Blackwater contractor wrote government report on incident  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — The State Department's initial report of last month's incident in which Blackwater guards were accused of killing Iraqi civilians was written by a Blackwater contractor working in the embassy security detail …

The Smear This Time  —  ON Oct. 11, 1991, I testified about my experience as an employee of Clarence Thomas's at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  —  I stand by my testimony.  —  Justice Thomas has every right to present himself as he wishes in his new memoir, "My Grandfather's Son."

Democrats Seize on Limbaugh to Distract from their Iraq Surrender  —  The Senate yesterday passed the annual defense authorization bill with little fanfare.  Although it was intended to be the vehicle for any Iraq restrictions Democrats could come up with, it passed by an eye-popping 92-3.

A lot of people are talking about the big speech Barack Obama gave today calling for multilateral nuclear disarmament.  But I wanted to focus in on what I think is a significant aspect of the speech that has little to do with the actual policy questions addressed here.

GOP Is Losing Grip On Core Business Vote  —  Deficit Hawks Defect  —  As Social Issues Prevail;  —  'The Party Left Me'  —  \*country-region\*country-regionWASHING TON\*\* — The Republican Party, known since the late 19th century as the party of business, is losing its lock on that title.

Newsflash: Press Biased  —  Today, on the front page of The Washington Post, we see the third in a three-part series on roadside bombs in Iraq.  The stories in this series have been centered on the top half of the page and highlighted in red (a device I don't recall seeing before).

Anti-war veterans target Limbaugh  —  An anti-war group consisting of veterans from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan is launching an ad Tuesday that attacks popular conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh.  —  The group, VoteVets.org, is spending $60,000 on the ad, which will air on Fox News and CNN.

Approps Chair Obey Says He'll Block Funding For War Without Withdrawal Date  —  This is kind of big: Dem Rep. David Obey, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, just said at a presser that he'll use his power as committee chair to block future war funding measures …

Marine Hero: The 5 Things I Saw that Make Me Support the War  —  Liberals often like to say that "violence is senseless."  —  That's wrong.  —  Violence isn't senseless.  Senseless violence is senseless.  And I should know.  Before being awarded the Navy Cross and having the privilege of becoming a Marine, I was a gang member.

Expect less Mr. Nice Guy from Fred  —  CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Fred Thompson has a folksy, good old boy persona on the stump, but it may not last much longer.  —  When I asked him if he is an 11th Commandment man — Never speak ill of a fellow Republican — he responded, "I am more of a 12th Commandment man …

Angry, hateful liberal bloggers  —  On Protein Wisdom — the right-wing blog of Pajamas Media's Jeff Goldstein — there is a "response" to a post I wrote a couple of weeks ago concerning the exaggerations of the Muslim threat from Marty Peretz's assistant, Jamie Kirchick of The New Republic and Commentary.

Censorship lifted on September 6 IAF strike inside Syria  —  Israel on Tuesday began to lift its strict veil of secrecy on an air strike in Syria last month, allowing the media to report on the raid without attributing such reports to foreign sources.  —  The censor did not release any other details for publication.

Oak Lawn Schools Cancel Holiday Traditions  —  School District To Discuss Cancellation Or Renaming Of Holiday Celebrations At Emergency Meeting  —  (CBS) OAK LAWN, Ill. A southwest suburban school district has taken action, responding to the concerns of a Muslim parent.

Palestinian Propaganda Coup  —  Last month, a French court heard an appeals case whose forthcoming verdict will have far-reaching ramifications for all who value truth and accuracy in Middle East news reporting.  The case involves Philippe Karsenty, a French journalist and media commentator …