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."

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.

Worried Bin Laden Urges Iraq Insurgents to 'Unite'  —  Brian Ross and Rehab El-Buri Report:  —  Showing apparent signs of concern over events in Iraq, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden urged insurgents to "unite your lines into one" in an audiotape played on al Jazeera Monday.

Defending Islamofascism  —  IT'S A VALID TERM.  HERE'S WHY.  —  The attempt by David Horowitz and his allies to launch "Islamofascism Awareness Week" on American campuses has been met with a variety of responses.  One of these is a challenge to the validity of the term itself.

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 …

Obama, the Gospel Singer and Gays  —  A Gospel concert tour organized by the Barack Obama campaign on behalf of the candidate is stirring controversy among some gay activists.  —  The three-day tour through early-voting South Carolina starts this Friday and finishes Sunday with a concert …

Little taste of Russia: Little Green Footballs removes Ron Paul from their GOP Poll for "gaming" reasons then "games" C&L's Poll  —  You can't make this stuff up.  The righties were all in a huff over my Pete Stark post and yes-Charles Johnson, who attacked Jill Carroll after she was released …

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.

Conservatives Attack Gay Dumbledore; Claim Vindication For Jerry Falwell's Homophobia  —  On Friday, British author J.K. Rowling revealed for the first time that Albus Dumbledore, one of the central heroes in the record-breaking Harry Potter series, is in fact a gay man.

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.

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

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 …