The Decline and Fall of Western Civ. for 26 Aug

The Weekend Edition of DFWC begins with some cautionary news:

• Lori Lowenthal Marcus, writing in the Weekly Standard, states U.N. "peacekeeping" forces openly published daily real-time intelligence, of obvious usefulness to Hezbollah, on the location, equipment, and force structure of Israeli troops in Lebanon. Marcus also notes UNIFIL posted not a single item of specific intelligence regarding Hezbollah forces. Statements on the order of Hezbollah "fired rockets in large numbers from various locations" and Hezbollah's rockets "were fired in significantly larger numbers from various locations" are as precise as its coverage of the other side ever got.

• The Israeli government said Saturday it is asking friendly Muslim countries to contribute troops to the U.N. force that is to help police the cease-fire in southern Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, reports AP.
• Meanwhile, according to AP, Iran's hard-line president on Saturday inaugurated a heavy-water production plant, a facility the West fears will be used to develop a nuclear bomb, as Tehran remained defiant ahead of a U.N. deadline that could lead to sanctions.

• Despite aggressive efforts to repair the New Orleans levee system following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, reports the Associated Press, it isn't clear yet whether it could withstand a hurricane with heavy storm surge this year, the head of the Army Corps of Engineers conceded Saturday.

• According to Reuters, the fifth tropical storm of the Atlantic season, Ernesto, could become a dangerously powerful hurricane in the oil-producing Gulf of Mexico next week around the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, U.S. forecasters said on Saturday.

And ends up on the lighter side:

• WFMY airs a video of a motorist ticketed for "Driving While O'Reillying." Officers in Florida stopped a man for speeding and a loud stereo. During the stop, the man explains to the officer that he wasn't listening to rap, and he wasn't listening to rock and roll. He opines that since he was listening to Bill O'Reilly, it was ok to have it at top decibel.

• According to AFP. Lassi Etelaetalo of Finland beat out a slew of competitors to win the World Mobile Phone Throwing Championships title in Savonlinna, Finland, tossing his handset 89 meters (97 yards), organisers said..

• Here's a collection of offbeat videos from ROO TV.

• And finally, mister Sandra Bullock (Jesse James) proved once and for all that tattoos and a limited vocabulary a man does not make when he joined in the rants of anti-Bush posers worldwide, reports contactmusic.com. Now that I think of it, there's any number of good reasons why musicians and grease-monkeys aren't running the government.

Tags: Decline and Fall of Western Civ, Open Thread, Entertainment, Wire, Headlines
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Hollywood Nation: Left Coast Lies, Old Media Spin, and New Media Revolution by James Hirsen

BOOKS IN THE NEWS

Hollywood Nation: Left Coast Lies, Old Media Spin, and New Media Revolution by James Hirsen
(From the publisher) -- From the bestselling author of Tales from the Left Coast. Now entering Hollywood Nation, where fact blurs with fiction, virtue with vice

Now more than ever, stars like Michael Moore, Sean Penn, and Susan Sarandon are acting as self-appointed celebrity pundits, blurring the lines between entertainment and news to force their views onto the rest of the country. With their politically charged films, distorted documentaries, and skewed docudramas, they’re trying to set the agenda with little regard for the truth. Even worse, many so-called journalists are doing the same thing, dangerously mixing information and entertainment in an attempt to ratchet up ratings—and to inject their own views into the news.

In Hollywood Nation, New York Times bestselling author and media critic James Hirsen reveals how the New Media are leading the counterattack against the relentless liberal assault from East Coast newsrooms and Left Coast studios. Through his extensive research and exclusive interviews with news and entertainment iconoclasts—including Bill O’Reilly, Mel Gibson, and Ann Coulter—Hirsen shows how liberals are losing their stranglehold on political and cultural debates.

With a new chapter full of news about the ongoing Hollywoodization of America, Hirsen’s smart and compelling Hollywood Nation gives us ammunition for the battle to reclaim our country and our culture. .

