Black and White and Re(a)d All Over: The Conservative Advantage in Syndicated Op-Ed Columns  —  Executive Summary  —  This project did something that has never been done before: It amassed data on the syndicated columnists published by nearly every daily newspaper in the country.

New UC Irvine Law School Hires Chemerinsky as Dean, Then Fires Him for Political Reasons  —  I have all of the following from a reliable source.  —  About a week ago, Erwin Chemerinsky, the well-known constitutional law scholar at Duke, signed a contract to be the inaugural Dean …

Two of Seven Soldiers Who Wrote 'NYT' Op-Ed Die in Iraq  —  NEW YORK The Op-Ed by seven active duty U.S. soldiers in Iraq questioning the war drew international attention just three weeks ago.  Now two of the seven are dead.  —  Sgt. Omar Mora and Sgt. Yance Gray died Monday in a vehicle accident …

Okay, if this isn't portrayed as a major gaffe, with wall-to-wall condemnations from the pundits, it'll be stunning.  (Editor's note: That was meant to be bitterly ironic.)  —  I've just received some advance excerpts of an interview CNN's Wolf Blitzer has done with GOP House leader John Boehner.

Ted Olson and the Pushovers  —  Why is it that foulmouthed left-wing bloggers seem to be the only people who have noticed that there's a peculiar set of political rules ruling the Beltway, particularly within media circles, these days?  —  Here's what we've noticed: For some reason …

U.S. Confirms Israeli Strikes Hit Syrian Target Last Week  —  After days of silence from the Israeli government, American officials confirmed Tuesday that Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes inside Syria last week, the first such attack since 2003.  —  A Defense Department official …

MoveOn's 'Betray Us' ad a smart move  —  We could be wrong, but here's a prediction about the power of viral campaigns: By the time the dust settles on the storm kicked up by MoveOn.org's highly provocative "Petraeus/Betray Us" ad in The New York Times on Sept. 10, the online group will have seen …

Tony Snow says farewell to White House  —  Tony Snow's last on-camera press briefing as White House press secretary is underway.  —  Snow opened the briefing by saying: "This job is the most fun I have ever had."  —  He started his thanks by naming his predecessor Scott McClellan, and joked about his early days.

CBS News Gets Snippy When Fact Checked  —  This MoveOn.org Video on Katie Couric and CBS News' repetition of Bush Administration talking points and lack of critical reporting has stirred up quite the hornet's nest at CBS.  We posted this over the weekend, along with a number of other folks …

High School Bans American Flag  —  SAMPSON COUNTY, N.C. - On the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, students at one high school were not allowed to wear clothes with an American Flag.  —  Under a new school rule, students at Hobbton High School are not allowed to wear items with flags …

Led Zeppelin confirm reunion gig  —  Rock group Led Zeppelin are to reform for a tribute concert to the Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun.  —  Singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones will perform together for the first time in 19 years.

Challenge to Scientific Consensus on Global Warming: Analysis Finds Hundreds of Scientists Have Published Evidence Countering Man-Made Global Warming Fears  —  WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A new analysis of peer-reviewed literature reveals that more than 500 scientists …

That's More Like It!  —  THE SENATE GRILLS PETRAEUS AND CROCKER.  —  The highlight of today's Senate hearings—and these were substantive hearings, unlike Monday's dispirited charade in the House—came in the afternoon, before the armed services committee, when Republican Sen. John Warner asked …