Breaking: Group claims responsibility for Centanni abduction (Video added)  —  The "Holy Jihad Brigades"?  Whose very first act of holy jihad is to kidnap a reporter and a cameraman?  —  That's a shrewd way to get press, but at the rather large expense of antagonizing the Palestinian terror …

The 'New Middle East' Bush Is Resisting  —  President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice may be quite right about a new Middle East being born.  In fact, their policies in support of the actions of their closest regional ally, Israel, have helped midwife the newborn.

A Law Unto Herself  —  TO end her opinion in American Civil Liberties Union v. National Security Agency — the case that enjoins President Bush's warrantless surveillance program — Judge Anna Diggs Taylor quoted Earl Warren (referring to him as "Justice Warren," not "Chief Justice Warren," …

Senator Jokes About House Painter  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican Sen. Conrad Burns, whose re-election campaign is pressing for tighter immigration controls, referred to his house painter as "a nice little Guatemalan man" and suggested that worker as well employees of a roofing company he hired might be in the country illegally.

The Battle of Baghdad  —  Rampant insecurity—and a detailed plan to combat it.  —  BAGHDAD—Although there has been much good news to report about security progress in Iraq this summer—the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the handover of security responsibility for Muthanna province …

Marines Who Served Will Be Ordered Back  —  The involuntary return to active duty will affect up to 2,500 reservists at a time.  The Pentagon is scrambling to meet the demands of war.  —  WASHINGTON — The Marine Corps said Tuesday that it would begin calling Marines back to active-duty service …

Gov. Murkowski Concedes Defeat in Alaska  —  Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski concedes race for second term in Alaska  —  (AP) Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski, stung by accusations of arrogance and stubbornness, lost his bid for a second term Tuesday after polling last in a three-way GOP primary.

12 Arrested After Northwest Jet Diverted  —  Suspicious Activity Reported By Passengers  —  AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — A dozen passengers were under arrest Wednesday after their flight got a fighter jet escort back to the Amsterdam airport.  —  Dutch police said 12 people are in custody …

Is the Bush Doctrine Dead?  —  The president's critics are wrong.  That includes the neocons.  —  In recent months, we have been bombarded with reports of the death of the Bush Doctrine.  Of course, there have been many such reports since the doctrine was first promulgated at the start …

Fixing the Federal Spending Problem  —  On the road tonight, after a full day with great candidates and committed patriots in Alabama.  While scrolling down Instapundit a little while ago, I found a blog post from Andrew Stuttaford at The Corner, discussing the Federal Funding Accountability …

British gen. calls Iraq mini 'civil war'  —  WASHINGTON - The British deputy to the top U.S. commander in Iraq said Tuesday the country's sectarian conflict is not a full-blown civil war but could be described as a "civil war in miniature."  —  "In my judgment, we are not in a situation of civil war …

What Your Freshmen Don't Know  —  Beloit College has released its latest "Mindset List," to help academics understand what freshmen know — and what they don't have a clue about.  This list has been prepared each August since 1998 and past lists are available online.  —  Here is this year's list, for the Class of 2010:

L'Affaire GoldFrisch III: We All Knew This Was Coming  —  This post was co-written with Tim Dreier of The One-Handed Economist; both of us are graduates of the University of Oregon in Eugene, where Deb Frisch now lives.  As a matter of full disclosure, we've had a few scrapes with Frisch of our own …

Democrats' Shameful Wal-Mart Demonization  —  Presidential hopefuls only hurt themselves when pandering to unions by bashing the country's largest employer.  —  WITH ONE EYE ON 2008 and one on their labor union base, Democratic luminaries are canvassing Iowa and other states this summer …

HAIL TO THE CHIEF  —  I had the opportunity this afternoon to be part of a relatively small group who heard President Bush talk, extemporaneously, for around forty minutes.  It was an absolutely riveting experience.  It was the best I've ever seen him.  Not only that; it may have been the best I've ever seen any politician.