That was then, this is now.

The Washington Times has a great editorial pointing out the dems hypocrisy concerning the filibuster. Senator Joe (I plagiarize) Biden even argued on the senate floor that all judicial nominations should receive an up or down vote. Here's what he said on the senate floor in 1997.

"[I]t is totally appropriate for any U.S. senator to voice his or her opposition to any nominee for the court ...But I also respectfully suggest that everyone who is nominated is entitled to have a shot, to have a hearing and to have a shot to be heard on the floor and have a vote on the floor...It is totally appropriate for Republicans to reject every single nominee if they want to. That is within their right. But it is not . . . appropriate not to have hearings on them, not to bring them to the floor and not to allow a vote."

Who is the Pope?

No this post isn't going to reveal some damaging report from the Pope's youth... while...actually, I guess it is.
From BOTW, students at a school where Ratzinger, taught before they were born are revealing all sorts of things:

"It's going to be interesting to see what he does," said Thomas Burchard, a 20-year-old Protestant studying for the ministry. "He's very conservative and, like the Catholic Church, he goes against what the Bible says."

Whoa... somebody stop the presses. The Pope agrees with Catholic doctrine. But it turns out imao already knew that:

All the (generated) controversy over Pope Benedict XVI is that he's a hardliner against abortion, against euthanasia, against ordaining women, against homosexual activity, and against priests marrying. In other words, THE POPE IS CATHOLIC!!!

It's a little late to warn us now!

Luckily, imao redeems itself by offering some good'ole tolerant choices for the next available papacy.
More on the Pope being Catholic...

The Politics of Vocab

More on obivous media bias. BOTW has recently been pointing out cases of the media bending over backwards in order to avoid refering to unborn children as such, replacing baby, child, etc with fetus. While that is the proper medical term, it's not necessarily the most neutral one:

As we've chronicled extensively, news organizations bend over backward to use the term fetus, often with ridiculous results. Isn't the more "political" term the one that differs from common usage? Has a pregnant woman ever said, "The fetus is kicking"? For that matter, has a woman choosing an abortion ever said, "I don't want the fetus"? Any reporter who uses the term fetus where an ordinary person would say child or baby might as well stick a pro-choice bumper sticker right underneath his byline.

Liberals vs the Lord

Great insight on the papal "contoversy" from reader Roger Gore in opinionjournal. Gore chiefly addresses those like Andrew Sullivan, who are Catholic themselves. (italics are Taranto)

I am not Catholic, but it seems to me that if the pope is really God's mouthpiece on the earth--as the Catholic Church claims he is--then why the dissent? Either the man speaks for God, or he does not. If he does, the dissent is at best foolish, for who in his right mind would think to argue with Almighty God over his own doctrine? Can God really be lobbied, swayed, and convinced over same-sex marriage, condoms, celibacy, etc.? If the pope does not speak for God, then the Catholic Church is void of its stated "divine authority," and so why have a pope to begin with?"
...If you're not Catholic, and especially if you're an atheist or agnostic, then it makes sense to regard the church as just another worldly institution. After all, you don't believe in papal infallibility or the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit. But if you do believe in these ideas, what could it mean that you oppose the new pope and his adherence to tradition, other than that you're disappointed in or angry at God for not changing his mind?

Amazing insight from the internet.

Voinavich- No Comment

Republican Senator George Voinavich of Ohio shocked republicans when he joined democrats and decided not to send the Bolton nomination to the rest of the Senate for a final vote. Apparently, he did so because of a few, unsubstantiated hearsay accusations that surfaced last minute. All it took was an hour of whining from democrats in one committee meeting that made him fold like a wet noodle. Keep in mind that he failed to attend the other two hearings.

There are also reports that Voinavich switched his vote behind the other Rebublicans' backs, catching them by surprise when the vote finally came.

I called Voinavich's office today to see if they were planning on issuing any press release, explaining his actions. They told me that they had not issued such a release and that they were not planning to. How convenient, stab republicans in the back and then plead the fifth.

I strongly urge everyone to call his office and voice their disapproval of Voinavich's actions:
(202) 224-3353.

Here's more on the Bolton nomination.

--ED--
Here's even more.

Courage

Here's a spectacular account of how marines in a remote Iraqi base defended themselves against an organized suicide attack involving, get this, a firetruck filled with explosives.

