as officers of its intelligence services believed to be working with Iraqi militias. The policy does not extend to Iranian civilians or diplomats. Though U.S. forces are not known to have used lethal force against any Iranian to date, Bush administration officials have been urging top military commanders to exercise the authority.

I fervently hope this just scratches the surface and we're hunting down these dogs wherever they may be. They need to be destroyed.

More over at Hot Air.

Blinky Does Baghdad

I'm sure the troops are thrilled to see Working Grandmother Pelosi visit them today. Also tagging along is Moonbat Murtha.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and three other Democratic House members are now in Iraq and will meet with the country's prime minister.

A senior congressional source told CNN that Reps. Tom Lantos of California, Ike Skelton of Missouri, and John Murtha of Pennsylvania are part of the fact-finding trip. They will be meeting with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Lantos is chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Skelton is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Murtha -- a major critic of the way the Iraq war has been conducted -- is chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that oversees the military budget.

The delegation is scheduled to return to Washington on Monday.

U.S. Media Jobs Cuts Increase

The news is just heartbreaking.

U.S. media job cuts surged 88 percent in 2006 from the previous year, a downsizing trend expected to continue this year, a survey said Thursday.

The media industry slashed 17,809 jobs last year, a nearly two-fold increase from the 9,453 cuts in 2005, outplacement consultancy Challenger Gray & Christmas said.

The figure was the industry's largest annual job-cut total since 43,420 media job cuts accompanied the collapse of the technology bubble in 2001, the survey said.

"A sea change in the way people get and read news, not to mention the way they search for jobs, used cars and consumer products, was the primary contributor," the company said.

Media companies, including the New York Times Co. and Time Inc., have already laid off 2,000 employees in 2007, Challenger noted, saying the cuts suggested the downsizing trend would continue.

Poor pompous, arrogant media sloths. They have to get off their duffs and find another way to denigrate this country. My pity meter seems to be stuck.

This is just a hunch, but if the media weren't so ridiculously one-sided in their news coverage, maybe they would appeal to a larger audience. A bit far-fetched perhaps, but they may want to consider reporting the news honestly and see what happens. You never know, they may draw more readers.

Maine Opposing Digital Licenses

What will they have to say after the next 9/11?

Maine lawmakers on Thursday became the first in the nation to demand repeal of a federal law tightening identification requirements for drivers' licenses, a post-September 11 security measure that states say will cost them billions of dollars to administer.

Maine lawmakers passed a resolution urging repeal of the Real ID Act, which would create a national digital identification system by 2008. The lawmakers said it would cost Maine about $185 million, fail to boost security and put people at greater risk of identity theft.

Alright, so vote against it. Good luck getting by without federal aid.

"We cannot be spending millions of state dollars on an initiative that does more harm to our state than good," said Maine's House Majority leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat, in a statement that called it a "massive unfunded federal mandate."

That's rich--a Democrat opposing unfunded mandates.

I guess the irony of Mohammed Atta flying out of Maine on the first leg of his 9/11 journey escapes them.

Abbas Blames Israel for Gaza Poverty

Well, you can't ever expect him to take any reponsibility, can you?

Poverty levels in Gaza have soared to record levels because of Israeli restrictions and the destruction of Palestinian infrastructure, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Thursday.

"Unemployment and poverty have reached unprecedented levels, with 79 percent of people in the Gaza Strip living below the poverty line, of which 51 percent live in utter poverty," Abbas said in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Western donors suspended financial support to the Palestinian Authority last year after the militant Islamist group Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel and renounce violence, swept to victory in parliamentary elections.

A seemingly endless supply of money goes into that rathole, the people there do nothing but foster violence and animus against Israel, they cannot govern themselves, never take resposibility for anything, and it's always the fault of Israel.

They're like bottomfeeding junkies and alcoholics. It's always someone else's fault. Their enablers do nothing but exacerbate the problem while the downward spiral continues.

Progress in Iraq

You'll never find out information such as this if you rely on the old media, but there is planty of evidence of progress in Iraq, as noted by Bill Crawford at NRO.

The media and a good portion of those in Washington are far too invested in defeat to admit there are some good things happening. If we win, they lose, so all they will give you is bad news.

Feeling Fresh

The Democrats are focused on the important issues, as noted by The Hotline.

House Maj. Whip Jim Clyburn referred to the "freshmen" and then corrected himself and then went on to admit the new policy. Freshman, er newly elected Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA) told the crowd that he "suspected" it had something to do with the word "new" being more appealing to the public than "freshman," which can be seen by some as derogatory. So there ya go!

I have some other names in mind.

Michelle Malkin has more.

The Big Chill

Just as the Northeast is about to receive our coldest blast of the winter, the UN is coming out with another global warming report.

Great timing.

LA Times Vows to Screw Up Earlier

They're calling it streamlining. Others may call it getting the bias and errors out faster.

