Conservatives Are Such Jokers  —  In 1960, John F. Kennedy, who had been shocked by the hunger he saw in West Virginia, made the fight against hunger a theme of his presidential campaign.  After his election he created the modern food stamp program, which today helps millions of Americans get enough to eat.

The Republican Collapse  —  Modern conservatism begins with Edmund Burke.  What Burke articulated was not an ideology or a creed, but a disposition, a reverence for tradition, a suspicion of radical change.  —  When conservatism came to America, it became creedal.

Matthews says Bush administration has "finally been caught in their criminality"  —  Playing Hardball with the Prez  —  "Hardball" host Chris Matthews addresses attendees at Thursday night's ten-year anniversary of "Hardball," which took place at the Decatur House in Washington, D.C.

Berkeley Marine Center Draws Anti-War Ire  —  (CBS) BERKELEY Marine Captain Richard Lund recruits college students and graduates as candidates for officer positions in the marines.  But carrying out that job in Berkeley is not always an easy task.  —  He has listened to a variety of complaints …

Bush: U.S. 'does not torture people'  —  President responds to report that 2005 memo relaxed interrogation rules  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush defended his administration's detention and interrogation policies for terrorism suspects on Friday, saying they are both successful and lawful.

National Journal's Cover Story On Blogs  —  Back in January 2006, I authored a cover story on "The Rise Of Blogs" for National Journal magazine.  In this week's hot-off-the-presses edition of the magazine, Bara Vaida, a former senior writer for me at Technology Daily, follows up with another cover story titled "Blogging On."

Ahmadinejad: Let Jews move their country to Europe or Alaska  —  Millions of Iranians attended nationwide rallies Friday in support of the Palestinians, while the country's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Israel's continued existence was an "insult to human dignity."

Losing A Generation?  —  The number of young people who do not consider themselves Christians is growing, as is the hostility toward Christianity expressed by the next generation of non-Christians, claims a new book from David Kinnaman of Barna.org.  Money quote: … And so the polarization grows.

Netroots Nightmare: O'Hanlon Teams Up with HRC  —  When Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack of the Brookings Institution wrote in the New York TImes that the surge was working, they were widely criticized by the antiwar left, which went to great lengths to undercut their findings.

Client of the day: Blackwater  —  The firm of which Mark Penn remains president, Burson Marsteller, has raised eyebrows for straying a bit from core Democratic Party issues, with its involvement in an anti-union campaign and for representing a leading, troubled subprime lender.  —  But ... Blackwater!?

Dems Postpone Rollout Of Controversial Wiretapping Bill  —  Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the House Majority Leader, postponed a press conference announcing new reforms of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act after progressive lawmakers banded together and said they would fight any legislation …

Limbaugh leaves probation better, richer  —  No, Sen. Tom Harkin, radio talker Rush Limbaugh isn't back on drugs!  —  So says the state of Florida.  And Limbaugh himself, who told Page Two, as he enters his last month on probation for a narcotics arrest, that he doesn't even miss getting high and now feels like a better person.