Butler, 21, of Altoona, Pa., was temporarily deafened by the blast, but he recalled what came next with cinematic clarity. The white smoke parted to reveal a clean red fire engine. It sped past a mural bidding travelers "Goodbye From Free Iraq" and hurtled directly toward Butler, who shot at the fire engine until it exploded about 40 yards away from him....

About 45 seconds after the dump truck exploded, its purpose became clear: It was to serve as a battering ram to clear the base entrance for the fire engine.

The firetruck had become something of a phantom for India Company. The Marines had heard that insurgents might use one as a suicide bomb. For two months, they had been warned by commanders to be on the lookout for a firetruck, but it had never been seen and some Marines had concluded it wasn't real.

Now, the fire engine was roaring north along the West End. "When I seen it, my heart stopped," said Lance Cpl. Sebastian Lankiewicz, 20, also of Queens. "It was like I was looking at the Grim Reaper himself coming down freakin' West End."

The fire engine followed the same route the dump truck had taken, turning left at the fork, going beneath the arches and roaring toward the entrance to the base. Butler, who had staggered to his feet, could hear it before he could see it, the whining diesel engine getting louder behind a cloud of smoke.

"It was like a movie," he said. "It reminded me of 'Lethal Weapon.' The smoke was all there and then he just rolled through it, just like in the movie." Smoke "just rolled off the windows. I couldn't believe what was happening."

Suddenly it was upon him, and Butler could see inside the vehicle. "It had two individuals in it," he said. "They were dressed in all black, and their faces were veiled and covered. I could see the slits of their eyes." . . .

Read the whole account.

Lost Credibility

More on the media's loss of credibilty (hat-tip foxnews). This time, the Boston Globe has "cut ties" with a freelance writer, who penned an article on a Canadian seal hunt. She described "Hunters on about 300 boats converged on ice floes, shooting harp seal cubs by the hundreds, as the ice and water turned red." But the hunt hadn't taken place yet; it was postponed due to poor weather. From the Globe,

Foreign Editor Jim Smith reached Stewart on Thursday morning. "She's very upset and distraught about what happened," he said.

Is upset that they postponed the hunt, or is she somehow distraught to find that she fabricated the news? Some gatekeeper.
Barbara Stewart is a former metro writer at the NYTimes ('94-'04).

Alternative Lifestyles

From the NYTimes, comes this report on a new club at Princeton.

Yet another alternate sexual lifestyle is being promoted by a group of Princeton
undergraduates: one of chastity and abstinence outside of marriage.

There's a problem with the Times characterization of chastity as an "alternate lifestyle." An alternate needs a standard, something for it to be an alternative to. When assorted sexual practices want legitimazation, they promote themselves as alternative lifestyles. They want to be seen as just another way of doing the same old thing. Apparently this has been going on for so long, that even the NYTimes has forgotten what these lifestyles are alternatives to; chastity and abstinence outside of marriage.

PP (post-post), I forgot to call attention to the most important part of chastity, fidelity in marriage.

Run Hillary Run!!!

Jay Cost from the opionjournal has a great article. The title says it all: "Everyone thinks Mrs. Clinton is a brilliant politician. That proves she isn't."

Here's a few other highlights:

If her political accomplishments are unimpressive, why is she so feared? Why is she seen to be a political genius? The answer to this question eluded me for a long time, perhaps because it is so simple. The plain fact is that Hillary Clinton is actually one of the worst politicians in national politics today. She is feared as a brilliant politician only because she is such an obvious politician, which is actually the key mark of a bad politician. ...

On the ability of good politicians to gradually move to the center:

Hillary's movement is a big deal first and foremost because everybody notices her movement. Mr. Frist and others do not get noticed because, while one can identify their political movements through systematic evaluation of their voting records, their positioning is more subtle. But not Hillary's. There is nothing subtle about her strategic positioning. Not a thing. Everybody talks about Hillary's political calculations not because they are brilliant but because they are obvious, because everything about Hillary screams "political calculation." There is nothing organic to her politics; it all seems artificial.

This is the sign of a bad politician. All politicians do the same things. They all change their views. They all move with the political currents. They are all flexible and pragmatic. What differentiates the good politician from the bad one is that you never notice that the good one is pragmatic....

This is Hillary's fundamental problem. She is a bad politician because she has a lousy style. She seems, always and everywhere, like an affected, calculating politician. ... People have been talking about her for 2008 or 2012 since the day she announced for the Senate. Everything she does is filtered through that prism. It is an operating assumption for everybody--liberal or conservative--that Hillary calculates in almost exclusively political terms.

