Baghdad Diarist Was On Guard When Questioned by Editors  —  The soldier whose New Republic article about military cruelty in Iraq was labeled false by Army investigators refused to defend his accusations when questioned by the magazine, even after being told that the editors could no longer support him unless he cooperated.

In His Words: Giuliani on Torture  —  DAVENPORT, Iowa — At a town hall meeting here last night, Rudolph W. Giuliani expanded upon his views of torture.  Here is a transcript of the exchange.  —  Linda Gustitus, who is the president of a group called the National Religious Campaign Against Torture …

Bobby Caina Calvan Blog : the entire post with comments preserved  —  UPDATE: Good gracious, blogging since '97 and my first Instalanche.  Thank you Mr. Reynolds!  Thank you AOSHQ and the lovely and talented Michelle Malkin as well.  —  The entire site is 404′d, and the comments were the sweetest plum!

House Democrats Set For Vote on New Version Of Children's Health Bill  —  Just one week after failing to override President Bush's veto, House Democrats will put a new version of their $35 billion expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program to a vote today …

New Steps by U.S. Against Iranians  —  The Bush administration will announce a long-debated policy of new sanctions against Iran on Thursday, accusing the elite Quds division of the Revolutionary Guard Corps of supporting terrorism, administration officials said Wednesday night.

Soros-backed Medicare insurer raided by FBI  —  The St. Petersburg Times reports on an FBI raid of WellCare, a shady Medicare insurer...initially funded by far Left billionaire George Soros and run by one of his acolytes: … Wellcare serves Medicare and Medicaid customers-more than 350,000 seniors in Florida alone.

Dems Are Out of Touch on Taxes  —  Earlier this year, The Tax Foundation released a poll about the attitudes that Americans have towards the tax code.  It found that a majority of U.S. adults believe the federal tax code is complex, that the federal income taxes they pay are "too high," …

Ted Rall: Only Idiots Die in Iraq, US IQ Soars  —  Here's a look into the squirmy, ugly mind of Ted Rall, whose latest cartoon about US troops in Iraq says: "Only idiots signed up; only idiots died.  Back home, the average I.Q. soared."  —  (Hat tip: LGF readers.)

Time for the Bundesmacht  —  Remember the Wehrmacht?  It was a formidable fighting force.  The modern German army, the Bundeswehr, is also very effective.  Thing is, it is reluctant to fight or even place itself in danger.  —  Given history, that may seem just fine.

Educated Women Climb Aboard  —  An irony of Hillary Rodham Clinton's political career is that the women who resemble her most have often appeared to support her the least.  —  From her first New York Senate race in 2000 to her presidential campaign this year, Clinton has connected effectively with blue-collar and working-class women.

Biden Stumbles in Interview  —  In an interview with The Washington Post's editorial board, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) asserted that he is more prepared to be president than any other candidate, disputed the notion that governors are better suited for the White House than senators and warned …

The K-Drum Challenge  —  Kevin Drum wants to know what liberals are whining about exactly: … Here's the thing.  I can't guarantee that standing up against a corrupt, unpopular, and incompetent president's right to grant retroactive legal protections to large corporations for their complicity …

It's looking like Jan. 3 for Dems in Iowa  —  It looks like a decision could come as early as this weekend on a date for the Democratic version of the Iowa caucuses.  —  Radio Iowa's O. Kay Henderson is reporting this hour that the Iowa Democratic Party's State Central Committee …