Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West

Obsession Trailer

Watch Obsession, The Movie on Fox News: Sat. 4 Nov. 8PM ET, Sun. 5 Nov. 4 & 10PM ET

"Obsession" is one of the most powerful, expertly crafted and undeniably important films I've seen this year. This courageous, utterly gripping expose' deserves the attention of every American -- and merits serious consideration for the Academy Award for Best Feature Length Documentary."

-- Michael Medved
Nationally Syndicated Radio Host
Film Critic, "Eye on Entertainment"

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Combat Camera: Pirate Action

Indian Ocean (March 18, 2006) - Evidence of small arms fire impact is visible on USS Cape St. George’s (CG 71) hull after suspected pirates opened fire on USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) and Cape St. George. The ships were conducting maritime security operations in international waters off the coast of Somalia and prepared to board a suspicious vessel towing two skiffs. The suspected pirates opened fire on the U.S. Navy ships and the ships’ crew members returned fire. One suspect was killed and 12 were taken into custody. Coalition forces conduct maritime security operations to ensure security and safety in international waters so legitimate mariners can operate freely while transiting the region. U.S. Navy photo (RELEASED)

Indian Ocean (March 18, 2006) - Evidence of small arms fire impact is visible on USS Cape St. George’s (CG 71) hull after suspected pirates opened fire on USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) and Cape St. George. The ships were conducting maritime security operations in international waters off the coast of Somalia and prepared to board a suspicious vessel towing two skiffs. The suspected pirates opened fire on the U.S. Navy ships and the ship's crew members returned fire. One suspect was killed and 12 were taken into custody. Coalition forces conduct maritime security operations to ensure security and safety in international waters so legitimate mariners can operate freely while transiting the region. U.S. Navy photo (RELEASED)

Indian Ocean (March 18, 2006) - A suspected pirate vessel ignites in flames before burning to the waterline. USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) and USS Cape St. George (CG 71) were conducting maritime security operations in international waters off the coast of Somalia and attempted to perform a routine boarding of the suspicious vessel towing two skiffs. The suspected pirates opened fire on the U.S. Navy ships and the ship's crew members returned fire. One suspect was killed and 12 were taken into custody. Coalition forces conduct maritime security operations to ensure security and safety in international waters so legitimate mariners can operate freely while transiting the region. U.S. Navy photo (RELEASED)

Indian Ocean (March 18, 2006) - Rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and other armaments lay on the deck of USS Cape St. George (CG 71) after being confiscated during an early-morning engagement with suspected pirates. Cape St. George and USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) were fired upon while preparing to board a suspect vessel operating in international waters off the coast of Somalia. One suspect was killed and 12 were taken into custody. Coalition forces conduct maritime security operations to ensure security and safety in international waters so legitimate mariners can operate freely while transiting the region. U.S. Navy photo (RELEASED)

Indian Ocean (March 18, 2006) - Confiscated weapons lay on the deck of guided missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) following an early-morning engagement with suspected pirates. Cape St. George and USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) were fired upon while preparing to board a suspect vessel operating in international waters off the coast of Somalia. One suspect was killed and 12 were taken into custody. Coalition forces conduct maritime security operations to ensure security and safety in international waters so legitimate mariners can operate freely while transiting the region. U.S. Navy photo (RELEASED)

INDIAN OCEAN (Jan. 21, 2006) - The U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) follows a suspected pirate vessel in the Indian Ocean Jan. 21. After receiving a report of an attempted act of piracy from the International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur on the morning of Jan. 20, the guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) and other U.S. naval forces in the area located this vessel controlled by suspected pirates and reported its position. After some aggressive action by Churchill, US Sailors later established communications and boarded the vessel. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Information Systems Technician Kenneth Anderson (RELEASED)

INDIAN OCEAN (Jan. 21, 2006) - A boarding team from the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), approaches a suspected pirate vessel to conduct a boarding and inspection at sea, Jan. 21. After receiving a report of an attempted act of piracy from the International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur on the morning of Jan. 20, the guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) and other U.S. naval forces in the area located this vessel controlled by suspected pirates and reported its position. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Information Systems Technician Kenneth Anderson (RELEASED)

INDIAN OCEAN (Jan 21, 2006) -- Crew members assemble on deck aboard a dhow suspected of piracy after being intercepted by the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81). After receiving a report of an attempted act of piracy from the International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur on the morning of Jan. 20, the guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) and other U.S. naval forces in the area located this vessel controlled by suspected pirates and reported its position. After some aggressive action by Churchill, US Sailors later established communications and boarded the vessel. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Information Systems Technician Kenneth Anderson (RELEASED)