REVIEWS

“This readable, eye-opening book…[reveals] the more subtle, unexpected, and utterly gratuitious means that Hollywood too often employs to transmit its political messages.” —Michael Medved

“Jim Hirsen’s keen sense of the entertainment industry and its warped outlook, along with his take-no-prisoners style of writing, is enough to send Streisand, Sarandon, and Penn into therapy for weeks.” —Laura Ingraham, nationally syndicated talk-radio host and bestselling author of Shut Up and Sing

“Hollywood Nation exposes the sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant liberal spin employed by so many in the entertainment industry to push their leftist agenda and anti–free market bias. Reading this book will let you go to the movies and watch with vaccinated eyes.” —G. Gordon Liddy, nationally syndicated talk radio host

“A well-researched, well-conceived glimpse of liberal Hollywood culture through the eyes of an Orange County conservative who clearly isn’t fooled by anything.” —Townhall.com

Buy now from Amazon.com:

Hollywood Nation: Left Coast Lies, Old Media Spin, and New Media Revolution by James Hirsen

James Hirsen Catalog

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Hollywood Nation: Left Coast Lies, Old Media Spin, and New Media Revolution

Tags: reviews, books, Headlines, wire, United States
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Combat Camera: Fri 25 Aug. 2006

SOLDIERS PATROL BAGHDAD

U.S. Army Sgt. Andy Paparella, right, from Tactical Psychological Operations Team 1151, speaks with Iraqi policemen through an interpreter before heading out on a patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jonathan F. Doti

U.S. Army soldiers with Tactical Psychological Operating Team 1151 conduct an operation near Forward Operating Base Falcon, Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jonathan F. Doti

U.S. Army soldiers with Tactical Psychological Operating Team 1151 conduct an operation near Forward Operating Base Falcon, Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jonathan F. Doti

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jose Carmona, of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, talks with local children near Forward Operating Base Falcon, Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jonathan F. Doti

U.S. Army Pfc. Alex Muszynski purchases snacks from an Iraqi shop owner near Forward Operating Base Falcon, Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jonathan F. Doti

U.S. Army soldiers with Tactical Psychological Operating Team 1151 and Iraqi police officers unload newspapers detailing coalition reconstruction efforts near Forward Operating Base Falcon, Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jonathan F. Doti

An Iraqi police officer hands out newspapers detailing coalition reconstruction efforts near Forward Operating Base Falcon, Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jonathan F. Doti

U.S. Army soldiers with Tactical Psychological Operating Team 1151 talk with Iraqi police officers at a check point near Forward Operating Base Falcon, Baghdad, Iraq, Aug. 22, 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jonathan F. Doti

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Paris Hilton: Paris

NEW MUSIC PICK - DECLINE OF W/CIV SPECIAL

SOUNDBYTE
Paris Hilton: Paris
(AMG Review 4 1/2 out of 5 Stars; AMG Album Pick) -- As everybody knows, Paris Hilton is famous simply for existing. Even before she was a household name the heiress to the Hilton hotel fortune was famous in certain circles, partially because of her pedigree, partially because she was at every exclusive party, partially because of her very name, an instantly memorable and malleable moniker that spawned T-shirts ("Paris Hilton Is Burning") and gossip websites alike (perezhilton, naturally). All this hipster activity was bound to spill over into the mainstream and it did in a spectacular fashion in 2003 when she and Nicole Richie — her best friend for life circa 2003 — starred in the reality series The Simple Life, which saw the two pampered socialites attempting to fit into the real world of Wal-Marts and roadhouse saloons. Just before the series hit the airwaves, a sex tape of Paris with her ex-boyfriend Rick Solomon was leaked to the internet and the resulting media hoopla of the show and the porn made Paris a bona fide celebrity. Pretty soon, she was everywhere and she began dabbling in almost every part of the entertainment industry, from film to fashion. What all these projects had in common is that they all featured Paris as Paris — even when she was getting whacked in House of Wax, she wasn't really playing a character — and in all of them her presence never matched her persona, which always was more compelling as seen through the prism of tabloids. She seemed destined to never deliver any project that would justify her fame, and it certainly seemed that the album that she spent two years recording would not be the project that would be a flat-out success — that prolonged gestation for a pop album nearly guarantees trouble of some kind.

Amazingly, that long-to-materialize album (it's hard to call it highly anticipated) turns out to be shockingly good — and not just according to a grading curve for actors-turned-singers. Read more.

