VIVA HUCKABEE!:  —  Here's when I realized Mike Huckabee might be on the verge of something: Shortly after 1 o'clock, Laura Ingraham, our intrepid emcee, introduced each of the straw poll candidates.  Because Romney was speaking immediately after the introductions, and because he'd clearly bused …

The truth behind the Pollack-O'Hanlon trip to Iraq  —  Last Wednesday, I interviewed Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution regarding the trip he recently took to Iraq and the highly publicized Op-Ed in the New York Times about his trip, co-written with his Brookings colleague, Ken Pollack.

Video: Footage of terrorist killed in Old City released  —  A copy of CCTV footage from the scene of Friday's shooting in Jerusalem's Old City shows the Israeli Arab assailant snatching the pistol of an Israeli security guard and shooting him repeatedly at close range.  —  Double click below to watch video

Rift in AK Parti over Gül?  —  This year, elections were held early in Turkey because the AK Parti wanted to make Abdullah Gül president.  Certain secular parties, especially the CHP (founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk), opposed this idea very strongly - they do not want an Islamist …

The Dangers of 'Peace' Making  —  America's latest efforts merely entrenched al Qaeda in the Gaza Strip.  —  The U.S. and other Western powers are pushing for a new Israeli-Palestinian breakthrough, to help contain Iran and undercut the appeal of al Qaeda and radical Islam.

PORK AND FAKE GEOGRAPHY, A DEMOCRAT MENU  —  Despite their promise to end the secrecy of earmarks and other pet projects, the House Demorats have quietly funneled hundreds of millions of dollars to specific hospitals and health care providers by pretending that these institutions are located in high cost areas.

Fred, Fred, Fred: Thompson's Challenge Has a Name  —  In the swampy soup of hopefuls for the 2008 presidential election, there is a man with a funny name.  (No, not that one.)  —  We're thinking of the one named Fred (Thompson).  —  Say it out loud.  Do it.  Fred.  Fred.  In the South, Fray-ud.

Greenhouse Simplicities  —  We in the news business often enlist in moral crusades.  Global warming is among the latest.  Unfortunately, self-righteous indignation can undermine good journalism.  Last week's NEWSWEEK cover story on global warming is a sobering reminder.

Hizbollah buys frontier land to attack Israel  —  Hizbollah is buying up large tracts of land owned by Christians and other non-Shias in southern Lebanon as the militant group rebuilds its defences in preparation for a new war with Israel, The Sunday Telegraph has been told.

Iraqi Sunni claims 'genocide campaign'  —  BAGHDAD - Iraq's most senior Sunni politician issued a desperate appeal Sunday for Arab nations to help stop what he called an "unprecedented genocide campaign" by Shiite militias armed, trained and controlled by Iran.

The army is refusing to order him to speak to us  —  If this is true, Private Beauchamp has now reached the final phase of the Stephen Glass story - the stage where he's avoiding taking the editor's calls.Colonel Steve Boylan tells The Weekly Standard:

MTP: Markos Discusses the Emergence of the Netroots Movement  —  DailyKos Founder Markos Moulitsas Zuniga explains to guest host David Gregory on Meet The Press why the netroots movement signals the end of "business as usual" politicking for the Democratic party.

FRIDAY'S LIQUIDITY EVENT....On Friday, as part of an effort to inject liquidity into the banking system, the Fed bought several billion dollars worth of mortgage-backed securities.  Brad DeLong called this "unusual," but left hanging the question of just how unusual it was.

US doles out millions for street cameras  —  Local efforts raise privacy alarms  —  WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security is funneling millions of dollars to local governments nationwide for purchasing high-tech video camera networks, accelerating the rise of a "surveillance society" …

Obama Judges a Judge  —  Sen. Barack Obama recently told some Iowa farmers that prices of their crops are not high enough, considering what grocers are charging for other stuff: "Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?"  Living near the University of Chicago …