Why Al Qaeda Central is Immune from Attack  —  Al Qaeda is fighting back against the Pakistani tactic of bombing terrorist camps along the Afghan border.  In the last few weeks, terrorists bomb attacks have killed over a hundred people.  Police have also prevented several additional bombings …

Maryland to Unveil the Page That Began a New Chapter  —  George Washington's Resignation Speech Left the U.S. Military in Civilians' Hands  —  It was a speech so moving the crowd wept.  It was a speech so personally important George Washington's hand shook as he read it until he had to hold the paper still with both hands.

Iran alleges U.S. link to militant attack  —  Tehran worries that America is helping Iranian opposition groups foment instability.  —  TEHRAN — Bullet cartridges bearing a U.S. insignia and English lettering were among the weaponry seized last week from Sunni militants suspected …

Murtha in Command  —  After 16 undistinguished terms in Congress, Rep. John P. Murtha at long last felt his moment had arrived.  He could not keep quiet the secret Democratic strategy that he had forged for the promised "second step" against President Bush's Iraq policy (after the "first step" …

Militants Attack U.S. Base in Iraq  —  In a coordinated assault on an American combat outpost north of Baghdad, suicide bombers drove three cars laden with explosives into the base, killing two American soldiers and wounding at least 17 more, according to witnesses and the American military.

HEAVENLY DEAL  —  SIRIUS, XM SET TO CONFIRM MERGER PLAN TODAY  —  Satellite radio operators Sirius and XM are expected to announce their long-awaited merger today, according to a source familiar with the deal.  —  The two sides were locked in negotiations over the weekend trying to hammer …

"Scrotum sounded to Lucky like something green that comes up when you have the flu and cough too much."  —  "It sounded medical and secret, but also important."  Oh, yes, it's important enough to make the school librarians want to exclude the book that won the Newbery Medal.

Organic farming 'no better for the environment'  —  Organic food may be no better for the environment than conventional produce and in some cases is contributing more to global warming than intensive agriculture, according to a government report.  —  The first comprehensive study …

George Bush is exactly who you think he is  —  A few months ago a book called Ariel Sharon: An Intimate Portrait came out.  It's by the late Uri Dan, who was Sharon's longtime confidant/bootlicker.  It sounds like it's worth skimming, at least for these two parts:  —  From a new review in Ha'aretz:

The Man With All The Answers  —  Via Lafayette:

Reid: Iraq war 'worst foreign policy mistake' in U.S. history … WASHINGTON (CNN) — After months of heated rhetoric slamming President Bush's Iraq policy, the Senate's top Democrat moved into new terrain by declaring the Iraq war a worse blunder than Vietnam.  —  "This war is a serious situation.

In Limbo in Washington, McCain Comes Alive in Iowa  —  Campaigning for Conservatives, He Plays Up Fiscal Discipline  —  Former Texas senator Phil Gramm was wrapping up his introduction in Des Moines on Saturday morning when a white-haired man wearing gray slacks and a big …

Global-warming theory and the eugenics precedent  —  "Global Warming" had a precursor in capturing the hearts and minds of the world.  Michael Crichton, in his novel "State of Fear," brilliantly juxtaposes the world's current political embrace of "global warming" with the popular embrace of the "science" of eugenics a century ago.

Making Martial Law Easier  —  A disturbing recent phenomenon in Washington is that laws that strike to the heart of American democracy have been passed in the dead of night.  So it was with a provision quietly tucked into the enormous defense budget bill at the Bush administration's behest …

A Cheerful Anachronism  —  Rep. Ron Paul says he can find in the Constitution's enumeration of the federal powers—Article I, Section 8—no reference to rice.  —  Some rice farmers from Congressman Ron Paul's district were in his office the other day, asking for this and that from the federal government.