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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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."

Peggy Noonan's Open Eyes  —  I've long enjoyed Peggy Noonan's work (except for one dreadful book even she must regret writing).  I don't always agree with her, but she represents for me that brand of blue-state conservatism that came of age in the Reagan era, one that was often Catholic …

Blackwater: "Newly Created Thug Caste"  —  (Naomi Wolf is the author of The End of America: Letter of Warning To A Young Patriot.  She has written extensively about Blackwater and joins us in the comments — jh)  —  Congress is finally asking questions of Erik Prince, the head of Blackwater …

President Bush Discusses the Economy and Protecting Americans From Terrorism  —  Fact Sheet: September 2007 Marks Record 49th Consecutive Month of Job Growth  —  THE PRESIDENT: I want to thank members of my economic team for coming in the Oval Office this morning to bring some good news …

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.

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.

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 …

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!?