That everybody assumes the political when it comes to Hillary is a sign that her style is ineffective. Style is supposed to convince people that this guy (or gal) is one of the "good ones." It is supposed to build the idea that while most politicians act according to strategic calculations and follow the maxims of pragmatism, my congressman does not. Hillary actually has the opposite effect. People think that Hillary is more political than the average politician!

Cause and Effect

I've read some stuff by Willaim Raspberry, and it's usually pretty good. But today's article is almost as misguided as it is shrill. Raspberry is upset with Fox News and sees grave danger in their popularity.
His main fear:

The ... far more dangerous... effect is that it threatens to destroy public confidence in all news. ...I think the plan is not so much to convince the public that its particular view is correct but rather to sell the notion that what FNC presents is just another set of biases, no worse (and for some, a good deal better) than the biases that routinely drive the presentation of the news on ABC, CBS or NBC -- and, by extension, the major newspapers.

Mr. Raspberry is afraid that if journalists are seen as partisan or agenda driven, they won't be taken seriously as "seekers of truth." And he's right.
The problem is Willie, you journalists might see yourselves as seekers of truth, but you promote yourselves as "sources of truth." (see next paragraph) Your arragance, the idea that you alone have the corner on truth, that you should be the "gatekeepers" of the news, makes you look like midevil clergy, trying to keep the Bible away from the masses. Really you're just trying to keep yourselves in power.
Fox News isn't causing the lack of respect for your honored profession. They're just taking advantage of your mistakes. You seem to ignore the CBS hit-pieces and the documented liberal leanings of most journalists. If you want someone to blame for your loss of credibility, don't look too far.

Rachel Corrie's Parents File Suit Against Caterpillar, Inc.

It turns out that Rachel Corrie's parents, along with the Seattle University Human Rights Clinic, have filed suit against the Caterpillar company for selling it's modified bulldozers to the Israeli Defense Forces.

“CAT is aiding and abetting war crimes, and so it can be held accountable for foreseeable consequences of those crimes,” said Gwynne Skinner, adjunct professor at the SU Human Rights Law Clinic and primary counsel on the Corrie case.
Corrie was killed Mar. 16, 2003, in Rafah, part of the Israeli-occupied territory of Palestine. She was a part of a nonviolent group working to promote Palestinian human rights, namely trying to intercept and end illegal bulldozing of Palestinian homes by the Israeli Defense Force. She was standing in front of a home belonging to the Nasrallah family when the bulldozer hit.

Whether the particular bulldozer that killed Corrie was actually attempting to demolish a home at that time is in dispute. "Of course, Israel was using the bulldozer not to 'demolish homes and endanger people' but to destroy a tunnel that Palestinian Arab terrorists were using to smuggle in weapons from Egypt, for the purpose of murdering Israeli civilians," writes the opinionjounral.

Bolton vs the UN

I really don't know very much about John Bolton, but if he can get liberals this worked up... he must be doing something right.
From the Nytimes (ed- by opinionjournal):

. . . outrageous . . . withering disdain . . . just as disturbing . . . Mr. Bush's rewarding loyalty rather than holding officials accountable for mistakes . . . added reasons for denying the job to Mr. Bolton . . . false claims about a weapons program in another nation . . . a detailed indictment of his views . . . long public record of attacking the United Nations . . . Mr. Bolton's lamentation . . . Mr. Bolton's contempt for that process . . . misrepresenting intelligence on Cuba . . . That sounds scary, but it was not true. . . . Mr. Bolton became enraged . . . attempts to dodge accountability . . . almost comical . . . not remotely believable . . . nifty theme music . . . flatly contradicted Mr. Bolton's claim . . . the way the administration vilified another intelligence officer . . . a "kiss-up, kick-down sort of guy" . . . intimidation had had a lasting effect . . . the "no harm, no foul" ploy, saying his misbehavior shouldn't count . . . With America's credibility as low as it is . . .

But imao is right, what's up with the mustache?

"But what will other countries think?" Senatorette Boxed exclaimed.
Bolton pointed to his face. "Does this look like the mustache of a man who cares what other people think?"

