What stinks about the whole "retired generals speak out" issue (UPDATED)  —  I'll probably be accused by some of the hardcore lefties who read this blog of "questioning the patriotism" of the six retired generals who've called for Rummy's ouster, but before I get started let me be clear: that is not what this post is about.

Bush, After Some Changes, Vows More Coming  —  WASHINGTON - Under pressure to revitalize his administration, President Bush reshuffled his economic team Tuesday with a new budget chief who is highly regarded on Capitol Hill and promised more changes were coming.  He also named a new trade representative.

Courage And Treason  —  These are two words that get thrown around quite a bit on the right.  And given some recent news, I'd like to explore them.  —  See, the Pulitzer Prizes were awarded and guess what?  The NY Times reporters who broke the warrantless wiretapping story won a Pulitzer.

China's Rising Need for Oil Is High on U.S. Agenda  —  WASHINGTON, April 18 — The competition for access to oil is emerging high on the agenda for President Hu Jintao's visit to the White House this week.  President Bush has called China's growing demand for oil one reason for rising prices …

Broad based rally for European bourses  —  European equities extended their early gains by mid-morning in a broadly-based rally on Wednesday following strong overnight gains on Asia and Wall Street, prompted by the latest minutes of the Federal Reserve which suggested that rising US interest rates were coming to an end.

Angry/negative people can be bad for your brain  —  Everyone's favorite A-list target, Robert Scoble, announced the unthinkable a few days ago: he will be moderating his comments.  But what some people found far more disturbing was Robert's wish to make a change in his life that includes steering clear of …

China Hopes Hu Makes Good Impression  —  The president lacks the spontaneity of his predecessors.  But officials know the image he projects on U.S. visit could pay dividends.  —  BEIJING — Visiting Chinese leaders in the past have warmed American hearts by donning cowboy hats …

Moving to the Right  —  Brit Hume's Path Took Him From Liberal Outsider to The Low-Key Voice of Conservatism on Fox News  —  It was a different era, a different administration and a very different Brit Hume.  —  Thirty-six years ago, as a long-haired reporter for columnist Jack Anderson …

News outlets resist Scooter Libby subpoenas  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former White House aide fighting perjury charges should not get access to reporters' notes and other newsroom material because they have no relevance to his case, several news outlets told a U.S. judge on Tuesday.

McKinney report cites assault with 'closed fist'  —  The official police report on Rep. Cynthia McKinney's clash with a Capitol Hill police officer three weeks ago says the DeKalb County congresswoman struck the officer "in his chest with [a] closed fist."  —  The "event report" …

Mexico Harsh to Undocumented Migrants  —  TULTITLAN, Mexico - Considered felons by the government, these migrants fear detention, rape and robbery.  Police and soldiers hunt them down at railroads, bus stations and fleabag hotels.  Sometimes they are deported; more often officers simply take their money.

Of Words  —  Urozgan and Heland Provinces, Afghanistan  —  More than a year ago, I wrote from the "Sunni Triangle" that Iraq was in the midst of a civil war, words that received little attention then.  I had published that dispatch about three weeks after the unexpected but overwhelming success of the first Iraqi elections.

With Friends Like These . . .  WITH A LAND mass similar to Maryland's, Equatorial Guinea has the fortune to be Africa's third-largest oil producer.  The money from black gold helps to explain how the president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, has bought large homes in France and Morocco …

They're Closing in on Pinch!  —  The New York Times shareholders' mutiny.  —  The Twilight of the Sulzbergers?  The Class A shareholders are closing in on Pinch.  According to TheStreet.com: … That seems at least as much of a revolt as six retired generals calling for Rumsfeld's resignation, no?

British brigadier attacks America's John Wayne generals  —  A senior British officer has criticised "shoulder-holster" American generals for trying to emulate film stars.  —  Brig Alan Sharpe, who worked alongside Americans in Baghdad, said there was a "strong streak of Hollywood" …

Iranian group seeks British suicide bombers  —  Robert Tait in Tehran and Ewen MacAskill  —  Relations between the west and the hardline Iranian regime are set to worsen after a Tehran-based group claimed yesterday it was trying to recruit Iranians and other Muslims in Britain to carry out suicide bombings against Israel.

The Fall of France and the Multicultural World War  —  The noted blogger Fjordman is filing this report via Gates of Vienna.  —  In my essay about the retreat of the Western world order, I mentioned the possibility of civil strife in the West caused by runaway immigration.