INDIAN OCEAN (Jan 21, 2006) -- Crew members assemble on deck with small boats in tow aboard a dhow suspected of piracy, after being intercepted by the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81). After receiving a report of an attempted act of piracy from the International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur on the morning of Jan. 20, the guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) and other U.S. naval forces in the area located this vessel controlled by suspected pirates and reported its position. After some aggressive action by Churchill, US Sailors later established communications and boarded the vessel. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Information Systems Technician Kenneth Anderson (RELEASED)

INDIAN OCEAN (Jan 21, 2006) -- Crew members assemble on deck aboard a dhow suspected of piracy after being intercepted by the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81). After receiving a report of an attempted act of piracy from the International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur on the morning of Jan. 20, the guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) and other U.S. naval forces in the area located this vessel controlled by suspected pirates and reported its position. After some aggressive action by Churchill, US Sailors later established communications and boarded the vessel. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Information Systems Technician Kenneth Anderson (RELEASED)

INDIAN OCEAN (Jan 21, 2006) -- Small boat under tow by a dhow operated by suspected pirates later apprehended by U.S. naval forces. After receiving a report of an attempted act of piracy from the International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur on the morning of Jan. 20, the guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) and other U.S. naval forces in the area located this vessel controlled by suspected pirates and reported its position. Churchill later established communications and boarded the vessel. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Information Systems Technician Kenneth Anderson (RELEASED)

INDIAN OCEAN (Jan. 21, 2006) -- Dhow controlled by suspected pirates intercepted by the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81). After receiving a report of an attempted act of piracy from the International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur on the morning of Jan. 20, the guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) and other U.S. naval forces in the area located this vessel controlled by suspected pirates and reported its position. After some aggressive action by Churchill, US Sailors later established communications and boarded the vessel. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Information Systems Technician Kenneth Anderson (RELEASED)

Coast of Somalia (Nov. 7, 2005) - Engineman 1st Class Kelly Franz, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Eight (EODMU-8), Detachment 4, prepares to board the cruise liner Seabourn Spirit to dispose the remnants of a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) that struck the cruise liner during a Nov. 5 attack by pirates near the coast of Somalia. The technicians determined that the object in question was actually the remains of a rocket motor and not the warhead from the RPG, which had detonated on impact. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kristine Smedly (RELEASED)

Coast of Somalia (Nov. 7, 2005) – The remnants of a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) shown after striking the cruise liner Seabourn Spirit during a Nov. 5 attack by pirates near the coast of Somalia. Personnel assigned to the U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Eight (EODMU-8), Detachment 4, boarded Seabourn Spirit while at sea to remove the RPG. The technicians determined that the object in question was actually the remains of a rocket motor and not the warhead from the RPG, which had detonated on impact. U.S. Navy photo by Engineman 1st Class Kelly Franz (RELEASED)

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Combat Camera: Marines Aid Iraqi Police

U.S. Marines with Security Platoon, Regimental Combat Team 7 provide security from their Humvees near the military housing complex in Baghdadi, Iraq, Oct. 22, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Michael Q. Retana

An Iraqi policeman posts as over watch security as fellow policemen receive new equipment to include shoes, shirts, helmets, handcuffs, and pistol holsters in Baghdadi, Iraq, Oct. 22, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Michael Q. Retana

Iraqi policemen receive new equipment to include shoes, shirts, helmets, handcuffs, and pistol holsters in Baghdadi, Iraq, Oct. 22, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Michael Q. Retana

Iraqi policemen stand and wait as their fellow policemen receive new equipment to include shoes, shirts, helmets, handcuffs, and pistol holsters in Baghdadi, Iraq, Oct. 22, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Michael Q. Retana

U.S. Marine Corps Col. W. Blake Crowe, right, Regimental Combat Team 7 commanding officer, presents Iraqi Col. Sha'ban, second from right, chief of the Baghdadi police station, with photos as a sign of friendship at the military housing complex in Baghdadi, Iraq, Oct. 22, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Michael Q. Retana

U.S. Marine Corps Col. W. Blake Crowe, far left, Regimental Combat Team 7 commanding officer, meets with Iraqi Col. Sha'ban, center, chief of the Baghdadi police station, at the military housing complex in Baghdadi, Iraq, as Iraqi policemen, background, receive new equipment to include shoes, shirts, helmets, handcuffs, and pistol holsters in Baghdadi, Iraq, Oct. 22, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Michael Q. Retana

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. C.S. Dowling, far right, operations officer for Regimental Combat Team 7, and other U.S. Marines, not shown, enjoy a meal served by Sheik Mulallah B. Hamreen Al Aubuidy at the military housing complex in Baghdadi, Iraq, Oct. 22, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Michael Q. Retana

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ for 3 Nov.

