Joe the Plumber: ‘I think media should be abolished’ from reporting on war.»  —  Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, aka “Joe the Plumber,” is currently in Israel covering the war for the conservative site PJTV.com.  When asked what he has learned from his new experiences as a journalist …

Joe the Plumber is here, and he ain't happy  —  Samuel Wurzelbacher of Ohio, aka Joe the Plumber, arrived in Sderot at noon Sunday to show local and foreign reporters how to do it right.  —  “You should be ashamed of yourself,” he told foreign reporters.  —  “You should be patriotic …

Obama's allegedly “new” centrism and his ABC interview today  —  (updated below - Update II - Update III - Update IV)  —  The central tenets of the Beltway religion — particularly when a Democrat is in the White House — have long been “centrism” and “bipartisanship.”

Obama's Cheney Dilemma  —  Cheney pushed for expanded presidential powers.  Now that he's leaving, what will come of his efforts?  The new president won't have to wait long to tip his hand.  —  From the magazine issue dated Jan 19, 2009  —  Dick Cheney, who will step down as vice president on Jan. 20 …

Bush: I Personally Authorized Torture Of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed  —  In an interview with Brit Hume that aired today on Fox News Sunday, President Bush admitted that he personally authorized the torture of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.  He said he personally asked “what tools” …

Earth on the Brink of an Ice Age  —  The earth is now on the brink of entering another Ice Age, according to a large and compelling body of evidence from within the field of climate science.  Many sources of data which provide our knowledge base of long-term climate change indicate that the warm …

Sources: Voinovich to retire from Senate  —  From CNN's Dana Bash, Ed Henry and Mark Preston  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sources close to Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, tell CNN he will announce Monday he is retiring from the Senate.  —  The 72-year-old senator and former Ohio governor …

New Yorkers for Hamas  —  I was in New York this afternoon with the TigerHawk Teenager for a college interview.  Walking down 7th Avenue toward Penn Station, we happened across a large pro-Hamas demonstration that stretched for four blocks or so along the east side of the avenue.

GERMAN “POLICE” JOIN JEW-HATING MUSLIM MOB  —  Only one word comes to mind as I read and watch this: UNBELIEVABLE.  —  Wow.  In Germany.  Wow.  —  I read this story at the excellent Gaza war-posting blog, “Muqata,” and I was just able to dig up the vid on YouTube...It is obviously the same episode.

Obama: Gitmo Likely Won't Close in His First 100 Days  —  Closing Guantanamo Bay More Difficult Than People Realize, President-Elect Says  —  President-elect Barack Obama said this weekend that he does not expect to close Guantanamo Bay in his first 100 days in office.

Hail to the Faux Chief We Have Chosen as Rehearsal Stand-In  —  WASHINGTON — Politics and governance in Washington can sometimes seem like one big cast of characters play-acting prescribed roles and going through the paces.  Sunday morning was such a time.

Forgive Not  —  INSTEAD of looking closely at what high-level officeholders in the Bush administration have done over the past eight years, and recognizing what we have tacitly permitted, we would rather turn our faces forward toward a better future, promising that 2009 and the inauguration …

Big changes to Obama stimulus plan  —  President-elect Barack Obama tried Sunday to shore up support in Congress for his ambitious economic policies, with his top advisers offering concessions on his economic-stimulus proposal and preparing to detail conditions for how the incoming administration …

Bush Lead During Weakest Economy in Decades  —  Eight-Year Period Is Weakest in Decades  —  President Bush has presided over the weakest eight-year span for the U.S. economy in decades, according to an analysis of key data, and economists across the ideological spectrum increasingly view …

The Embrace  —  Jim Henley offers a provocative thought: … There's something to that.  According to the perverse rules of our post-9/11 discourse, willingness to verbally endorse the idea of having other people torture strangers counts as a form of courageous “toughness” akin to, you know, actually doing something brave.

Coulter addresses voting issue  —  Conservative scold Ann Coulter knows how this country should be run.  She may not be quite as clear about where she's supposed to vote.  —  The brassy pundit is facing new questions about whether she violated election laws.