It's Something About Those Orange Backgrounds...  In the future, all journalism will be done for us by important people posting their thoughts on blogs.  Two examples from Daily Kos, where, over the weekend, Cindy Sheehan had announced she was quitting the Democrats.  Here's Sheehan again, quitting... the anti-war movement!

Social conservatives bite bullet, back Rudy  —  Rudy Giuliani, whose positions on abortion and homosexuality mark him as the most socially liberal Republican presidential candidate in more than a generation, is so far winning the contest for the support of social conservatives, according to a new analysis of recent polls.

Progress in Iraq likely to miss target  —  Military officers doubt any of the three top goals will be achieved before the September assessment.  —  BAGHDAD — U.S. military leaders in Iraq are increasingly convinced that most of the broad political goals President Bush laid out early this year …

Rules 'hiding' trillions in debt  —  Liability $516,348 per U.S. household  —  The federal government recorded a $1.3 trillion loss last year — far more than the official $248 billion deficit — when corporate-style accounting standards are used, a USA TODAY analysis shows.

Zoellick frontrunner to lead World Bank  —  Robert Zoellick, former US deputy secretary of state, has emerged as the frontrunner to be the next president of the World Bank.  —  Senior US administration officials expect a decision on the successor to Paul Wolfowitz, who steps down as bank president …

Bush the Neoliberal  —  Years ago, someone coined the term "neoliberal."  I was never sure what it meant, and it has since fallen into disuse, but whatever the case, I'd like to revive (and mangle) the term and apply it — brace yourself — to George W. Bush.  He's more liberal than you might think.

U.S. and Iranian Officials Meet in Baghdad, but Talks Yield No Breakthroughs  —  The United States and Iran held rare face-to-face talks in Baghdad on Monday, adhering to an agenda that focused strictly on the war in Iraq and on ways the two bitter adversaries could help improve conditions here.

Lawmakers Push for Big Subsidies for Coal Process  —  Even as Congressional leaders draft legislation to reduce greenhouse gases linked to global warming, a powerful roster of Democrats and Republicans is pushing to subsidize coal as the king of alternative fuels.

Sooner Rather Than Later  —  COBURN OK  —  Sen. Tom Coburn is mulling an entry into the Republican presidential primary, according to sources inside and outside the Senate.  Coburn, a senator from Oklahoma, is believed to be receiving encouragement from a small group of wealthy businessmen …

You can't play nice with Syria  —  In the Middle East, violence is not the result of poor communication but a tool for political gain.  Nothing proves that point better than Syria's successful use of violence and terrorism to promote its interests.  No amount of dialogue is going to change that reality.

Is Iraq in a Civil War?  —  Many politicians have determined Iraq to be in a civil war.  "We're not fighting terrorism in Iraq," Rep. John Murtha (Democrat-Penn.) said on January 27, 2006, "We're fighting a civil war in Iraq."  [1] He is not alone.  On November 27, 2006 …

Desperate Iraqi Refugees Turn to Sex Trade in Syria  —  MARABA, Syria — Back home in Iraq, Umm Hiba's daughter was a devout schoolgirl, modest in her dress and serious about her studies.  Hiba, who is now 16, wore the hijab, or Islamic head scarf, and rose early each day to say the dawn prayer before classes.

The Conservative Mind  —  The American right is a cauldron of debate; the left isn't.  —  The left prides itself on, and frequently boasts of, its superior appreciation of the complexity and depth of moral and political life.  But political debate in America today tells a different story.

Campaign Puts New Strain on Secret Service  —  Big Field and Early Start Force Cuts in Other Efforts  —  The U.S. Secret Service expects to borrow more than 2,000 immigration officers and federal airport screeners next year to help guard an ever-expanding field of presidential candidates …

Mexico's warm greeting for Miss USA  —  Do you remember what happened in Guadalajara in 2004 during an Olympics qualification soccer match between the U.S. and Mexico?  Let me remind you: … Police in riot gear had to protect the American players.  Bags of urine were tossed at the US team.

AP Still Gets Kyoto History Wrong  —  Earlier this year, I noted that the Associated Press either did a poor job of research or revealed their bias against the Bush administration by incorrectly recounting the history of the Kyoto Treaty in the US.  They used the Left's talking points …