memeorandum: It's one small step from Brown's paranoid state into a police one (Simon Jenkins/Times of London)

U.S. Cites Drop In Attacks Since Buildup in Iraq; Bombs Kill 20 — U.S. officials on Sunday declared a 55 percent drop in attacks since the launch of an offensive nine months ago, while bombs across Iraq killed at least 20 people, highlighting the country's continuing security threats.

Discussion: Rantburg and Stop The ACLU

Agence France Presse:

Baghdad by night — juice bars, neon lights, bustling streets — The gaudy orange, green and purple electronic palm trees flashing in the dark alert you that you're getting close to one of Baghdad's bustling nightspots. — The palms, like a mirage, can be seen from way down the darkened streets …

Discussion: Doug Ross and PoliPundit.com

CNN:
Bomber kills kids getting toys from troops

Discussion: BLACKFIVE

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Tom Kean endorsing McCain in new push — Thomas H. Kean, who chaired the 9/11 Commission, will endorse Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for president on Monday as part of a high-stakes new push by the campaign to focus voters on national security, campaign sources tell Politico.

Discussion: The Van Der Galiën Gazette and Comments from Left Field

Marc Santora / New York Times:
McCain Takes On Clinton, With an Eye to Civility

Discussion: The Hill

Mark Silva / The Swamp: McCain: 'No other candidate has my experience'

Philip Elliott / Associated Press:
McCain equates silence with progress

Discussion: CNN Political Ticker and The Carpetbagger Report

David M. Herszenhorn / New York Times:

Democrats Say They Won't Back Down on War — Democrats in Congress failed once again Friday to shift President Bush's war strategy in Iraq, but insisted that they would not let up. Their explanation for their latest foiled effort seemed to boil down to a simple question: "What else are we supposed to do?"

Discussion: ScrappleFace, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, The American Street and Flopping Aces

Bean / Lawyers, Guns and Money:

My Uterus. A UPS Box. What's the difference? — Well, to the forced pregnancy brigade, there is no difference: my uterus is nothing but a glorified storage container, holding something until it reaches its destination (birth). Now there's proof: — Here's a transcript, via Trailer Park Feminist:

Discussion: Shakespeare's Sister and TBogg

Trailer Park / trailer park feminist:

You are a box. — Wow. If you ever doubted that the pro-life movement thinks of women not so much as people with individual personalities, feelings and responsibilities in life, but more as mindless, thoughtless containers for babies, this little video from InsideCatholic.com ought make it pretty clear.

Discussion: Feministe and Bark Bark Woof Woof

John Fund / Opinion Journal:

Mi Casa, Sue Casa — Nancy Pelosi tries to force the Salvation Army to hire people who can't speak English. — It's been less than a week since New York's Sen. Hillary Clinton and Gov. Eliot Spitzer had to climb down from their support of driver's licenses for illegal aliens.

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard, ScrappleFace and Betsy's Page

Simon Jenkins / Times of London:

It's one small step from Brown's paranoid state into a police one — Britain is not a police state but a nation with police state tendencies. In any democracy the dictates of freedom wrestle with those of security. Britons are a liberal people who want to be safe.

Discussion: normblog, Empire Burlesque, Samizdata.net and Observer

Peter Baker / Washington Post:

For Bush, Advances But Not Approval — The war in Iraq seems to have taken a turn for the better and the opposition at home has failed in all efforts to impose its own strategy. North Korea is dismantling its nuclear program. The budget deficit is falling.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Prairie Weather, NewsBusters.org and Crooks and Liars

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:

Group targets women via new channels — DES MOINES, Iowa - Even when Iowans do a Google search for "turkey," "champagne" or "stocking stuffers," the presidential caucus will be there, lurking like a holiday party gate-crasher. All will play a part in growing the number of Iowa caucus-goers.

Don Surber:

Name that party: Buckwheat — I doubt AP would have downplayed a Republican losing over a racist remark. — As a member of the MSM for most of my adult life, I should resent charges of a pro-Democrat bias in the media. Really, I should. — But then Melinda Deslatte of the Associated Press …

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard, TBogg and BitsBlog

Paul Krugman / New York Times:

Republicans and Race — Over the past few weeks there have been a number of commentaries about Ronald Reagan's legacy, specifically about whether he exploited the white backlash against the civil rights movement. — The controversy unfortunately obscures the larger point, which should be undeniable …

Discussion: Bark Bark Woof Woof

Peter Whoriskey / Washington Post:

Giuliani Hoping NASCAR Fans May Provide an Edge in the Race — Now, Rudolph W. Giuliani says, he "really" is a NASCAR fan. — The Republican presidential candidate is better known as a New Yorker, of course, one who as the city's mayor drew admiration associating with quintessentially New York passions …

New York Times:

U.S. Hopes to Arm Pakistani Tribes Against Al Qaeda — A new and classified American military proposal outlines an intensified effort to enlist tribal leaders in the frontier areas of Pakistan in the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, as part of a broader effort to bolster Pakistani forces …

Discussion: abu muqawama