Buy now from Amazon.com:

Paris Hilton: Paris

Paris Hilton Catalog

Download now from iTunes(USA):

Paris Hilton: Paris

Stars Are Blind Music Video

The Simple Life

Tags: music, entertainment, Review, Reviews, iTunes, iPod, download, Rock, Pop, Paris Hilton
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Friday Open Thread

Today's open thread follows up on a number of yesterday's newsworthy stories.

• A group of New York City officials blasted CBS and its hit series "Survivor" on Thursday, a day after the network announced that the teams on the new season of the reality show will be divided by race, reports AP. Washington Post columnist Lisa de Moraes says a sagging Survivor plays the race card.

• Speaking of NYC, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin defends himself from critics that say he’s taking too long to clean up his city after Hurricane Katrina by dogging the Big Apple for taking so long to rebuild Ground Zero, according to CBS News.

• The New York Times provides an update on the Holocaust International Cartoon Contest in Tehran.

• Hugo Chavez says Israel's action in Lebanon "worse" than Hitler, reports AFP.

• Keeping the Hiter thought in mind, France says 15,000 UN troops for Lebanon too many, reports Reuters. Given their military record for the last hundred years, I guess the French would know something about all about not having enough troops to do any job.

• The Jerusalem Post reports that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, if he ever became the supreme decision maker in his country, would "sacrifice half of Iran for the sake of eliminating Israel."

• The State Department is investigating whether Israel’s use of American-made cluster bombs in southern Lebanon violated secret agreements with the United States that restrict when it can employ such weapons, two officials said, according to the New York Times.

• The Washington Post provides a Friday update on tropical weather: One tropical storm is expected to stay in the Atlantic but forcatsers warn that another system could strengthen in the Caribbean.

Tags: Open Thread, United States, Headlines, wire, Middle East, Gaza, Israel, Palestinians, Hamas, Bush, UN, U.N., United Nations, Iran, War, Military, terrorism, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Hezbollah, Beirut, Palestine, Syria, Hizbollah
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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ. for 24 Aug

For three generations, schoolchildren struggling to remember the planets of the solar system have used a mnemonic, with the first letter of each word in a sentence reminding them of the order from Mercury, the closest rock to the Sun, to Pluto, the farthest. Pluto is no longer on that list.

• Farewell, pizzas and pickles: New solar system mnemonic needed reports AFP.

• Will Fox change MySpace? It's a question that has CNNMoney wondering.

• U.S. authorities have arrested a New York man for broadcasting Hizbollah television station al-Manar, which has been designated a terrorist entity by the U.S. Treasury Department, according to Reuters.

• The Daily Mail reports animal rights activists taunt parents of Britain's first known human victim of "rabbit flu", with telephone callers telling them his death was a "rabbit's revenge."

• AP and Reuters report that the owner of a restaurant named after Adolf Hitler said Thursday he will change its name because it angered so many people.

Customers relax in the 'Hitler's Cross' restaurant.

A security personnel stands guard outside a new restaurant, named after Adolf Hitler and decorated with posters showing the German leader and Nazi swastikas.

• Nine black children attending a Louisiana elementary school were directed last week to the back of the school bus by a white bus driver who designated the front seats for white children reports the News Star.
• According to AP, Milwaukee is listed as 'America’s Drunkest City.' Is the Brew City getting a bad rap? Nah. Tell us something we didn't already know.

• With a smooth transition into the next headline, New York's oldest bartender still mixing martinis at 90 reports Reuters.

• And now for some local color, a Maryland man whose hip was crushed in an auto accident on the Woodrow Wilson bridge will get to trigger the explosives to destroy it Monday reports the Washington Post.

