An Open Letter to President Obama from Michael Moore  —  Do you really want to be the new “war president”?  If you go to West Point tomorrow night (Tuesday, 8pm) and announce that you are increasing, rather than withdrawing, the troops in Afghanistan, you are the new war president.  Pure and simple.

Piling On Desirée Rogers—Is The Social Secretary To Blame For Two Ticketless Boobs At The White House?  —  There is an unwritten rule in Washington: If you want to last, don't stand out.  Those who do—think Tom DeLay with his cigars, Jack Abramoff with his restaurant—tend to get clipped before too long.

Why I Parted Ways With The Right  —  1. Support for fascists, both in America (see: Pat Buchanan, Robert Stacy McCain, etc.) and in Europe (see: Vlaams Belang, BNP, SIOE, Pat Buchanan, etc.)  —  2. Support for bigotry, hatred, and white supremacism (see: Pat Buchanan, Ann Coulter, Robert Stacy McCain, Lew Rockwell, etc.)

My mixed feelings about the war in Afghanistan.  —  Columnists are supposed to have firm views and express them with steadfast certainty.  Since I write a column called “War Stories,” the least a reader might expect from me is a clear opinion on whether the United States should escalate or pull out of the war in Afghanistan.

The right hammers Huck over shooting  —  The conservative blogosphere unleashed a torrent of criticism against Mike Huckabee Monday after a man whose sentence he commuted as Arkansas governor was suspected of gunning down four police officers in Washington state over the weekend.

Washington Times Runs Anti-Obama Birther Ad Featuring Racial Undertones  —  This latest national edition of the Washington Times features a full-page ad that claims that President Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States.  The ad was purchased by the anti-Obama website ProtectOurLiberty.org.

CBO: Senate Health Care Bill Would Raise Premiums 10-13 Percent  —  In another blow to Democrats' health care claims, the Congressional Budget Office released an analysis on Monday projecting that the Senate health care bill would raise premiums by more than $2,000 on the average family compared …

Video Shows Romanian President Hitting Boy  —  Romania's government “has collapsed and its economy is in shambles but its presidential campaign has been dominated in recent days by a video that appears to show the president striking a 10-year-old boy in the face,” the AP reports.

Supreme Court Overturns Decision on Detainee Photos  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday set aside a lower court's order that called for the release of photographs of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan being abused by American military personnel.  The high court told the lower court to re-examine the issue.

This is Great News!!!  For Progressives!!!  —  Chris Bowers is feeling kind of “meh” about the prospect of large-scale Democratic losses in the 2010 midterms: … Chris is one of my favorite bloggers and one of my first reads every morning.  In those instances where I disagree with him …

Did Obama Inadvertently Excuse Palestinian Violence?  —  This is what the President had to say after the Israeli announcement that 900 apartment units would be built in the South Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo: … Two issues.  The first is that this Administration, unlike previous Administrations …

Palin's Latest Rogue Gaffe  —  There have been so many lies and distortions pointed out in Sarah Palin's Going Rogue since it was released last week that her memoir has already become something of a gag line.  —  But perhaps the most embarrassing gaffe so far is her mis-attributed quote to UCLA basketball legend John Wooden.

The Unmasking of Barack Obama  —  The overseas reviews for President Obama's foreign policy are starting to pour in — and they're not favorable.  Bob Ainsworth, the British defense secretary, has blamed Obama for the decline in British public support for the war in Afghanistan.  According to the Telegraph:

NORTH STAR  —  Populism, politics, and the power of Sarah Palin.  —  The last time the publication of a political memoir aroused as much interest as Sarah Palin's “Going Rogue: An American Life” (Harper; $28.99) was probably in 1995, when Colin Powell's autobiography, “My American Journey,” came out.

Come Fry with Me — By: Mark Steyn  —  In order to save the planet from global roasting, it seems entirely reasonable to ask Mr. and Mrs. Joe Peasant to subordinate their freedom of movement to an annual “carbon allowance” preventing them flying hither and yon and devastating the environment.

UN marks November 29 ‘day of mourning’  —  While Israel celebrates date on which it was given a state by UN, latter plans anti-Israeli resolutions  —  WASHINGTON - The UN is currently marking the historic date of November 29 1947, the day in which it approved the partition plan separating Israel into two states - Jewish and Arabic.

Rick Warren, Silent Enabler Of Hatred  —  One of Rick Warren's (and president George W. Bush's) longtime allies in Uganda, Martin Ssempe, is the author of a classic piece of minority-baiting legislation.  Its details belong in the history of genocidal hatred:

Obama's Winning First Year—And Palin As Worst Veep  —  Over at Slate, my friend Jacob Weisberg makes a compelling argument that Obama is having the most successful first year of any president since FDR.  He notes that a lot of that argument depends on the passage of health care reform, which, I think, remains a pretty good bet.