NYTimes Op/Eds

Thomas Friedman has an interesting piece, explaining how America has been kept safe because of GWB's policy of taking the fight to the terrorists. The best line:

It is not only that the Bush administration has taken the fight to the enemy, but that the enemy has welcomed that fight.

Funny how this completely contradicts this NYTimes op/ed :

We do not need to hear further justification of his invasion of Iraq. It seems clear to us that the whole war is a mistake, a detour from hunting down terrorists that was undertaken on the basis of wrong information and is likely in the end to do far more harm than good when it comes to ending fanaticism in the Middle East.

Nicholas Kristof explains that the media needs to restore it's credibility, and has a few good ideas that might help. He even uses the D word and uses it to mean diversity of opinion, which is the most important type:

...our failure to hire more red state evangelicals limits our understanding of and ability to cover America today.

Kristof does ignore completely the actual cases of falsified reporting and/or collusion with totalitarian regimes that prompts people to question their news, but all in all, I was pleasantly surprised by the recent op/ed pages.

MSM = Totalitarian Tool

From foxnews, exposing the NYTimes for co-sponsoring Castro's propoganda:

The Times issued a statement saying that they were co-sponsoring the event because their readers “appreciate a diversity of thought and opinions in culture.”But are their readers getting a diversity of opinions? The festival won’t let any Cuban dissident films be shown. So much for diversity.
Cuban American filmmaker Ivan Acosta is incensed that the New York Times is endorsing a censored vision of Cuba: "They have a duty of investigating and finding out what is going on, instead of being useful idiots."

At least when CNN and CBS sell out, it gets them access to anti-american news stories. What's the Times getting?

Soldiers face real 'die-in' in Iraq

The other day, a number of students at the University of Ohio decided to stage a "die-in" to protest the Iraq War. Marc Fencil, a former student of the school caught wind of the protest and wrote a scathing article to the campus paper. Here are a few segments:

It's a shame that I'm here in Iraq with the Marines right now and not back at Ohio University completing my senior year and joining in blissful ignorance with the enlightened, war-seasoned protesters who participated in the recent "die-in" at College Gate. It would appear that all the action is back home, but why don't we make sure? That's right, this is an open invitation for you to cut your hair, take a shower, get in shape and come on over! . . .

You need to get here quick because I don't want you to miss a thing. You missed last month's discovery of a basement full of suicide vests from the former regime (I'm sure Saddam's henchmen just wore them because they were trendy though). You weren't here for the opening of a brand new school we built either. You might also notice women exercising their new freedom of walking to the market unaccompanied by their husbands.

There is a man here, we just call him al-Zarqawi, but we think he'd be delighted to sit down and give you some advice on how you can further disrespect the victims of Sept. 11 and the 1,600 of America's bravest who have laid down their lives for a safer world. . . .

I'm warning you though -it's not going to be all fun and games over here. You might have bad dreams for the next several nights after you zip up the body bag over a friend's disfigured face.. . .

If you decide to decline my offer, then at least you should sleep well tonight knowing that men wearing black facemasks and carrying AK-47s yelling "Allahu Akbar" over here are proud of you and are forever indebted to you for advancing their cause of terror. While you ponder this, I'll get back to the real "die-in" over here. I don't mind.

hattip opinionjournal.

More UN Fun

Here's three posts in one!
opinionjournal exposes the true liberal feelings for the UN.

The Washington Post's Dana Milbank gives the game away, though:
"Most Republicans skipped the hearing, leaving Democrats largely unchallenged as they assailed Bolton's knack for making enemies and disparaging the very organization he would serve."
That would be the U.N.--but of course the American ambassador to the U.N. is supposed to serve America, not the U.N.

Imao has a pretty funny (and accurate) T'shirt for sale. Top-ten UN slogans.

And islam-online had the same article cited in the previous post. With two very interesting differences.

The French Organization against Islamophobia (CCIF)... listed a considerable number of internet sites spreading anti-Muslim propaganda.

Apparently, these Frenchmen don't realize that propoganda comes from governments, the opinions on the websites come from citizens.

“Too many people see Islam as a monolith and as intrinsically opposed to the West,” [Kofi Anan]said. “Caricature remains widespread and the gulf of ignorance is dangerously deep.”