Tags: Decline and Fall of Western Civ, Open Thread, Entertainment, Wire, Headlines
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Combat Camera: Wed 23 Aug. 2006

KOREAN, U.S. TROOPS AID AFGHANS

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Stacie Hill, left, and 1st Lt. Teah Paulino hand shoes to an Afghan girl during a humanitarian civil aid program hosted by Republic of Korea military personnel with the 924th Medical Support Group on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

A Republic of Korea marine assigned to the 924th Medical Support Group stands watch during a humanitarian civil aid program for Afghan school children at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

A Republic of Korea soldier assigned to 924th Medical Support Group hands out water to Afghan school children during a humanitarian civil aid program at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

Republic of Korea army 1st Lt. Park holds an Afghan boy's bag as the boy picks out a stuffed toy during a humanitarian civil aid program hosted by ROK military personnel with 924th Medical Support Group on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

Republic of Korea marine Sgt. Joon, assigned to 924th Medical Support Group, helps an Afghan girl hold her bag open as U.S. Army 1st Lt. Byron Oyler picks up a pair of shoes during a humanitarian civil aid program on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

Republic of Korea Capt. Kim, right, hands an Afghan girl donated items during a humanitarian civil aid program hosted by ROK military personnel with the 924th Medical Support Group on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

Republic of Korea marine Cpl. Kim Jae Bong, with 924th Medical Support Group, helps an Afghan girl carry her bag down the line of donated items during a humanitarian civil aid program hosted by ROK military personnel with 924th on Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Bertha A. Flores

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ. for 23 Aug

Here are some choice ditties:

• CBS News reports that the next season of Survivor will be a "A Race Among Races." The teams will be split into four tribes, each divided by race. Now, tell me again about those swimming challenges....

• Whatever you do, don't marry career women reports Forbes magazine. Included with the story is a slideshow illustrating deterrents such as: "If you do marry, you are more likely to get divorced." and "Your house will be dirtier." UPDATE: It would appear Forbes has agitated some folks with the article because it has vanished off the Forbes site! Click here for Rush Limbaugh's take on the whole tasteless mess.
• AP reports that the U.S. ends a 'Catch-And-Release' practice that for years helped many illegal immigrants stay in the United States unhindered.

• According to AP, a new service from Thomson Corp.'s Thomson Financial issues articles generated by computer software, using templates and "a rich thesaurus ... so no two stories are exactly the same," said Andrew Meagher, the company's director of content development. I just have to ask, is a liberal bias already written in to the software or is it something the computer picks up in college? Jayson Blair or software, Jayson Blair or software ... decisions, decisions.

• In a story so far ignored or buried by the Washington Post, the Iranian government is training and equipping much of the Shiite insurgency in Iraq, a senior U.S. general said Wednesday, drawing one of the most direct links by the Pentagon, reports AP. Has anyone seen Jayson Blair?

• CBS News reports that a leading medical firm has quietly recalled hundreds of human tissue products destined for transplants around the nation that were supplied by a North Carolina body parts broker believed to have a tainted history.
• Proving yet again that some headlines are best left as written, Reuters runs: Police crack down on striptease funerals...

• Police have charged a 14-year-old boy with misdemeanor harassment for meowing whenever he sees his 78-year-old neighbor, reports WSB TV in Atalanta.

Tags: Decline and Fall of Western Civ, Open Thread, Entertainment, Wire, Headlines
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Wed Open Thread

• Pandering to the mainstream media and proving why his poll numbers are low with voters in his party, Republican Sen. John McCain on Tuesday faulted the Bush administration for misleading Americans into believing the conflict would be "some kind of day at the beach," reports the Washington Post (AP). Correct me if I am wrong, but I recall the president repeatedly stating the U.S. project in Iraq would be a long one.

• With the rapidly approaching first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the mainstream media unleashes an all out blitz of coverage. Who wants to remember that mess? Having lived in Hurricane Alley since 1969 (until recently), I am here to tell you I've lived through quite a few storms (including Katrina) and not one of them have I ever celebrated the anniversary. I simply cannot understand what's going on in Louisiana. I wish someone would tell me why the liberal bastion that is Democrat run New Orleans allowed the disaster to happen. Furthermore, I want to know why we keep hearing of social fallout from the storm. I thought the Democrats had all the answers for those sorts of things. In any case, here's a sampling of stories in today's news: Bush: Katrina Recovery Will Take Time, Reports Document Post-Katrina Failures, Phonebooks Highlight New Orleans Changes, New Orleanians heap most Katrina blame on US govt

• Here's a story flying below the radar. The Cybercast News Service is reporting that Texas sheriffs say terrorists are entering the U.S. from Mexico. The chief law enforcement officers of several Texas counties along the southern U.S. border warn that Arabic-speaking individuals are learning Spanish and integrating into Mexican culture before paying smugglers to sneak them into the United States. The Texas Sheriffs' Border Coalition believes those individuals are likely terrorists and that drug cartels and some members of the Mexican military are helping them get across the border.

