Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Worsens Terrorism Threat  —  A stark assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies has found that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks.

Dozens die in Baghdad blast  —  At least 34 people have been killed by a bomb in the Sadr City district of Baghdad.  —  A further 36 people were injured in Saturday's explosion which happened near a petrol station in the predominantly Shia area of the Iraqi capital.

Officials doubt bin Laden death report  —  PARIS - A leaked French intelligence document raises the possibility Osama bin Laden died of typhoid, but President Jacques Chirac said Saturday the report was "in no way whatsoever confirmed" and officials from Kabul to Washington expressed skepticism about its accuracy.

Remembering Sgt. Paul Smith  —  Derek Brigham of Freedom Dogs has arranged for a Minnesota Organization of Bloggers blogburst in memory of Sgt. Paul Smith, the first Medal of Honor recipient in the global war on terror.  I wrote about Sgt, Smith when his heroism in battle first got him nominated …

Sept. 11 inscriptions spark outrage  —  Inscriptions etched into Arizona's Sept. 11 monument — meant to inspire and capture the horror of the terrorist attacks — sparked the beginnings of a political blog battle this week.  —  The monument was unveiled at Phoenix's Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza near …

New Tucker and Menchaca Video: Bodies Desecrated by Terrorists  —  A new video released by the Mujahidin Shura Council of Iraq shows new footage of the desecration of the bodies of Thomas Tucker and Kristian Menchaca.  The Jawa Report has obtained a copy of the video.  Graphic Images and link to video below.

Torture as Investigation  —  Vladimir Bukovsky: … It goes on, including tales of Bukovsky's own experiences as a victim of Soviet torture and deserves to be read in its entirety.  But this here is essentially the key point at hand.  While you can obviously imagine or gerrymander …

THE FRUITS OF AN UNSERIOUS PRESIDENCY  —  Bill Clinton is desperate to be remembered by history for something other than the Lewinsky affair, perjury, and impeachment.  And he will be.  It's becoming clear that the Clinton legacy will also include eight years of inaction …

Officials Wary of Electronic Voting Machines  —  A growing number of state and local officials are getting cold feet about electronic voting technology, and many are making last-minute efforts to limit or reverse the rollout of new machines in the November elections.

Late Nite FDL: We Keep Going  —  I saw this movie last night.  It was a rip!  —  I like screwball comedy when the actors don't play it or mug overtly for laughs.  The actors here, including Greg Kinnear, Steve Carrell, Abigail Breslin and Alan Arkin all play their characters pretty straight …

God references quashed; 'VeggieTales' creator steamed  —  LOS ANGELES, California (AP) — Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber always had a moral message in their long-running "VeggieTales" series, a collection of animated home videos for children that encourage moral behavior based on Christian principles.

The War of the Hacks  —  It's amazing what a few days away from this politics-obsessed town can do for one's perspective.  Seen from afar, the congressional debate over the war and terrorism comes across as a Washington event designed to show that Democrats are wimps on national security …

A World Beyond The Law  —  In my last post, I asked the question: why are Lindsey Graham and the administration so eager to strip detainees of their legal rights?  I considered various arguments that they have advanced, and as far as I can tell, they don't really hold up.