UPDATE: Patterico weighs in.

Pakistan Needs to Step Up

Gee, we never saw this coming.

When Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf forged an agreement with the tribal leadership in the northwest border provinces in September 2006, observers in Washington were justly skeptical. Four months after the agreement was made, the concerns that Pakistani territory would become a sanctuary for Taliban insurgents have been realized, and Afghanistan has felt the effects.

A comparison confirms that the level of violence in Afghanistan is up: Armed attacks increased from 1,558 in 2005 to 4,542 in 2006. Suicide attacks also increased, from 27 in 2005 to 139 last year. The upsurge in violence predates the September peace accords, but even though the accords are not solely responsible for the increased violence, it's evident, even in the relatively short four-month span, that the deal has done nothing but exacerbate the situation.

Time to stop coddling and crack down.

Working Hard Toward Defeat

Daniel Henninger calls it Wonder Land.

The United States is talking itself into defeat in Iraq. Its political culture is now in a downward spiral of pessimism. In the halls of Congress, across endless newspaper columns, amid the punditocracy and on Sunday morning talk shows--all emit a Stygian gloom about America.

Read it all. If we only put as much effort into victory, we would be out of there sooner.

Jordanian Family Honor

Yes, it's a religion of peace.

AMMAN, Jordan - A Jordanian man fatally shot his 17-year-old daughter whom he suspected of having sex despite a medical exam that proved her chastity, an official said Thursday. The man surrendered to police hours after the killing, saying he had done it for family honor.

A state forensic pathologist, who works at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Amman where an autopsy was performed, said in a phone interview that the girl had run away from home several times for unknown reasons.

Weeks ago, the girl had returned home from a family protection clinic after doctors had vouched for her virginity and the father had signed a pledge not to harm her, the pathologist said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the case.

Cultural differences. But who are we to judge?

al- Zawarhi Reaches Out to Democrats

I'll consider this his rebuttal to the State of the Union address. No word on how many times he blinked per minute.

Al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri warned Americans of a reprisal "far worse than anything they have seen" unless Washington changed its policies toward Muslim states.

"You are facing the Islamic rage...what awaits you, should you press on (with current policies), is far worse than anything you have seen," Zawahri said in a video posted on the Internet on Wednesday.

Leaders of al Qaeda, which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks in U.S. cities, argue that "terrorism" is justified as a way to change pro-Israel U.S. policies and to punish Washington for its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"I will talk to you in a language you understand; if you want to live safely you have to accept reality and reject the illusions that (U.S. President George W.) Bush is trying to deceive you with," he said in the video.

"If we are struck and killed then, God willing, you would most certainly be struck and killed."

Zawahri said Americans should study "faiths and history as they really are and not as portrayed by the clowns of Bush."

Here's a maniac willing to kill any and all Americans, and the pathetic thing is, there are plenty of people in this country more than willing to listen to him and who consider George Bush the enemy.

GOP Wants Berger Lie Detector Test

Good luck getting the Justice Department to comply with this request.

Eighteen House Republicans have urged the Justice Department to proceed with a polygraph test for Samuel R. Berger, the former national security adviser who agreed to take the test as part of a plea of guilty of stealing documents from the National Archives.

"This may be the only way for anyone to know whether Mr. Berger denied the 9/11 commission and the public the complete account of the Clinton administration's actions or inactions during the lead-up to the terrorist attacks on the United States," the congressmen said in their letter to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.

Time to Chat? No Thanks

It was rather disturbing watching the Stepford Candidate presentation by The Pantsuit the other day. Never have I seen a more scripted, phony presentation than that absurd web video. It was as if every word, every phrase uttered was vetted by a focus group and an army of consultants. Which it likely was. When I think of Hillary Clinton, she's the last person I'd like to have a chat with.

What I see is another foray into the Listening Tour brought forth back in 2000, when she traipsed around New York State pretending to "listen" to the audience, never once taking a hard question from the fawning media. I sense we're about to replay that charade all over again. So does Tony Blankley.

Cato the Elder, the great Roman senator, stood for the proposition "Carthago delenda est" -- we should destroy Carthage. Thomas Jefferson ran for president to protect the yeoman farmers from Hamiltonian big government. James Polk promised to steal Texas from the Mexicans. Abe Lincoln stood to preserve the Union. FDR promised to defeat the Great Depression with bold experimentation. Ike would end the Korean War. Ronald Reagan promised to build up our military strength, defeat Soviet communism and cut taxes and spending.

And last weekend Hillary Rodham Clinton presented herself for election to the presidency of the United States with the timeless, clarion call: "So let's talk. Let's chat, let's start a dialogue about your ideas and mine, because the conversation in Washington has been just a little one-sided lately, don't you think?"

