Battlefield Shifts Westward  —  The war with extremist Islam has just entered a new phase.  Times of London: Al Qaeda leadership in Pakistan and Iraq have issued orders for British cells to conduct a "low-tech" campaign of abductions and beheadings. … In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, I was puzzled by the lack of follow-on.

Iraqis Fault Delayed U.S. Plan in Attack  —  A growing number of Iraqis blamed the United States on Sunday for creating conditions that led to the worst single suicide bombing in the war, which devastated a Shiite market in Baghdad the day before.  They argued that slowness in completing …

Iranian nuclear scientist 'assassinated by Mossad'  —  A PRIZE-WINNING Iranian nuclear scientist has died in mysterious circumstances, according to Radio Farda, which is funded by the US State Department and broadcasts to Iran.  —  An intelligence source suggested that Ardeshire Hassanpour …

Iceland fears bears that go with the floe  —  The oceans may be warming and air temperatures rising, but in recent days Iceland has bucked the global climate trend.  —  Thick pack ice, the like of which has not been seen for decades, stretched into the western fjords as temperatures plummeted and a bitter wind blew in from -Greenland.

A Fourth Branch?  —  We have all discussed the unprecedented power of Dick Cheney in this administration ad nauseum, but this post from David Kurtz at TPM introduced a whole new element I hadn't been aware of.  —  I assumed that Cheney believed the power of the Vice President (such as it is) derived from the executive branch.

McCain Flip-Flops In 47 Seconds: Claims Success Is Not Realistic In 'A Few Months,' Then Says It Is  —  On ABC's This Week, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said it is unrealistic to expect the escalation strategy to change the situation in Iraq in "a few months":

The Interesting Opinions of Amanda Marcotte  —  Or at least a few of them.  Since Ms. Marcotte's accession to the position of chief blogger for the John Edwards presidential campaign, speculation has been rife about the often caustic opinions she has expressed, and whether or not Senator Edwards …

Kristol:"On the whole over the last two weeks, some of the news for Iraq is slightly optimistic."  —  Kristol just can't help himself... I really can't get myself to write much about this, but the more death and destruction that goes on in Iraq, Kristol and his ilk will blow it off...Watch and recoil...

A BIGGER DUMBASS THAN ARKIN  —  Note to former Captain Kevin O'Meara over at the Kossack's place: We don't fight for money, Mr. Mensa Candidate.  Or at least those of us not on the extreme far left don't.  —  Kevin, our military fights for your right to be an a**hole.

The Glenn and Helen Show: Michael Yon from Camp Victory  —  Michael Yon is back in Iraq, where he's been for over a month now.  We caught up to him via satellite phone this afternoon and got his views on the surge (it will be "unlike anything we've seen before"), the status of Iraqi security forces …

When life without parole is worse than death  —  Analysis finds more than 100 murderers who might one day go free would face certainty of dying in prison  —  When a state commission recommended last month that New Jersey abolish the death penalty in favor of life imprisonment without parole …

Irresolution  —  The Congressional Democrats' misstep.  —  Giddy with joy at their sudden good fortune, the Democrats have set out to embarrass the president, pushing resolutions of less-than-no-confidence, clubbing his Iraq surge plan as it lies in its cradle, and declaring defeat in advance.

Soldiers in Iraq view troop surge as a lost cause  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Army 1st Lt. Antonio Hardy took a slow look around the east Baghdad neighborhood that he and his men were patrolling.  He grimaced at the sound of gunshots in the distance.  A machine gunner on top of a Humvee scanned the rooftops for snipers.

What's so hot about fickle science?  —  From the "Environmental News Network": "Science Is Solid on Climate Change, Congress Told."  "The science is solid," says Louise Frechette, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations.  —  "The science is solid," says Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Edwards continues swipes at Senate White House rivals  —  Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards continued to move to the left of his leading presidential rivals Friday, saying Senate Democrats' efforts at passing a non-binding resolution are "not enough."  —  Saying repeatedly that …