After reading: wash, rinse and repeat.

• The spectre of a nuclear race in the Middle East was raised yesterday when six Arab states announced that they were embarking on programmes to master atomic technology, according to the Times Online. The move, which follows the failure by the West to curb Iran’s controversial nuclear programme, could see a rapid spread of nuclear reactors in one of the world’s most unstable regions, stretching from the Gulf to the Levant and into North Africa.
  
  

  “Some Middle East states, including Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Saudi Arabia, have shown initial interest [in using] nuclear power primarily for desalination purposes,” Tomihiro Taniguch, the deputy director-general of the IAEA, told the business weekly Middle East Economic Digest. He said that they had held preliminary discussions with the governments and that the IAEA’s technical advisory programme would be offered to them to help with studies into creating power plants.

• Also from the Times Online, Iraq is bracing itself for another surge of violence tomorrow, when Saddam Hussein is expected to be sentenced to death for crimes against humanity.
  
  Iraq’s national security adviser, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, told The Times that the central provinces of Baghdad, Diyala and Salahaddin would be placed under curfew. “There are more security measures under consideration,” he added.

• In other nuclear news, the recent security breach at Los Alamos National Laboratory was very serious, with sensitive materials being taken out of the facility — possibly including information on how to deactivate locks on nuclear weapons, officials tell CBS News. However:
  
  

  "None of the documents in question were classified Top Secret," read a statement released by the lab. "None of the materials included any of the most sensitive nuclear weapons information."

• Russia proposed extensive changes on Friday to soften and shorten a U.N. draft resolution that would impose tough sanctions on Iran for its nuclear ambitions, U.S. and Russian envoys said, according to Reuters.
  
  

  "The Russians gave us a complete line-in, line-out version of edits," said U.S. Ambassador John Bolton. "We will distribute our line-in, line-out text later this afternoon."

• AP reports clambakes, crabcakes, swordfish steaks and even humble fish sticks could be little more than a fond memory in a few decades. If current trends of overfishing and pollution continue, the populations of just about all seafood face collapse by 2048, a team of ecologists and economists warns in a report in Friday's issue of the journal Science.
  
  

  "Whether we looked at tide pools or studies over the entire world's ocean, we saw the same picture emerging. In losing species we lose the productivity and stability of entire ecosystems," said the lead author Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

  "I was shocked and disturbed by how consistent these trends are - beyond anything we suspected," Worm said.

• However, the grim seafood outlook draws skeptics. Global fishing trends point to a collapse of most wild seafood harvests by midcentury, according to a team of international researchers who pored through historical data, catch records and studies to document the decline of marine species all over the world, according to the Seattle Times.
  
  

  "It's just mind-boggling stupid," said Ray Hilborn, a University of Washington professor of aquatic and fishery sciences.

  "I'm worried about some areas of the world — like Africa — but other areas of the world have figured out how to do effective fishery management."

  In a note to colleagues that was mistakenly sent to The Seattle Times, Worm wrote that the projection could act as a "news hook to get people's attention."

  "One reason why nobody cares about marine biodiversity is that there seemed no clear end in sight," he continued. "... Well, it's time to wake up — IF the current trend continues we will see drastic consequences in our own lifetime."

• JS Online reports vandals in Milwaukee wreck a house owned by a 92 year old woman. Every room in the home was damaged, causing an estimated $100,000 in destruction.

• The mystery of cars going haywire as they were driven along a windy coastal path in Norfolk U.K. has been solved, reports Sky News. The Ministry of Defence has admitted what locals always suspected - their cars were being zapped by a high-powered radar.

• ABC News reports a U.S. man who found 300 letters to God floating in the Atlantic Ocean says he will donate them to a church instead of selling them on eBay, following protests from religious people.

• Last and truly least, ROO TV presents News for Blondes video.

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Counterbalance for Fri 3 Nov.

"He was for the joke before he was against it."
The buzz inside the Beltway outside the mainstream:

• Where's Nancy Pelosi?