The junior senator from the Empire State may not be leading with her strength with the theme of "a time for chatting." Of all the politicians who have strode, minced, ambled or marched across the stage of American politics over the years, Hillary may be the one least likely to induce the desire to be chatted up by.

Democrats Silent on Jihad

Jeff Jacoby nails the Democrats but good. For all those running, and the field is more crowded than the Kentucky Derby, none of them seem to know what the most pressing issue of the day is. They'd rather chat and have a dialogue, whatever that's supposed to mean.

THE SURGE is underway, and more rapidly than many of us were expecting. The influx of new troops into Iraq? No, of candidates into the 2008 presidential contest.

So far this month, Senators Hillary Clinton of New York, Barack Obama of Illinois, and Chris Dodd of Connecticut, plus Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico -- Democrats all -- have formally launched White House campaigns (or "exploratory committees"). Already in the race were former senators John Edwards of North Carolina and Mike Gravel of Alaska, former governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa, and Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich.

Eight Democrats, eight would-be commanders-in-chief -- all running for president in a time of war. So which of them, on getting into the race, had this to say about the nature of the enemy confronting us?

Read it all.

Ahmadinejad Reaches Out to Democrats

The little man talks a big game and knows how to play the useful idiots in this country.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday he did not expect a U.S. attack on Iran because there were plenty of "wise people" in the United States who would not let it happen.

Iran and the United States are at loggerheads over Tehran's nuclear program, which Washington says is a cover for making bombs, and over Iraq, where U.S. officials say Iran is fuelling sectarian violence. Tehran denies both charges.

Washington says it wants to solve the nuclear standoff by diplomacy but has not ruled out strikes if that fails.

"They are not in a position to carry out that measure although they may like to ... because there are many wise people in America who will not let this happen," the president said in an interview on Iranian television.

By wise people, I'll assume he means Harry Reid and the Democrats.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is warning Iran to back down.

A second U.S. aircraft carrier strike group now steaming toward the Middle East is Washington's way of warning Iran to back down in its attempts to dominate the region, a top U.S. diplomat said here Tuesday.

Nicholas Burns, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, ruled out direct negotiations with Iran and said a rapprochement between Washington and Tehran was "not possible" until Iran halts uranium enrichment.

Further bolstering that tack is this NY Sun report linked at LGF noting the Gulf States have no choice but to quietly support the United States.

The hopelessly naive audience Ahmadinejad is attempting to reach in this county should take note of what the Iranians and Hezbollah are up to in Lebanon, as noted by Jules Crittenden. The left in this country is playing a dangerous game when it comes to dealing with the Iran problem. They should not be led to believe the struggles in Iraq negate the need for decisive action in Iran. The time may come soon.

President Bush needs to remind them tonight. Here's the speech Crittenden would like to see.

UPDATE: The rhetoric increases.

New Al Qaeda Threat in U.S.?

I wasn't overly alarmed when the story broke earlier today, as reported by ABC News. After all, these people never will stop trying to kill Americans, be it here or abroad. What I do find annoying is we're well past the five-year anniversary of 9/11 and there hasn't been a single significant terror attack in the United States, which is a tremendous accomplishment of our law enforcement and other governmental agencies, and rarely is credit given where it is due.

Still, we can never let our guard down, so we're in this for the rest of our lifetimes.

Sources tell ABC News that the plot may have involved moving between 10 and 20 suspects believed to be affiliated with al Qaeda in Iraq into the United States with student visas — the same method used by the 19 al Qaeda terrorists who struck American targets on Sept. 11.

U.S. officials now require universities to closely track foreign nationals who use student visas to study in the United States. University officials must report international students who fail to arrive on campus or miss class regularly.

In August, the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement alerted intelligence agencies and state and local law enforcement about 11 Egyptian students who had failed to report to their classes at Montana State University. The students were ultimately apprehended.

At the time, that event was made out to be a rather innocuous tale of hapless foreign students who just happened to get lost on their way to Montana. I suspect otherwise, but that story disappeared quickly.

The plan also came only months after Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's No. 2, had requested that Zarqawi attempt an attack inside the United States.

"This appears to be the first hard evidence al Qaeda in Iraq was trying to attack us here at home," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, former chief counterterrorism adviser on the U.S. National Security Council.

Clarke, like many others, would like to believe that Al Qaeda in Iraq has nothing to do with Al Qaeda in a Waziristan cave, Al Qaeda in Somalia, or Al Qaeda working out of a storefront in Dearborn. Al Qaeda is Al Qaeda, wherever their location.

Meanwhile, Ayman Al-Zawarhi reared his ugly head again today, with video at Hot Air. This dude gets so much airtime, it's a wonder he doesn't have his own show. You never know, at some point CNN or MSNBC mght take the leap.

Others with the story include Michelle Malkin, Powerline, and LGF, which also has a video post.

