Countdown to Israel's destruction has begun, says Ahmadinejad  —  Iranian president says Israel's disappearance imminent, 'Zionist regime' will have to bow down to Palestinians.  Iranian FM meets with Hamas, Jihad, leader in Damascus, urging them to continue struggle against Jewish state  —  Dudi Cohen

After the Surge  —  THE BUSH administration's invocation of South Korea as a model for the future of the U.S. military mission in Iraq is misleading in some ways.  Opponents of the war, such as Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), tend to jump to the conclusion that President Bush hopes …

Democrats to Face Off in Second Debate  —  Iraq War, Health Care Issues Likely to Dominate Discussion  —  The Democratic presidential candidates meet here Sunday night for their second debate of the young campaign season, with Iraq and health care likely to dominate much of the discussion.

Unreasoning Hysteria as the Default Position: Joan Crawford Does Foreign Policy  —  With regard to the fearsome plot that might have, maybe, perhaps, in some other world subject to significantly different scientific laws, resulted in the Destruction of All the Universes for All Time Forevermore The End Period …

Cheney vs. Rice: A Foreign-Policy Showdown  —  Condoleezza Rice has steered the administration back toward diplomacy, but she's still being harried by hard-liners.  —  Newsweek International  —  Condoleezza Rice seems in control of everything—except events.

Is America ready for a trophy wife as First Lady?  —  Fred Thompson made a big splash at a recent fundraiser.  Of course, being a professional actor, he delivered his lines perfectly, but didn't say anything particularly noteworthy.  As the WaPo reports, "Thompson managed to hit …

House keeps pet projects from scrutiny  —  WASHINGTON - After promising unprecedented openness regarding Congress' pork barrel practices, House Democrats are moving in the opposite direction as they draw up spending bills for the upcoming budget year.  —  Democrats are sidestepping rules approved …

ABCNews.com: 'Murtha Ties Foiled JFK Plot to U.S. in Iraq'  —  On Saturday, a NewsBusters headline asked the following question: "JFK Terror Plot: How Soon Before Media Blame Bush For Timing of Arrests?"  —  Well, Sunday morning, ABCNews.com actually went one better by using a statement made by John Murtha …

They call this a consensus?  —  "Only an insignificant fraction of scientists deny the global warming crisis.  The time for debate is over.  The science is settled."  —  S o said Al Gore ... in 1992.  Amazingly, he made his claims despite much evidence of their falsity.

Hitchens vs Hitchens  —  Am I my brother's reviewer?  A word of explanation is needed here.  Some of you may know that I have a brother, Christopher, who disagrees with me about almost everything.  —  Some of those who read his books and articles also know that I exist, though they often dislike me if so.

Proclaiming Liberalism, and What It Now Means  —  The struggle among conservatives to define their movement in the post-Bush era may be getting more attention these days, but liberal intellectuals and writers are doing some soul-searching of their own.  Not only are they trying to figure out what …

Attacks on U.S. Troops in Iraq Grow in Lethality, Complexity  —  Bigger Bombs a Key Cause of May's High Death Toll  —  As U.S. troops push more deeply into Baghdad and its volatile outskirts, Iraqi insurgents are using increasingly sophisticated and lethal means of attack …

Idle hacks...  First it was the turn of The Times, then The Sunday Telegraph and then the Sunday Times.  Now it is followed, this week, by both the Sundays, which pitch in with speculation on whether Gordon Brown is set to pull our troops out of Iraq.  —  Meanwhile, a quiet voice in the bowels of the Telegraph suggests otherwise.

Gore: I'm not good at modern politics  —  NASHVILLE — Former vice president Al Gore said Friday that he still hasn't ruled out a presidential bid in 2008, but he doesn't expect to run and might not possess the skills necessary to be elected president now.  —  Gore spoke to The Tennessean today …

Soviet-Style 'Torture' Becomes 'Interrogation'  —  HOW did the United States, in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, come to adopt interrogation techniques copied from the Soviet Union and other cold war adversaries?  —  Investigators for the Senate Armed Services Committee are examining how the methods …