My choice for president  —  A short time ago, I wrote in jest about what I would do if I am elected president.  Of course, that was written all in good fun.  —  Like most of you, over the summer and into the fall, I've been watching, listening, studying and praying about who could lead this country as our next president.

Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week kicks off; Update: Just in time for IFA Week...a new bin Laden tape  —  Update 4:00pm Eastern.  Megan Sego at UC Berkeley's California Patriot is liveblogging the Nonie Darwish event tonight.  —  Update 3:30pm Eastern.  A new purported bin Laden audio tape calls on jihadis to unite.

Beck: "[A] handful of people who hate America ... are losing their homes in a forest fire today"  —  On the October 22 edition of his nationally syndicated radio program, host Glenn Beck stated, "I think there is a handful of people who hate America.  Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today."

Resistance is Futile  —  October 22, 2007  —  Resistance is futile: You will be (mis)informed.  —  A gulf.  —  A gap.  —  A chasm.  —  A parallel universe.  —  All describe the bizarro-world contrast between what most Americans seem to think is happening in Iraq versus what is really happening in Iraq.

Mistrial declared in Muslim charity case  —  DALLAS - A judge declared a mistrial Monday for four former leaders of a Muslim charity accused of funding terrorism, after chaos broke out in the court when three jurors disputed some verdicts that had been read.

Bin Laden issues Iraq message  —  Osama Bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader, has released a new audiotape calling on fighters in Iraq to unite and stand shoulder to shoulder.  —  In the tape broadcast by Al Jazeera on Monday, a voice sounding like bin Laden admitted that mistakes have been made in Iraq …

Witch Creek Fire  —  We have been linked to by several other weblogs, and I welcome all new readers to this site.  I know most of you folks love my maps.  The base for them is this Google Map site that is full of interesting and useful information.  —  View Larger Map

Stalin, Mao And ... Ahmadinejad?  —  Conservatives have become surprisingly charitable about two of history's greatest mass murderers.  —  At a meeting with reporters last week, President Bush said that "if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing …

Dishwashers for Clinton  —  DONORS WHOSE addresses turn out to be tenements.  Dishwashers and waiters who write $1,000 checks.  Immigrants who ante up because they have been instructed to by powerful neighborhood associations, or, as one said, "They informed us to go, so I went."

Bloggers Without Borders...  Syria is a beautiful country- at least I think it is.  I say "I think" because while I perceive it to be beautiful, I sometimes wonder if I mistake safety, security and normalcy for 'beauty'.  In so many ways, Damascus is like Baghdad before the war- bustling streets …

The Worst 'Notable Quotables' of the Past 20 Years  —  To commemorate the Media Research Center's 20th anniversary this month, we've just published a special expanded edition of our 'Notable Quotables' newsletter.  This issue contains more than100 of the most outrageous, sometimes humorous …

Poll Tries to Measure Colbert Effect  —  You don't need The Fix to state the obvious: Stephen Colbert is everywhere right now.  —  Following the announcement of his presidential ambitions last week, Colbert has chalked up quite a run of political coverage, capping the week with an appearance …

Low Road to Splitsville  —  Right-Wing Publisher's Breakup Is Super-Rich In Tawdry Details  —  Looking for a perfect little weekend vacation this fall?  Here's a travel tip you don't hear very often: Head to Pittsburgh.  Right away.  —  Seriously, get in the car and read this story later …

How much did the Democrats suck?  —  Last week was, as I noted below, a terrible week for Democrats in Washington and progressive politics more generally.  And the consensus is that, for all intents and purposes, the Democrats blew it.  —  I think that's basically true, but worth examining a bit more deeply.

Democrats launch message offensive  —  House Democrats are launching a major message push this week in an attempt to reverse their sagging approval ratings as Congress tackles a heavy legislative docket before the end of the year.  —  Late last week, the top aides to Speaker Nancy Pelosi …