• Reuters reports that the Dutch have arrested 12 on US plane bound for India. It will be interesting to see the list of names of those in custody.

• Updating the plight of Fox journalists Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig, Reuters reports that the U.S. will not bow to militants holding Fox journalists. Reuters video.

Tags: Open Thread, United States, Headlines, wire, Middle East, Gaza, Katrina
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Dispatches from the Front, Wed 23 Aug. 2006

Lance Cpl. Corey Chiappazzi scans the horizon over the sights of his M240G Medium Machine Gun on the flight deck of the USS Iwo Jima as it sails through the Suez Canal on its way to the Central Command area of operations. Photo by Lance Cpl. Joshua Lujan

NEWSBYTES

General John Abizaid updates on on the global war on terror
Blogger Hugh Hewitt interviews CENTCOM Commander Gen. John Abizaid as he gives an update to the global war on terror.

Audio

CENTCOM CSM visits MND-B Soldiers
By Master Sgt. Eric Lobsinger
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq (CENTCOM) -- It was a typical day in central Iraq Monday when Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Curtis Brownhill, the command sergeant major for Central Command, came to visit the Soldiers of Multi-National Division – Baghdad. The sun was baking the ground at a steady 115 degrees Fahrenheit and Soldiers were in full battle rattle convoying throughout the area in humvees, Abrams tanks, Bradley and Stryker Combat Vehicles as others plied the airways in Aviation Brigade helicopters.

UNNAMED TALIBAN SPOKESPERSON MAKES FALSE CLAIMS TO MEDIA
KABUL , Afghanistan (CENTCOM) -- An unnamed Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan has made several claims recently to Afghan media outlets. Coalition forces have compared each of the claims with facts and information reported by Coalition troops on the ground in each of the provinces mentioned.

Combat Video: Battling Insurgents

Video: Freedom Watch Afghanistan Aug
This edition features stories on the reconstitution process and the opening of a new mosque. Hosted by Sgt. Tim Hanson.

Video: Demolition Clears Line of Sight
B-roll in this section about Combat Engineers clearing a tree line in Riyadh that was obstructing the line of sight for a compound nearby. Insurgents were using the tree line for concealment in an effort to launch mortars into the compound.

More News from CENTCOM

Tags: War, Military, terrorism, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, United States, coalition, photography, photo, photos, pictures, images, photojournalism, Combat Camera, Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, video, audio, CENTCOM, Dispatches from the Front
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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ. for 22 Aug Eve. Ed.

OPEN THREAD

• Paramount Pictures is ending its 14-year relationship with Tom Cruise's film production company because of the actor's offscreen behavior, the company's chairman said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal according to Reuters.

• Some headlines are just better than others, like this one from the ABC News: Psycho Killer Raccoons Terrorize Olympia

• In a breathless writing voice foretelling of the doom yet to come, Reuters reports, if you thought the sight of the great American jazz city New Orleans flooded to the eaves -- its people trapped in attics or cowering on rooftops -- was the nightmare hurricane scenario, think again the worst is yet to come.

• Man kidnapped for his grill allegedly held for a ransom to be paid in rims, reports the El Paso Times.

• Former President Bill Clinton turns 60 tomorrow.

• WFTV reports that a jumping fish injured two boaters Saturday when it leaped from the water, knocking one girl from the boat and breaking the arm of another passenger.