Too bad Kofi didn't mention these caricatures. (or this one)

UN, the Protector of Muslim Sensibilities

I guess that I had started thinking of the UN as a bunch of corrupt antisemitic-America-haters. While that is still true, they have now become protectors of Islam:

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations Commission on Human Rights called on Tuesday for combating defamation of religions, especially Islam, and condemned discrimination against Muslims in the West's war on terrorism. The 53-member state forum adopted a resolution, presented by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), deploring the intensification of a "campaign of defamation" against Muslims following the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States. Western countries, including the United States and European Union (EU), voted against the text, calling it unbalanced for failing to address problems suffered by other religious groups.
The OIC resolution was adopted by a vote of 31 countries in favor and 16 against, with five abstentions and one delegation absent, Indonesia's ambassador Makarim Wibisono, who chairs the annual six-week session, announced after the public vote. "Stereotyping of any religion as propagating violence or its association with terrorism constitutes defamation of religion. It unfortunately breeds a culture of hatred, disharmony and discrimination," Pakistan's envoy, Masood Khan, said in a speech on behalf of the OIC, which links 57 Islamic nations.
There was "a growing trend of defamation of Islam and discrimination faced by Muslims and the people of Arab descent in many parts of the world," he said, citing attacks on places of worship and religious symbols.
In a recent report, the U.N. special investigator on racism, Doudou Diene, cited examples including "Islamophobic violence" after the murder last November of Dutch film director Theo Van Gogh, and an "alarming number of expulsions of imams" in Europe.

Even Cuba got into the West-bashing:

"Islam has been the subject of very deep campaign of defamation. All you have to do is look at the films which have come out of Hollywood the last few years," said Cuba's delegate, Rodolfo Reyes Rodriguez.

This isn't the first time that the OIC has proposed this:

In contrast to the last-minute efforts in 1997, the OIC countries began their efforts to pass a resolution (under the agenda item "Racism") condemning what they called the "Defamation of Islam" right at the start of the UNCHR's 1999 session. They claimed—in negotiations with the European Union (EU), the United States, and other delegations—that "Islam, one of the principal religions of the world, is being landered in different quarters, including in human rights fora."16 On behalf of the OIC countries, Pakistan's Ambassador Akram on April 29, 1999, introduced draft resolution L.40, entitled the "Defamation of Islam."
To justify this text, he compared "the emergence of a new manifestation of intolerance and misunderstanding and misconception of Islam and Muslim peoples in various parts of the world" to "antisemitism in the years of the past."

It's resolutions like this one that make me glad that the UN is such a toothless, whining bunch of squablers.

Yes to scandal, moral bankruptcy and incompetence!

U. N. Ambassador nominee John Bolton testified before the Senate Foreign Relations committee today. Code Pink, a liberal activist group decided to make themselves look like idiots and disrupt the proceeding. Fine, if you don't like Bolton, that's ok, but what's the deal with the whole "Yes U.N." part of the sign? You think they would just propose a different person for the job, like "Yes to J. Reno" or "Yes to Kuccinich."

I mean, these people probably spent hours planning this whole thing out to get into the proceedings and make sure they get in front of the camera and this is the very best they can come up with? No catchy phrase? No snide remark? They're not even complete sentences for that matter!

They could have at least recycled some of their oldies but goodies like:
"Hey hey, ho ho, John Boltons gotta go!"

and don't forget:
"Where here, were Code Pink, and we don't like John Bolton."

Here's a link to the Code Pink website describing the protest with a few pictures. They even have a second sign with the slogan "Dimplomat For Hire, No Bully Please!!" Yes I know, it's equally as lame.

Contempt of Court

If is was accused, I'd probably be convicted. The courts in this country are contemptuous. Even worse, our courts are far better than those outside of the US. Here's the latest from the 9th:

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court Friday overturned an inmate's conviction for writing a crude, rambling letter endorsing President Bush's death at the hands of terrorists — two weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The letter from Oregon State Penitentiary prisoner Jonathan Lincoln, who was charged with threatening the president and given an 18-month sentence last year, read, in part: "You will die too George W Bush real Soon they Promised That you would Long Live Bin Laden."
Corrections officials intercepted the letter; Lincoln had been serving a 46-month sentence for robbery. A unanimous three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the letter was protected under the First Amendment, calling it Lincoln's crude and offensive method of stating a political opposition to the president." The Court noted "such political hyperbole does not constitute a 'threat."'

No news on whether threats against regular citizens will be classified as "personal hyperbole."

