It's hard to be a Democrat, don't you think?  There's no alternative, of course, but it's hard.  Someone asked me the other day to write something about why I was a Democrat, and I had no trouble making a list of 10 reasons.  Of course, five of those reasons were the Supreme Court …

Pakistan denies rumours Musharraf under house arrest - UPDATE  —  ISLAMABAD (Thomson Financial) - Pakistan's government on Monday denied rumours sweeping the country that the deputy army chief had placed military ruler President Pervez Musharraf under house arrest.  —  'This is not true.

Different Rules When a Rival Is a Woman?  —  A critical question in this campaign — how to run against a female presidential candidate, or as one — has burst into the foreground in the aftermath of a Democratic debate last week at which Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was repeatedly challenged by her rivals and the event's questioners.

Poster relates Che's dark side  —  One of the most famous faces of communism is getting a makeover this week, with a new poster designed to teach students the whole story about Cuban revolutionary icon Ernesto "Che" Guevara.  —  "The Victims of Che Guevera" poster, produced …

Uncle Sam on the Line  —  FOR almost two years, the country has debated whether the Bush administration acted properly and lawfully in undertaking emergency surveillance operations of suspected foreign terrorists on presidential authorization in the wake of 9/11.

First FAS-FAX Numbers: Many Top Papers Take Big Hits  —  NEW YORK The Audit Bureau of Circulations released circulation numbers for more than 700 daily newspapers this morning for the six-month period ending September 2007.  Of the top 25 papers in daily circulation (see chart, separate story), only four showed gains.

Should Illegal Immigrants Get Driver's Licenses?  —  Since this question seems very hard for Democratic politicians to give a straightforward answer to, I thought I'd try to think about it myself.  The problem with saying "yes" isn't just that it's unpopular, it's that it's unpopular because it sounds ridiculous.

Only America-hating traitors believe in due process for journalists  —  In 2001, Sami al-Haj was working as a camerman for Al Jazeera when he was detained by the U.S. military in Afghanistan and then transferred to Guantanamo, where he has remained for the last six years without ever being accused of any involvement in terrorism.

Inside the Beltway  —  'Imperial radicals'  —  For those who don't subscribe to cable TV, allow us to confirm that former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV was extremely critical of the Republican Party while appearing with his wife, Valerie Plame, the outed CIA operative, on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" this past weekend.

A Landslide Democratic Victory Would be Good News For Republicans  —  The optimistic Bowers: … I think we've had a generation of a political-media-industrial class which has been completely infused with a narrative of Republicans are ascendant/Democrats are in decline.

RWN's Ann Coulter Interview #4  —  John Edwards' campaign has fallen on such tough times that he has had to accept public financing.  Do you think the damage that you did to him in the running feud you two have gotten into has something to do with that?  —  If by "running feud" …

Consumer Reports: Geared for Combat  —  Consumer Reports: Geared for Combat  —  Installment One: Digital Cameras … This dispatch is in response to requests like the ones above.  This installment will focus on digital still cameras.  My opinions are well-informed on the specific products I describe, but I am no camera expert.