Nancy Pelosi is AWOL

• The editors at The Washington Post note that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi would bring to the office a level of left-wing liberalism that will be unprecedented. In the National Journal's 2005 ideological ratings, which were based on scores of votes, Mrs. Pelosi was ranked more liberal than 91 percent of her House colleagues on economic issues, 96 percent on social matters and 82 percent on foreign-policy issues. Here are her relative rankings (economic, social, foreign) for 2004 (93, 88, 81), 2003 (92, 89, 70), 2002 (88, 84, 90) and 2001 (94, 83, 93). Read it.

• Ronald Griffin, writing in The Wall Street Journal, says John Kerry picked the wrong people to insult.
  
  

  I missed the joke. You must forgive me, for there just is not a lot of room in my life for even good jokes--and there is absolutely no room for "botched jokes"--when the subject of the joke is my son who was killed in Iraq. I know exactly what came out of Sen. John Kerry's mouth, and in those words there is no interpretation required. His attempt to convince us--and, I believe, to convince himself that that there was really a botched joke buried deep within his insult is in fact a reaffirmation of his ever-present condescending nature. He actually believes that we are stupid enough to agree with him and start laughing simply because he said it was a joke. Mr. Kerry said exactly what he meant and meant exactly what he said. In those words Mr. Kerry did in fact wash completely away the facade of his support of our magnificent troops and revealed for all to see his true colors.

  John Kerry stands alone, to be judged by his words. He has given us the rare opportunity to look into the soul of a politician, and he has shown himself wanting, especially in view of the fact that he asked us to allow him the honor and privilege of leading our gallant military at a time of war. It is rare in life to be able to know the consequences of both sides of a decision. Mr. Kerry has clearly demonstrated what manner of president he would have been. Fortunately the American electorate denied him that high honor.

• The left consumes their own. Charles Hurt, writing in The Washington Times, notes that the left bloggers are ripping the Democrats for abandoning Ned Lamont, the anti-war Senate candidate in Connecticut. Lamont now trails Sen. Joe Lieberman by 10 points or more, and the highly energized bloggers who helped win him the nomination in August blame the national party.
  
  Liberal vitriol in recent weeks has been directed at some of the Democratic Party's most beloved figures, such as former President Bill Clinton, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York and even rising star Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.

• It would be a naive mistake to think this election will not change the way terrorists behave. The terrorists think they are on the verge of victory. The Counterterrorism Blog reports the As Sahab arm of Al Qaeda has released a new video of Abu Yahya al Libi.
  
  

  "In this seventeen minute video announced on November 1, 2006, on various jihadi message boards, al Libi eulogizes his fellow Bagram escapee Farouq al Iraqi, who was killed several weeks ago in Iraq. He calls upon Islamic scholars to join in on the battlefield of Jihad, chastising them for their lack of participation. He claims victory over the Americans is near.

  Visit the blog, read the transcript and watch the video.

• The Democratic Party's "New Direction for America" might attempt to steer government toward a sounder financial footing, but its course leads to $79.1 billion in new annual federal spending, according to a line-by-line analysis by a non-partisan taxpayers' group, according to CNSNews.
  
  

  "Americans should take note that proposals containing many political promises are likely to contain many tax dollars as well," said Demian Brady, senior policy analyst for the National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF), the research affiliate of the 350,000-member National Taxpayers Union, a non-profit citizen group founded in 1969.

  Citing a Treasury Department analysis, House Speaker Dennis Hastert stated that the Democrats' inaction would reduce economic growth by about $93 billion a year.

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Combat Camera: Eye on the Fleet, 3 Nov. 2006

Atlantic Ocean (Oct. 29, 2006) - Two CH-46 Sea Knights land on the flight deck during night operations aboard the amphibious transport dock USS Shreveport (LPD 12). Shreveport is currently conducting Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), an exercise designed to prepare the crew for their upcoming deployment. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Recruit Chad R. Erdmann (RELEASED)

Red Sea (Nov. 1, 2006) - An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the “Pukin Dogs” of Strike Fighter Squadron One Four Three (VFA-143), lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Eisenhower is deployed in support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO) and the global war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Dale Miller (RELEASED)

Red Sea (Oct. 31, 2006) - The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) as seen from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) as Eisenhower pulls alongside Enterprise for turnover. Eisenhower is deployed in support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO) and the global war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matthew D. Leistikow (RELEASED)

