A very rushed post  —  Just outside Westminster Cathedral today...  I thought I'd refrain from posting anything substantial about this uproar about the Pope's speech, since I'm sure other bloggers can put things more eloquently than me.  ( here and here and here : "If the Pope does not appear …

If It Was a Prize Fight, It Would Have Been Stopped at the First Commercial Break  —  I just finished watching the George Allen - Jim Webb debate on "Meet the Press."  For conservatives wishing for Allen to retain his seat, their best hope is that Virginians were otherwise occupied this morning …

U.S., Afghan troops launch offensive  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — Thousands of American and Afghan troops unleashed a new offensive against Taliban militants in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday in an effort to expand the government's reach into the volatile Pakistani border region.

A liberal hawk strikes back  —  THE CIRCULAR firing squad is the signature practice of the Democratic Party.  Think of 1968, or 1972, or everything that happened during the Clinton presidency except impeachment, or the Howard Dean campaign.  Democrats are never truly happy unless they're at each others' throats.

THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FELONY MURDER, PART II  —  In April 2005, the Associated Press won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography, in connection with its work in iraq.  When the AP celebrated its award, it credited five Iraqi stringers: … In a series of posts culminating in this one …

Tortured Compromise  —  The outlines of the torture debate kabuki emerged this morning with the interviews with John McCain and Stephen Hadley on This Week.  It is actually quite straightforward.  McCain was very optimistic they could reach a compromise and Hadley said that the three conditions for compromise are this:

Washington Whispers  —  A father's influence on his son can be incredible, from shaping a boy's outlook on life to the tiny, seemingly unimportant things like choosing between Bic and Sharpie.  That's certainly been the case in the Bush family, where President Bush has sometimes gone Texas-big with his dad's lessons.

Muslims read riot act  —  AUSTRALIA'S Muslim leaders have been "read the riot act" over the need to denounce any links between Islam and terrorism.  —  The Howard Government's multicultural spokesman, Andrew Robb, yesterday told an audience of 100 imams who address Australia's mosques …

U.S. war prisons legal vacuum for 14,000  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - In the few short years since the first shackled Afghan shuffled off to Guantanamo, the U.S. military has created a global network of overseas prisons, its islands of high security keeping 14,000 detainees beyond the reach of established law.

The First Refuge Of The Scoundrel  —  I've been a little loathe to enter the furor over Ann Althouse's repulsive smear of Jessica, if only because Althouse's point was so self-evidently cruel and unfair that it seemed unworthy of further publicity.  But PZ Myers' post reminds me that there's a larger issue at stake.

Gore's 2008 Plans May Become Clearer After Release of Book  —  Although saying he has no plans to run for president in 2008, former vice president Al Gore has nonetheless left the door ever so slightly ajar.  It's a good bet that door will swing open a good bit wider come next May.

Catholic Nun in Somalia Is First to Die in Muslim Papal Riots  —  Early Sunday: Muslim Brotherhood accept Papal apology.  —  Later: Muslim Brotherhood leaders backtrack, now say apology does not end any confusion.  —  ** 170 year old church is destroyed in the West Bank.

Swedish Opposition Wins Election, Exit Polls Show (Update3)  —  Sept. 17 (Bloomberg) — Sweden's four-party opposition ousted Prime Minister Goeran Persson's Social Democrats after 12 years in power as voters backed their plans to cut taxes to make it easier for companies to hire and sell off state assets, exit polls indicated.

Pessimistic Germans Losing Faith in Democracy, Study Shows  —  A recent report confirms the stereotype of Germany as a nation of pessimists.  Increasingly, citizens are discontent with their living standards, and their form of government as well.  —  According to a new report put …

Iraq attackers kill 30, aggravate ethnic tensions  —  KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - Insurgents killed at least 30 people and aggravated Iraq's hostile ethnic divide with a string of bombs in the northern city of Kirkuk, as well as attacks in volatile Anbar province and in Baghdad on Sunday.