Battlefield Shifts Westward  —  The war with extremist Islam has just entered a new phase.  Times of London: Al Qaeda leadership in Pakistan and Iraq have issued orders for British cells to conduct a "low-tech" campaign of abductions and beheadings. … In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, I was puzzled by the lack of follow-on.

Super Bowl Ads of Cartoonish Violence, Perhaps Reflecting Toll of War  —  No commercial that appeared last night during Super Bowl XLI directly addressed Iraq, unlike a patriotic spot for Budweiser beer that ran during the game two years ago.  But the ongoing war seemed to linger just below …

Iraqis Fault Delayed U.S. Plan in Attack  —  A growing number of Iraqis blamed the United States on Sunday for creating conditions that led to the worst single suicide bombing in the war, which devastated a Shiite market in Baghdad the day before.  They argued that slowness in completing …

SURGING ON  —  Omar, writing from Baghdad, January 28th: … Accurate or not, that may explain a certain sense of urgency among factions in Baghdad this weekend: … Omar's brother Mohammed today: … As for U.S. forces, one Brigade Combat Team (BCT) involved in "the surge" has been in place since late January:

Iranian nuclear scientist 'assassinated by Mossad'  —  A PRIZE-WINNING Iranian nuclear scientist has died in mysterious circumstances, according to Radio Farda, which is funded by the US State Department and broadcasts to Iran.  —  An intelligence source suggested that Ardeshire Hassanpour …

Iceland fears bears that go with the floe  —  The oceans may be warming and air temperatures rising, but in recent days Iceland has bucked the global climate trend.  —  Thick pack ice, the like of which has not been seen for decades, stretched into the western fjords as temperatures plummeted and a bitter wind blew in from -Greenland.

A Fourth Branch?  —  We have all discussed the unprecedented power of Dick Cheney in this administration ad nauseum, but this post from David Kurtz at TPM introduced a whole new element I hadn't been aware of.  —  I assumed that Cheney believed the power of the Vice President (such as it is) derived from the executive branch.

McCain Flip-Flops In 47 Seconds: Claims Success Is Not Realistic In 'A Few Months,' Then Says It Is  —  On ABC's This Week, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said it is unrealistic to expect the escalation strategy to change the situation in Iraq in "a few months":

Dick Armey takes aim at GOP, war in Iraq  —  WASHINGTON - When he was the GOP leader in a Republican-controlled House of Representatives, Dick Armey was never known to be a shrinking violet.  But now that he's out of politics, Armey is indisputably even more plainspoken as the leader …

Kristol:"On the whole over the last two weeks, some of the news for Iraq is slightly optimistic."  —  Kristol just can't help himself... I really can't get myself to write much about this, but the more death and destruction that goes on in Iraq, Kristol and his ilk will blow it off...Watch and recoil...

The Glenn and Helen Show: Michael Yon from Camp Victory  —  Michael Yon is back in Iraq, where he's been for over a month now.  We caught up to him via satellite phone this afternoon and got his views on the surge (it will be "unlike anything we've seen before"), the status of Iraqi security forces …

A BIGGER DUMBASS THAN ARKIN  —  Note to former Captain Kevin O'Meara over at the Kossack's place: We don't fight for money, Mr. Mensa Candidate.  Or at least those of us not on the extreme far left don't.  —  Kevin, our military fights for your right to be an a**hole.

Mavericks Both, but Different Iraq Paths  —  WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 — The first time Senator John McCain ran for president, few allies were more loyal than Senator Chuck Hagel, a fellow Vietnam veteran and co-chairman of his campaign, whose independent streak ran nearly as thick as Mr. McCain's.

When life without parole is worse than death  —  Analysis finds more than 100 murderers who might one day go free would face certainty of dying in prison  —  When a state commission recommended last month that New Jersey abolish the death penalty in favor of life imprisonment without parole …

The Interesting Opinions of Amanda Marcotte  —  Or at least a few of them.  Since Ms. Marcotte's accession to the position of chief blogger for the John Edwards presidential campaign, speculation has been rife about the often caustic opinions she has expressed, and whether or not Senator Edwards …

What's so hot about fickle science?  —  From the "Environmental News Network": "Science Is Solid on Climate Change, Congress Told."  "The science is solid," says Louise Frechette, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations.  —  "The science is solid," says Sen. Dianne Feinstein.