He Can Act, but Can He Debate?  Untested Thompson Faces Rivals for First Time  —  In an unusual political season that seems to offer up a presidential debate every week or so, the Republican debate tomorrow is expected to offer something new: Fred D. Thompson.

Top Iraqis Pull Back From Key U.S. Goal  —  Reconciliation Seen Unattainable Amid Struggle for Power  —  BAGHDAD — For much of this year, the U.S. military strategy in Iraq has sought to reduce violence so that politicians could bring about national reconciliation, but several top Iraqi leaders …

IT GIRL TO SNIT GIRL  —  HIGH-RIDING HILLARY RIPS IOWA VOTER  —  NEW HAMPTON, Iowa - Surging in a new poll, Hillary Rodham Clinton urged small-town Iowa voters not to prejudge her based on what others say - then demonstrated her sharper side by eviscerating a tough questioner in a testy exchange.

Happy Columbus Day  —  James Carroll at Boston Globe, All glasses half full, all silver linings cloudy.  Put another way: … Carroll's quick summage of American suckage through history ... actually relatively upbeat as Carroll's America takes go ... and in the GWOT leaves out a couple of factors that make this a happy holiday.

Republicans Remain Deeply Distrustful of News Media  —  Democrats much more positive  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Republicans in America today remain deeply distrustful of the national news media — in sharp contrast to Democrats, who have a great deal more trust in the media's accuracy.

Same Old Party  —  There have been a number of articles recently that portray President Bush as someone who strayed from the path of true conservatism.  Republicans, these articles say, need to return to their roots.  —  Well, I don't know what true conservatism is, but while doing research …

He's back: Sandy Berger now advising Hillary Clinton  —  WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Sandy Berger, who stole highly classified terrorism documents from the National Archives, destroyed them and lied to investigators, is now an adviser to presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Hillary Will Trigger Stock Crash  —  I give political analysis, not financial advice.  But sometimes, the two closely merge.  So here's what I think: Hillary Clinton will cause the stock market to crash as her likely election as president approaches.  —  Hillary says she wants to raise the capital gains tax.

The Best Police Force in Iraq  —  RAMADI, IRAQ - In late July when I visited a police station in the town of Mushadah just north of Baghdad I worried that Iraq was doomed to become the next Gaza.  As many as half the police officers, according to most of the American Military Police who worked …

Right-Of-Center Bloggers Select Their Least Favorite People On The Right (2007 Edition)  —  Right Wing News emailed more than 225 right-of-center bloggers and asked them to send us a list of whom they considered to be their "Least Favorite People On The Right."  Representatives from the following 45 blogs responded...

From Bogota to Kabul  —  Did you know that in Afghanistan the US government is pushing a poppy-spraying plan that just so happens to be opposed by such trivial figures as Hamid Karzai and "American military and intelligence officials and European diplomats in Afghanistan."

Al Gore tipped to win Nobel  —  THE environmental campaigner Al Gore is being tipped as a favourite to win the Nobel peace prize in Oslo this Friday in a controversial move that could place saving the planet above saving people from war and conflict.  —  Gore, a former American vice-president …

Another U.N. Power Grab  —  What would Reagan do?  On the Law of the Sea Treaty, we know the answer.  —  It is an impressive testament to the abiding affection and political influence of former President Ronald Reagan that the fate of a controversial treaty now before the U.S. Senate …

Al Qaeda's War of Villages  —  Signs that the terrorists are losing in Iraq.  —  BAGHDAD—The latest chapter in al Qaeda's war manual in their war against the Iraqi people and the Coalition is this: raiding remote peaceful villages, burning down homes and slaughtering both man and beast.

Can Ailes Outfox CNBC?  —  Invoking Stonewall Jackson,  —  Fox Business Chief Prepares  —  To Battle Entrenched Rival  —  During a long and colorful career, Roger Ailes has dug ditches, advised Richard Nixon on his 1968 presidential campaign, produced off-Broadway shows — and started cable networks, notably Fox News Channel.

A Dutch Retreat on Speech?  —  And now we come to what may be a truly fundamental test, maybe even a turning point, for that part of the world generally known as the West.  —  The test is this: Are prominent, articulate critics of radical Islam, critics who happen to be citizens …