Red Sea (Oct. 31, 2006) - An HH-60H Seahawk helicopter assigned to the “Nightdippers” of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Five (HS-5), departs the flight deck aboard USS Enterprise (CVN 65) during turnover with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Eisenhower is deployed in support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO) and the global war on terrorism. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Dale Miller (RELEASED)

Key West, Fla. (Nov. 2, 2006) - Airman Robert Leggett of Strike Fighter Squadron Three Seven (VFA-37) performs a routine turnaround inspection on an F/A-18 Hornet at Naval Air Station Key West. The "Bulls," assigned to Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW-3), made the trip to Key West in order to participate in the Navy’s Strike Fighter Advanced Readiness Program (SFARP). This training exercise represents a “graduate-level” fighter pilot education in preparation for CVW-3’s upcoming deployment embarked aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Timothy Cox (RELEASED)

East China Sea (Oct. 30, 2006) - USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) pulls alongside the Military Sealift Command underway replenishment oilier USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204) before taking on fuel. Kitty Hawk, operating out of Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, is currently deployed off the southern coast of Japan on a regularly scheduled deployment. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jarod Hodge (RELEASED)

Red Sea (Oct. 31, 2006) - Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) pulls alongside the Enterprise-class aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) for turnover. Eisenhower is deployed in support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matthew D. Leistikow (RELEASED)

Persian Gulf (Oct. 30, 2006) - Landing Craft Utility 1656 and 1658 underway in the Persian Gulf performing small boat operations moments after departing the well deck of amphibious assault ship USS Saipan. Saipan is currently on deployment in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations (MSO). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Patrick W. Mullen III (RELEASED)

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Combat Camera: Fri 3 Nov. 2006

U.S. Army soldiers fire a 105 mm Howitzer during a fire mission outside Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq, Oct. 30, 2006. The soldiers are conducting calibrations of their cannons as they take over responsibility for indirect fire support for the base. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Sean A. Foley

Martial arts expert and action film star Chuck Norris signs a T-shirt for Cpl. William P. Kessler, 23 of Cedar Park, Texas, at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, Nov. 1. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Lynn Murillo

Iraqi army soldiers hand out backpacks filled with school supplies to students at a primary school in the Bayaa district of Baghdad, Iraq, Oct. 31, 2006. DoD photo by Master Sgt. Mike Buytas, U.S. Air Force. (Released)
U.S. Army Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment reload after firing an M119A1 105mm Lightweight Towed Howitzer Oct. 30, 2006, during a fire mission at Forward Operating Base Kalsu in the Babil province of Iraq. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Sean A. Foley, U.S. Army. (Released)

Army Pfc. Raymond Purtee watches the barren hills around him as he provides security from the gun turret of a Humvee during a patrol halt in Bagram, Afghanistan, on Oct. 27, 2006. Purtee is with the 561st Military Police Company attached to the 10th Mountain Division. DoD photo by Sgt. 1st Class Dexter D. Clouden, U.S. Army. (Released)

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Counterbalance for Thu 2 Nov.

"He was for the joke before he was against it."
The buzz inside the Beltway outside the mainstream:

• Where's Nancy Pelosi?
• James Taranto , writing at The Wall Street Journal, says Kerry's apology isn't really an apology at all. Here's a shorter summary of it:
  
  
  1. What I said wasn't really what I said.
  
  
  2. I'm sorry if you misinterpreted what I was saying by taking it at face value.
  
  
  3. Republicans suck.
  
  Why it is so hard just to say, "I'm sorry for what I said"? Watch Taranto in a WSJ video on John Kerry's meltdown

• Even some in the typically liberal Brit press notice that Kerry is not as smart as he thinks:
  

  The words were clumsy and, yes, an insult to American troops. I have no doubt that he didn't mean to say that US soldiers in Iraq are dumb cannon fodder but that's what came out. He was trying to say that Bush was stupid (though the Texan's grade-point average at Yale was higher than that of Kerry) – a jibe that plays well in Europe but not in much of Middle America.

  It would have been a minor blip in the final week of the campaign if he had apologised immediately and unequivocally and got the hell off the airwaves.

  I have sat in Humvees and Bradley fighting vehicles with black sergeants from Alabama, marines from Mexico and good ol' boy snipers from Kentucky in places like Fallujah and Ramadi as they described their hopes with an affecting optimism that belied the mortal danger they were in. In many ways, they embody what is great about America.