Tags: Decline and Fall of Western Civ, Open Thread, Entertainment, Wire, Headlines
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Combat Camera: Tue 22 Aug. 2006

A U.S. Air Force Airman watches as an AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile launches from the starboard side of an F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft during a live-fire exercise off the coast of South Korea Aug. 18, 2006. The aircraft is from the 80th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Korea. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Allen, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

U.S. Army Soldiers from the 20th Engineer Battalion jump from a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft during a joint forcible entry exercise at Fort Bragg, N.C., Aug. 21, 2006. The exercise is a U.S. Army and Air Force joint airdrop exercise designed to enhance inter-Service cohesiveness. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Denise Rayder, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

U.S. Navy Seabees help build a tent city and construct latrines in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, Aug. 20, 2006. Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Five have joined the multinational effort to provide humanitarian relief to the region after 15 days of rain caused large-scale flooding. DoD photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Philip A. Fortnam, U.S. Navy. (Released)

Iraqi army soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division prepare to board a helicopter for transport from a village near Mujahida, Iraq, Aug. 16, 2006. DoD photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jackey Bratt, U.S. Navy. (Released)

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ. for 22 Aug

OPEN THREAD DISCUSSION

• A Kentucky middle school teacher burns U.S. flags in class during a lesson on freedom of speech causing a local uproar, reports the Courier-Journal. The teacher has been temporarily reassigned to non-instructional duties pending a district investigation.

• Two live diamondback rattlesnakes were released in an Arizona movie theater during a showing of the new film "Snakes on a Plane," according to Local 6 News.

• Arthur Brooks, a professor at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Public Affairs, writes in the Wall Street Journal that liberals have a big baby problem: They're not having enough of them to replace the liberal rank and file.*

• Bob Dylan says something we already know, modern recordings are "atrocious," reports Reuters.

• When Osama bin Laden isn't plotting to destroy America he's apparently lusting after Whitney Houston according to AP.

• The Washington Times reports that hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons will be the host of a campaign fundraiser Thursday for Maryland Lt. Gov, Republican Michael S. Steele's run for U.S. Senate.

• Rap music blamed for teen pregnancy, according to the Daily Mail. No telling what liberals listen to when trying not to reproduce. (See * above.)

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It's Gingrich's to Lose in 2008: U.S. News

Sunday's Washington Whispers column in the U.S. News and World Report proclaims:

It's Gingrich's to Lose in 2008

Reporting on a new and innovative Zogby poll about 2008 presidential candidates, the numbers find former Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich way out front of fellow GOP-ers like Sen. John McCain and also finds moderates like former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner and far ahead of libs like Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The poll culls data from registered primary voters using brief biographies without naming the candidate.

---

Without her name recognition working for her, Clinton came in a miserable sixth out of 10. "It looks like the Democrats want to grab the middle," says Zogby, who says outside-the-beltway Democrats lean moderate.

---

The numbers break down like this:

Democrat rankings:

Warner, 14.8

Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, 14.2

Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold, 12.2

Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, 11.1

former Sen. John Edwards, 10.4

Clinton, 5.6

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, 5.3

Former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel, 4.9

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, 4.9

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, 3

Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, 2.8

Republican rankings:

Gingrich, 21.4

McCain, 13.3

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, 11.2

Tancredo, 9.9

Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, 6.1

Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, 5.8

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, 5.6

Virginia Sen. George Allen, 4.9

Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback,4.3

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 3.8

New York Gov. George Pataki, 2.8.

NEWSBYTES
Washington Whispers
(usnews.com) -- Posted Sunday, August 20, 2006

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Tue Open Thread

Here are some of today's headlines surrounding events in the Middle East:

• The Washington Post opens with the headline: Iran Reportedly Rejects Demands to Halt Nuclear Efforts
• On the other hand, Iran says it is ready for serious nuclear talks, reports Reuters and AP.
• Aljazeera reports that Iran offered a formal but ambiguous response.
• The Bush Administration is reclassifying Cold War information in order to conceal the U.S. arsenal, reports Arab News, implying that the U.S. is building up stockpiles of strategic weapons. There is no mention of Iran.
• The Middle East Online reports that a leading Islamist cleric says that peace in the Mideast is capitulation and calls for jihad against Israel.
• Iran's Navy attacks and boards Romanian oil rig in Gulf, reports Bloomberg.
• Reuters reports that an Israeli a cabinet minister said country must be ready for any Iranian attack.

Tags: Open Thread, United States, Headlines, wire, Middle East, Gaza, Israel, Palestinians, Hamas, Bush, UN, U.N., United Nations, Iran, War, Military, terrorism, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Hezbollah, Beirut, Palestine, Syria, Hizbollah
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