The War as We Saw It  —  VIEWED from Iraq at the tail end of a 15-month deployment, the political debate in Washington is indeed surreal.  Counterinsurgency is, by definition, a competition between insurgents and counterinsurgents for the control and support of a population.

How Rove Directed Federal Assets for GOP Gains  —  Bush Adviser's Effort to Promote the President and His Allies Was Unprecedented in Its Reach  —  Thirteen months before President Bush was reelected, chief strategist Karl Rove summoned political appointees from around the government to the Old Executive Office Building.

The day reality hit home  —  The writer Andrew Anthony was a committed member of the liberal left - until the attacks of 11 September, 2001.  A veteran of CND and Nicaraguan solidarity campaigns, he was astonished at the liberal left's anti-American reaction.

Speaking of sanctuary, where's ours?  —  At the funeral of Iofemi Hightower, her classmate Mecca Ali wore a T-shirt with the slogan: "Tell Me Why They Had To Die."  —  "They" are Miss Hightower, Dashon Harvey and Terrance Aeriel, three young citizens of Newark, New Jersey …

British forces useless in Basra, say officials  —  When America's top commanders in Iraq held a conference with their British counterparts recently, Major General Jonathan Shaw - Britain's senior officer in Basra - was quick to share his views on how best to conduct counter-insurgency operations.

Dems Come out Swinging on Experience vs. New Vision  —  Senior Dems Put Obama's Resume in the Spotlight  —  The eight Democratic contenders for the White House meet for a debate in Des Moines, Iowa, on a special edition of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos".  (ABC NEWS)

Is Tom Friedman a Bad Person?  —  All signs point to "pretty hideous human being, one which all good people should shun."

FRANK RICH: He Got Out While the Getting Was Good  —  BACK in those heady days of late summer 2002, Andrew Card, then the president's chief of staff, told The New York Times why the much-anticipated push for war in Iraq hadn't yet arrived.  "You don't introduce new products in August," …

A Deadly Clash at Donkey Island  —  On a Routine Night Patrol Near Ramadi, U.S. Troops Stumble Upon a Camp of Heavily Armed Insurgents Poised to Retake the City  —  Staff Sgt. Norman Stark had never seen combat.  Nor did the 32-year-old soldier from Baltimore expect it …

BBC forced to removed 'bastard' slur about Jesus from its website  —  The BBC has been forced to remove statements from its website referring to Jesus as a 'bastard'.  —  It is the latest in a string of offensive comments that BBC editors have allowed members of the public to post.

The Muslim Jesus Cont'd  —  Some interesting emails for late on a Saturday night.  Here are a bunch, but I'll hide most of 'em behind one of those more links: … And: … And: … And, from my Middle East Guy:  —  Keep reading this post . . .

Local Arrests in Newark Slayings  —  Man, Found in Md., Is Called Ringleader  —  A key suspect in the brutal killings of three college students in Newark was arrested early yesterday in Oxon Hill, where authorities found the 24-year-old Nicaraguan man among a group drinking beer …

Climate protest 'will be contained'  —  Police were confident of being able to contain the expected climax of the climate camp at Heathrow Airport.  —  Protesters, buoyed by an influx of new arrivals, promised 24 hours of direct action, starting from midday on Sunday.

Risks in a Muslim Reformation  —  Salman Rushdie, Thomas Friedman, Nicholas Kristof and Mansour al-Nogaidan are among the well-intentioned people who have called for an Islamic Reformation.  They should be careful what they wish for.  —  The Protestant Reformation did precede the things …

When the Issue Is War, Take Nothing for Granted  —  A front-page article 11 days ago prompted a flurry of e-mail accusing The Times of playing into what readers said were Bush administration efforts to gin up hostility toward Iran.  —  The article reported that attacks on American-led forces …