Better Numbers  —  NEWS COVERAGE and debate about Iraq during the past couple of weeks have centered on the alleged abuses of private security firms like Blackwater USA.  Getting such firms into a legal regime is vital, as we've said.  But meanwhile, some seemingly important facts …

Gore Derangement Syndrome  —  On the day after Al Gore shared the Nobel Peace Prize, The Wall Street Journal's editors couldn't even bring themselves to mention Mr. Gore's name.  Instead, they devoted their editorial to a long list of people they thought deserved the prize more.

Washington Post Correspondent Dies in Iraq  —  A veteran Washington Post special correspondent was shot to death Sunday in southwest Baghdad while on assignment, the first reporter for the newspaper to be killed during the Iraq war.  —  Salih Saif Aldin, 32, was reporting on the violence …

U.S. House speaker vows debate on Armenian genocide resolution  —  WASHINGTON: The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives insisted Sunday that she would bring to the full chamber a resolution condemning the killings of Armenians nearly a century ago as genocide, even as a Turkish general warned …

X DON'T MARK THIS SPOT:  —  The Ideologues Have It (Mark Steyn, 10/14/07, National Review) … We yield to no one in our high regard for Mr. Steyn, but this isn't just profoundly wrong, but the citation of the Long Telegram in particular is an argument against his own position on the WoT.

White House Is Leaning on Interim Appointments  —  For now, the most powerful law-enforcement official in the federal government is a 47-year-old lawyer little known outside Washington.  —  Or inside Washington, for that matter.  —  He is acting Attorney General Peter D. Keisler …

The Epistemology of Kausfiles  —  Mickey Kaus' long post here about John Edwards' alleged affair with Rielle Hunter is almost self-refuting.  Basically, we have an anonymous source saying Hunter said she had an affair with Edwards, versus Hunter, on the record, saying that's not the case.

A Wife's Battle  —  When Her Soldier Returned From Baghdad, Michelle Turner Picked Up the Burden of War  —  M ichelle Turner's husband sits in the recliner with the shades drawn.  He washes down his Zoloft with Mountain Dew.  On the phone in the other room, Michelle is pleading with the utility company to keep their power on.

Lindsey Graham throws Lt. Gen. Sanchez under the Bus: "...his criticism is a bit astounding to me given his role in the war itself."  —  Let the GOP attacks begin!  Sen. Lindsey Graham wasted no time reminding the American people how awful retired General Sanchez' tenure was in Iraq.

DESPITE SHOWING UP IN PERSON, ROMNEY LOSES NEV. STRAW POLL  —  From NBC/NJ's Erin McPike  —  SPARKS, Nev. - Ron Paul won the GOP presidential straw poll conducted by organizers at the Conservative Leadership Conference held at the Nugget Casino this weekend "by a large margin," according to an organizer.

In Maryland, a Microcosm of Debate on Health Bill  —  Representative Roscoe G. Bartlett is confident that in voting against a $35 billion expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, he reflected the views of his conservative Congressional district in western Maryland.

DEBORAH SOLOMON: THE NEW JAYSON BLAIR Deborah Solomon's weekly short interviews in the New York Times Magazine are the most irritating possible example of the snotty, smarmy, smug and holier-than-thou attitude that pervades the entire enterprise that is the Times.

Rudy On Taxes  —  My roving New Hampshire correspondent has provided YouTube video of Rudy Giuliani at a New Hampshire town hall meeting making the supply-side case for lower taxes.  —  The first video is two minutes and the second is about three minutes.  For a quick flavor …

Positive News from Iraq: IGNORE THIS POST!!!  1!!  —  Petraeus Renews Arms Accusations Against Iran  —  Gen. Petraeus has renewed accusations that Iran is fuelling violence in Iraq.  He said there was "no question" but that Iran had supplied arms, training, funding and in some cases the direction for operations to Iraqi militants.

Breaking: Hobson Announces Retirement  —  Sources with the Dayton Daily News have just informed me that earlier this afternoon Dave Hobson of Ohio's 7th Congressional District announced his retirement.  Speaking impromptu at a birthday party, Hobson confirmed in public that he will not be seeking his 10th term in 2008.