What maketh a neo-con?  [Jamie]  —  There's been a lot of discussion on the blog about the use—and abuse—of the label "neo-con." Which has got me thinking—what is it that causes people to label others this way?  And why is it that people who would never consider themselves neo-conservatives are labeled as such?

Ben Stein's Delusional Defense Of Senator Larry Craig  —  Former Nixon advisor, actor, TV game show host and comedian, Ben Stein appeared with FOXNews' Neil Cavuto and makes what is probably the most misguided, fact-free and delusional defense of Larry Craig we've found since the scandal broke earlier this week.

Pentagon 'three-day blitz' plan for Iran  —  THE Pentagon has drawn up plans for massive airstrikes against 1,200 targets in Iran, designed to annihilate the Iranians' military capability in three days, according to a national security expert.  —  Alexis Debat, director of terrorism …

Dems should be like Bush  —  The line from the left is that we neo-cons so screwed things up that the world has turned against the United States; restoring American prestige overseas will require multiple terms by Jimmy Carter acolytes Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards — so hated is George Walker Bush.

Report Reveals Corruption in Iraqi Government  —  · State Department investigators in Iraq have concluded that the government of Nouri al-Maliki is not capable of even rudimentary enforcement of anti-corruption laws.  The investigators also say that corrupt civil servants with connections …

Bush Is Said to Approve More Aid to Iraqi Sunnis Battling Extremist Groups  —  President Bush, marshaling his arguments to maintain current troop levels in Iraq, has approved the acceleration of a new program to intensify economic assistance directly to Sunni Arab regions where former insurgents …

7 Questions as the Race for the White House Accelerates  —  Not a juggernaut, but it is the best campaign on the block right now.  That's a view widely shared among Democratic strategists and emphatically asserted by some veteran Republicans sizing up the race.

Mishkin urges swift action to any fall in house prices  —  Central bankers should ease monetary policy quickly and aggressively in response to a big fall in house prices, Federal Reserve governor Frederic Mishkin said on Saturday.  —  Presenting a paper on the final day of the Fed's Jackson Hole symposium …

Mexico trucks to roll on U.S. highways  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration can proceed with a plan to open the U.S. border to long haul Mexican trucks as early as next week after an appeals court rejected a bid by labor, consumer and environmental interests to block the initiative.

Rev Guards Base Uncovered in Syria  —  I've been saying for some time that Syria is an Iranian colony, and that the defense pact the two signed several months ago was a serious matter.  Now the Reform Party of Syria, which I trust, has just sent out the following:

Welcome, Stranger.  Here's a Speeding Ticket.  —  DRIVING through a tiny Vermont town a few weeks ago on my way to drop off my daughter at camp, I saw flashing yellow lights appear in my rearview mirror.  —  My car had picked up speed coming down a hill, and a police officer pulled me over.

Geraldo Rivera unhinged  —  The Boston Globe has a fawning Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous-ish profile of Fox News Channel's Geraldo Rivera.  In between musing about his favorite pair of soft Uggs ("I've worn these in Tora Bora and Somalia," he says, admiring the suede slip-ons with the sheepskin lining.

When Labor Is Strong Democrats Win...  Given that it's Labor Day weekend let's have a chat about labor - organized labor.  If you take a look at the map on your left something may jump out at you, as it did me.  Where Labor is strong - Democrats tend to win.  Where Labor is weak, they don't.

Federal Bombing Charges Against Florida "Students" Arrested in South Carolina  —  Remember those two Egyptian "students" arrested in South Carolina back in early August for possessing what CAIR spokesman Ahmed Bedier claimed were fireworks but turned out to be pipe bombs according to state authorities?

chicagotribune.com  —  Some see 'coup' as Iraq's best hope  —  Ex-premier Allawi building political bloc to challenge al-Maliki  —  In the lobbies of luxury hotels and the apartments of exiles, an assortment of Iraqi politicians has been spending the summer vacation plotting a new Iraqi coup …