• The Heratige Foundation says liberals have the facts wrong when it comes to our troops. In 2002, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) suggested that poorer Americans and minorities are disproportionately represented in the armed forces. And just yesterday, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) claimed that those who don’t perform well in school “get stuck in Iraq.”

• Rich Lowery, writing in the New York Post, notes what a pathetic spectacle John Kerry has become. Twenty-four hours after his instantly infamous "botched joke," he was back in Washington - pulled off the campaign trail as shrewd Democrats hoped he would (please, dear God) stop trying to explain himself.
  
  

  Markos Moulitsas, the leader of the left-wing blogosphere from his perch at Daily Kos, pronounced himself much pleased: "Kerry responded perfectly." It was the blogosphere that encouraged Kerry to believe that what cost him the election in 2004 was that he hadn't denounced his detractors angrily enough.

  In the final analysis, Lowery says, Democrats are afflicted with the Kerry curse: a stark reminder to the public of the Democrats real views.

Amendment 2 Hurts Girls

• Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, chief spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq, on Thursday suggested there's a reason why Americans don't hear as much good news as bad news from Iraq, according to CNSNews.
  
  

  Caldwell told Cybercast News Service, ""Every time we get ready to talk about a good-news story [about a specific area where U.S. troops are operating], we go through a deliberative process, asking ourselves, 'Are we putting the Iraqi citizens at risk?'

  He said the U.S. doesn't want to give the enemy more targets. "We know that as soon as we announce [good news], the insurgents will immediately...target that, in order to discount it." He said the enemy is doing what it can to prove that Iraq is in turmoil and that security isn't good.

• Aaron Klein, writing in WorldNetDaily, says terrorists have a message for American voters: Please vote Democrat. Withdrawal from Iraq would embolden jihadists to destroy Israel and America.
  
  Everybody has an opinion about next Tuesday's midterm congressional election in the U.S. – including senior terrorist leaders interviewed by WND who say they hope Americans sweep the Democrats into power because of the party's position on withdrawing from Iraq, a move, as they see it, that ensures victory for the worldwide Islamic resistance.
  
  

  "Of course Americans should vote Democrat," Jihad Jaara, a senior member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group and the infamous leader of the 2002 siege of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, told WND.

  "This is why American Muslims will support the Democrats, because there is an atmosphere in America that encourages those who want to withdraw from Iraq. It is time that the American people support those who want to take them out of this Iraqi mud," said Jaara, speaking to WND from exile in Ireland, where he was sent as part of an internationally brokered deal that ended the church siege.

  Terror leaders reject Nancy Pelosi's comments on Iraqi insurgency.
  
  Many Democratic politicians and some from the Republican Party have stated a withdrawal from Iraq would end the insurgency there. In a recent interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, stated, "The jihadists (are) in Iraq. But that doesn't mean we stay there. They'll stay there as long as we're there."
  
  

  Islamic Jihad's Saadi, laughing, stated, "There is no chance that the resistance will stop."

  He said an American withdrawal from Iraq would "prove the resistance is the most important tool and that this tool works. The victory of the Iraqi revolution will mark an important step in the history of the region and in the attitude regarding the United States."

  Jihad Jaara said an American withdrawal would "mark the beginning of the collapse of this tyrant empire (America)."

  "Therefore, a victory in Iraq would be a greater defeat for America than in Vietnam."

• This just in at midnight: William J. Broad, writing in The New York Times, reports last March, the federal government set up a Web site to make public a vast archive of Iraqi documents captured during the war. The Bush administration did so under pressure from Congressional Republicans who said they hoped to “leverage the Internet” to find new evidence of the prewar dangers posed by Saddam Hussein.
  
  Broad says in recent weeks, the site has posted some documents that weapons experts say are a danger themselves: detailed accounts of Iraq’s secret nuclear research before the 1991 Persian Gulf war. The documents, the experts say, constitute a basic guide to building an atom bomb.
  
  The documents detail accounts of Iraq’s secret nuclear research before the 1991 Persian Gulf war.
  
  Last night, the government shut down the Web site after The New York Times asked about complaints from weapons experts and arms-control officials. A spokesman for the director of national intelligence said access to the site had been suspended “pending a review to ensure its content is appropriate for public viewing.”
  
  The documents, roughly a dozen in number, contain charts, diagrams, equations and lengthy narratives about bomb building that nuclear experts who have viewed them say go beyond what is available on the Internet and in other public forums. For instance, the papers give detailed information on how to build nuclear firing circuits and triggering explosives, as well as the radioactive cores of atom bombs.

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