Jill Carroll Statement  —  RAMSTEIN AIRBASE, GERMANY — I'm so happy to be free and am looking forward to spending a lot of time with my family.  I want to express my deep appreciation to all the people who worked so long and hard for my release.  I am humbled by the sympathy and support expressed …

Government in secret talks about strike against Iran  —  The Government is to hold secret talks with defence chiefs tomorrow to discuss possible military strikes against Iran.  —  A high-level meeting will take place in the Ministry of Defence at which senior defence chiefs and government officials …

The President as Average Joe  —  Trying to Boost Support, Bush Brings Banter to the People  —  President Bush was taking questions from an audience the other day when he was asked about the immigration debate raging in Washington.  —  "It's obviously topic du jour ," he said.

FEMA Calls, but Top Job Is Tough Sell  —  WASHINGTON, April 1 — The calls went out across the nation, as Bush administration officials asked the country's most seasoned disaster response experts to consider the job of a lifetime: FEMA director.  But again and again, the response over the past several months was the same: "No thanks."

The Volokh Conspiracy  —  HURRAY FOR JIM AND SARAH BRADY: In a Friday interview with the Washington Post, Jim and Sarah Brady state: "In the first place, lets make it clear we don't want restrictions on law abiding citizens beyond making sure that all gun purchasers undergo a complete and comprehensive background check."

On Labor Markets: What, Exactly, Am I Talking About  —  Several readers have responded to my recent posts on labor markets by suggesting that I am — I'm paraphrasing — (a) a toady for the Man; or (b) certifiably insane.  At issue is my assertion — and those of some of my colleagues …

A Light Almost Dawns  —  Adam Nagourney writes in tomorrow's New York Times about using the Internets for political campaigning: … The professional politicians are losing control of the message.  This is absolutely the best news I've heard in a long time.  —  I like this part, too:

The Next Iraqi Occupation … We learned this week that in January 2003, George W. Bush was set on preemptive war.  WMDs didn't have anything to do with it.  —  Yet in early March 2003, Bush went on national TV and said it was up to Saddam as to whether there would be war.

Buckley Says Bush Will Be Judged on Iraq War, Now a `Failure'  —  March 31 (Bloomberg) — William F. Buckley Jr., the longtime conservative writer and leader, said George W. Bush's presidency will be judged entirely by the outcome of a war in Iraq that is now a failure.

Harris' Senate campaign 'imploding'  —  With more key workers set to flee, it could be the final lap for the troubled race.  New hires are expected.  —  The last of U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris' key staffers appear ready to abandon her campaign for the U.S. Senate in a wave of resignations expected to start this weekend.

Civilians in Iraq Flee Mixed Areas as Killings Rise  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 1 — The war in Iraq has entered a bloodier phase, with American casualties steadily declining over the past five months while the killings of Iraqi civilians have risen tremendously in sectarian violence …

What's up with AmericaBlog's attacks on so many progressives?  —  Lately, I'm finding AmericaBlog filled with an elitism that knows no bounds.  —  In addition to the recitation of stereotypes about his critical commenters (they must be poor, they envy me), he's promulgating what sure strikes …

Egyptian cartoonists strike back at Denmark  —  The Syndicate of Egyptian cartoonists decided that they would respond to the danish cartoons by making their own cartoons on what happend.  They were done in order to- and I quote- " as a response to those who fell under the thrall of racism …

The Pied Piper of Irresponsibility  —  Did you know that Hugh Hefner will soon turn 80 years old?  Its true - the young cad has become the very aged lecher...as Matthew Scully notes over at Opinion Journal: … I guess it helps Hefner to say that - after all, the truth would hurt a bit …

The Passion of the Pope  —  [Republished without revision from March 7, 2005]  —  MORE FEARFUL NOW THAN DEATH, to those fortunate enough to live in the First World, is a long decay before death.  We fear mortality but we fear a long morbidity before mortality more.  —  Living wills.