Shameless in Seattle

One of the bigger stories to come out of the recent US elections, was the closely-contested, and almost illegitimate Washington state governor's race. It's not over yet. From politicaljournal:

Even Democrats who sit on the King County Council that governs Seattle and surrounding suburbs were slackjawed last Saturday when they learned from their newspapers that 93 more unopened mail ballots had just been discovered five months after the state's photo-finish election for governor. After two recounts, Democrat Christine Gregoire was sworn in on the basis of a 129-vote disputed
victory. A Chelan County judge will hold a hearing today on a lawsuit that seeks to invalidate the election and require a new vote in November.
The lawsuit's contentions certainly received a boost with the discovery of the 93 extra ballots in the "archives" of King County Election Director Dean Logan. The response was immediate. Six council members, all Republicans, signed a letter asking U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez to investigate the election. Democrats called for an outside audit of Mr. Logan's office and expressed anger that they had only learned about the magical ballots in the press. Council Chairman Larry Phillips, a Democrat, told reporters it would be "premature" for him to call for Mr. Logan's resignation. Bob Ferguson, another Democratic council member, accused Mr. Logan of badly misjudging how to handle the bombshell news.

I'm not sure how WA democrats can come out of this looking good. Either they are seen as incompetent, or corrupt, neither one is very promising politically.

TIME to cancel your subscription

Powerline makes a great comment regarding this ad:

"Know why." Know why what? Why American soldiers are beaten and dispirited, I guess. Why we're losing in Iraq. Is there any other way to read this ad? I've studied it more than I'd like to admit, and I can't think of any. If you want to know why American soldiers are defeated and demoralized, read Time.

I think this relates greatly to Bear's posting below on the Pulitzer winning photos. It seems the Media Elite is caught in the 70's Vietnam era of demoralization and scandal. They just can't move past that time in their lives.

They could have made the ad even more intriguing if they featured the battle hardened face of a U.S. soldier with a large smile. Wouldn't that evoke more questions?

Pulitzer Prize Photos

LGF links to Riding Sun, with their analysis of the Pulitzer prize winning photos:

This year, the prize went to the Associated Press staff for, as the Pulitzer organization's site says, "its stunning series of photographs of bloody year long combat inside Iraqi cities."I looked at the twenty photographs and broke them into groups on the basis of content. Here are my results:

• U.S. troops injured, dead, or mourning: 3 (2, 3, 11)

• Iraqi civilians harmed by the war: 7 (4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 13, 18)

• Insurgents looking determined or deadly: 3 (6, 15, 20)

• US troops looking overwhelmed or uncertain: 3 (7, 12, 14)

• US troops controlling Iraqi prisoners: 2 (16, 17)

• Iraqis celebrating attacks on US forces: 2 (1, 19)

Equally telling is what the photos don't show:

• US forces looking heroic: 0

• US forces helping Iraqi civilians: 0

• Iraqis expressing support for US forces: 0

• Iraqis expressing opposition to insurgents: 0

Here are some links to some excellent Iraq photos.
http://www.missick.com/missickpictures.htm
http://iraq.billhobbs.com/archives/005744.html
http://schadenfreude.cogitox.com/archives/000033.html
http://schadenfreude.cogitox.com/archives/000016.html
More links here:
http://www.mudvillegazette.com/archives/002532.html

Life imitates Iowahawk

I saw this article of French race riots in LGF, and went to read it in it's entirety here. I have heard that some European countries are having problems with schoolkids intimidating teachers, but, what kind of sissies are the french cops that don't do anything about this?!
It reminded me of this iowahawk newsflash.

Sandy "McBurglar" Berger

From the Washington Times:

Martha Stewart went to jail for lying to federal investigators. But for lying after stealing highly classified documents from the National Archives -- in an apparent attempt to alter the historical record on terrorism, no less -- former Clinton national security adviser and Kerry campaign adviser Sandy Berger will get a small fine and slap on the wrist. He will pay $10,000 and get no jail time. His security clearance will be suspended until around the end of the Bush administration -- meaningless for a career Democrat like Mr. Berger. It makes us wonder who at the Department of Justice is responsible for letting such a serious offense go virtually unpunished.

Indeed. It makes me wonder what he would have had to do to get his security clearance revoked for life.

Medal of Honor

A while back, the first medal of honor awarded in Iraq was given to Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith, who was killed as he heroically held back nearly 100 Iraqi special forces. There is a Flash animation detailing the event here. Here's a link detailing the history and significance of the award.