Iran Bars IAEA Inspectors

This silly dance continues. Is there a more useles entity that the IAEA?

Iran said Monday it has barred 38 members of a U.N. nuclear inspection team from entering the country, in what appeared to be retaliation for sanctions imposed last month over its contentious atomic program.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said some inspectors were admitted, but maintained that Iran could decide who should be turned away.

"The International Atomic Energy Agency submits a long list of inspectors to member countries and the countries have the right to oppose the visit by some inspectors," Mottaki told the official Islamic Republic News Agency.

This calls for more dialogue.

UPDATE: Other items of interest out of Iran: Dissident Cleric Slam Ahmadinejad and Iran Believes it Could Destroy Israel With Single Nuke.

Collapsing Venezuela

Venezuela is going to pieces under thug Hugo Chavez, but the disater is largely ignored by the media. Richard Rahn discusses the calamity awaiting their economy.

If Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez deliberately intended to sabotage his nation's economy, he would be hard-pressed to do anything different from what he is now doing to his country.

It has been widely reported that Mr. Chavez has been increasingly taking control of the oil, telecommunications and energy sectors, as well as the media. What has not been reported is the full extent of the corruption in Venezuela and how this ultimately will destroy the economy.

The financial scandal taking place is far bigger than Enron, and may ultimately even exceed the U.N. "oil-for-food" scandal, the biggest financial disgrace of all time. Venezuela has had a rapidly growing economy for the last few years, due to high oil prices, but the house of cards is about to collapse. The former Venezuelan representative to Transparency International, Gustavo Coronel, has documented how much of this corruption has taken place in a report published by the Cato Institute's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity.

Meanwhile, the psychopath runs his mouth and it's headline news: Chavez to U.S.: 'Go to hell, gringos!'.

Soros Dumps The Pantsuit for Obama

The NY Daily News has the story. Ooh, this could be interesting. As much as I loathe the oily Soros, he seems like a swell guy next to Mrs. Clinton.

Defective Presidential Process

Michael Barone, the premier political analyst on the scene, has a problem with the presidential selection process and I'm inclined to agree with him.

The single most glaring defect in our mostly admirable political system is the presidential selection process. You can point to other defects—the equal representation of the states in the Senate, judicial usurpation of decision making on sensitive issues—but the downside risks are greater in the selection of the one official who is far more powerful than any other. So what's wrong with it?

Barone notes four glaring problems with the current process, some of which I'm sure you're already well aware of. But will anything ever change?

Going After Big Oil Will Backfire

As we noted last week, the Democrat plans to go after the oil industry will be harmful to the economony. In the New York Post today, Mackubin Owens says the slap at Big Oil will backfire.

The new Democratic majority in Congress has taken aim at the oil and gas industry. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has already rammed through part of her plan to "roll back the multibillion-dollar subsidies for Big Oil" through the House, with more to come; the Senate may well follow.

Democrats talk about these measures as promoting U.S. energy independence. But the clear result, should such policies become law, would be the exact opposite. By increasing the cost of domestic oil and gas production, Democrats would increase U.S. reliance on energy imports.

"Big Oil" makes a tempting target because of the mistaken belief that oil profits are unusually high. It's a widespread belief - Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly has railed against "oil profiteering," too - but it's wrong. Oil-industry profits are in line with those in the rest of the economy.

If the economy tanks, will Pelosi and her greedy minons take the blame? Somehow I doubt the Big Media will remember.

Climatologists Feel the Heat

It seems healthy skepticism is creeping into the climate science community, as those who question the global warming onslaught are starting to be heard.

Climate scientists might be expected to bask in the spotlight after their decades of toil. The general public now cares about greenhouse gases, and with a new Democratic-led Congress, federal action on climate change may be at hand.

Problem is, global warming may not have caused Hurricane Katrina, and last summer's heat waves were equaled and, in many cases, surpassed by heat in the 1930s.

In their efforts to capture the public's attention, then, have climate scientists oversold global warming? It's probably not a majority view, but a few climate scientists are beginning to question whether some dire predictions push the science too far.

"Some of us are wondering if we have created a monster," says Kevin Vranes, a climate scientist at the University of Colorado.

Vranes, who is not considered a global warming skeptic by his peers, came to this conclusion after attending an American Geophysical Union meeting last month. Vranes says he detected "tension" among scientists, notably because projections of the future climate carry uncertainties — a point that hasn't been fully communicated to the public.

The science of climate change often is expressed publicly in unambiguous terms.

For example, last summer, Ralph Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences, told the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce: "I think we understand the mechanisms of CO2 and climate better than we do of what causes lung cancer. ... In fact, it is fair to say that global warming may be the most carefully and fully studied scientific topic in human history."

Vranes says, "When I hear things like that, I go crazy."

Read the whole thing. It's about time we had an honest debate.