How 'What It Takes' Took Me Off Course  —  MORE than any other book, Richard Ben Cramer's "What It Takes," about the 1988 battle for the White House, influenced the way I cover campaigns.  —  I'm not alone.  The book's thesis — that prospective presidents are best evaluated by their ability …

US is'worst' imperialist: archbishop  —  THE Archbishop of Canterbury has said that the United States wields its power in a way that is worse than Britain during its imperial heyday.  —  Rowan Williams claimed that America's attempt to intervene overseas by "clearing the decks" with a …

"A TONAL SHIFT"....This pisses me off: … A "tonal shift"?  Is this code for "they're saying the same thing as always but there's not much of a story in that"?  —  Look, if Patrick Healy has some actual evidence that Democrats weren't talking about political progress earlier this year but they are now, then fine.

A Time for Bold Thinking on Housing  —  WE have to consider the possibility that the housing price downturn will eventually be as big as that of the last truly big decline, from 1925 to 1933, when prices fell by a total of 30 percent.  —  As of this August, domestic home prices were already …

Giuliani defends Patriot Act, draws street escort from Ron Paul (anti-Patriot Act) supporters  —  NASHUA, N.H.—Attempts to cut back on government surveillance and "aggressive questioning" of suspected terrorists are irresponsible and undercut the country's war on terrorism, Republican Rudy Giuliani said this weekend.

A Travesty Of Justice  —  I do not know exactly who Bilal Hussain and do not know for sure whether the wild claims of the bloggy lynch-mob seeking his imprisonment are in any way merited.  That's why the justice system exists - in both civilian and military contexts.

DE PALMA IRAQ FLICK BOMBS  —  November 25, 2007 — IT'S hard for Hollywood pacifists like Brian De Palma to capture the hearts and minds of America if  —  Americans won't see their movies.  While the public is staying away in droves from "Rendition," "Lions for Lambs" and "In the Valley of Elah …

In Iowa and N.H., 2008 election more volatile than most  —  MANCHESTER, N.H. — Despite what many political experts, campaign officials and media outlets keep insisting, there's no frontrunner in either the Democratic or Republican race for the White House.  —  Huge numbers of voters …

Al-Qaeda kingpin: I trained 9/11 hijackers -  —  From his Turkish jail, a senior terrorist claims a key role in atrocities around the world  —  Insight: Chris Gourlay and Jonathan Calvert  —  IN a small windowless cell lit by a single light bulb, Louai al-Sakka sits isolated from the world and fellow inmates for 24 hours a day.

The Real Heroism: Restraint  —  In the 1920s and '30s, the American left was riven by multiple factions furiously representing different flavors of socialism, each accusing the others of revisionism and deviationism.  Leftists comforted themselves with the thought that "you can't split rotten wood."

Disabled veterans jeered at swimming pool  —  Injured soldiers who lost their limbs fighting for their country have been driven from a swimming pool training session by jeering members of the public.  —  The men, injured during tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, were taking part in a rehabilitation session …

David Duke's defenders and Vlaams Belangs defenders...just one tiny difference  —  The jewish people.  —  But according to Duke, this week, just the extreme jews.  (He insisted that his words only target "Jewish extremists")  —  Any buyers?  —  I thought not.

"Posterizing" the Democrat Party contest: Announcing the finalists  —  Submissions for the michellemalkin.com "posterizing the Democrat Party" photo shop/graphic art contest-parodying the Huffington Post's "posterizing the modern GOP" campaign-have poured in the past few days.

Fire destroys 49 homes in Malibu  —  The blaze, the city's most destructive in 15 years, burns nearly 5,000 acres.  Thousands are evacuated and six firefighters are injured.  —  The most destructive fire in Malibu in nearly 15 years raced through parched canyons Saturday …

Immigrant Workers Caught in Net Cast for Gangs  —  GREENPORT, N.Y. — It was still dark the morning of Sept. 27 when armed federal immigration agents, guided by local police officers, swept into this village on the East End of Long Island.  Within hours, as the team rousted sleeping families …

Many Americans still believe in conspiracies  —  Nearly two-thirds of Americans think it is possible that some federal officials had specific warnings of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, but chose to ignore those warnings, according to a Scripps Howard News Service/Ohio University poll.