Steve Gilliard, 1966-2007  —  I first started corresponding with Steve Gilliard in January of 2005 when he was embroiled in a battle with Jonah Goldberg over the Armstrong Williams kerfuffle.  I don't remember what it was that triggered the conversation (I probably read this and laughed …

Proclaiming Liberalism, and What It Now Means  —  The struggle among conservatives to define their movement in the post-Bush era may be getting more attention these days, but liberal intellectuals and writers are doing some soul-searching of their own.  Not only are they trying to figure out what …

Iraq's Curse: A Thirst for Final, Crushing Victory  —  PERHAPS no fact is more revealing about Iraq's history than this: The Iraqis have a word that means to utterly defeat and humiliate someone by dragging his corpse through the streets.  —  The word is "sahel," and it helps explain …

Gore: I'm not good at modern politics  —  NASHVILLE — Former vice president Al Gore said Friday that he still hasn't ruled out a presidential bid in 2008, but he doesn't expect to run and might not possess the skills necessary to be elected president now.  —  Gore spoke to The Tennessean today …

Zakaria: How to Restore America's Place in the World  —  What the world needs is an open, confident America.  —  Newsweek International  —  In the fall of 1982, I arrived in the United States as an 18-year-old student from India.  The country was in rough shape.

Hitchens vs Hitchens  —  Am I my brother's reviewer?  A word of explanation is needed here.  Some of you may know that I have a brother, Christopher, who disagrees with me about almost everything.  —  Some of those who read his books and articles also know that I exist, though they often dislike me if so.

Thompson Generates Buzz in Richmond  —  Speech at Virginia GOP Gala Comes the Day After He Filed Fundraising Papers  —  Actor and former senator Fred D. Thompson of Tennessee rallied a crowd of several hundred Republicans here last night, offering a bluntly conservative appeal …

Al Qaeda in Lebanon  —  It was bound to happen sooner or later.  Al Qaeda has moved into Lebanon.  —  Fatah al-Islam terrorists in the Palestinian Nahr al-Bared refugee camp (which is an urban ghetto in Tripoli, not a tent city) are, reportedly, mostly not Palestinian.

British Iraq pull-out plan  —  BRITISH commanders in Iraq have drawn up plans to allow Gordon Brown to withdraw almost all UK troops by the end of the year.  —  The British commander in southern Iraq, Major-General Jonathan Shaw, produced a "commander's tactical advice" several weeks ago, senior defence sources said last night.

Exclusive: Putin threatens to target Europe with missiles  —  In an interview with the Globe and Mail, Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to target Europe with missiles, including potentially nuclear weapons, in a dramatic escalation of his Cold War-style showdown with the United States.

Democrats hide pet projects from voters  —  WASHINGTON - After promising unprecedented openness regarding Congress' pork barrel practices, House Democrats are moving in the opposite direction as they draw up spending bills for the upcoming budget year.  —  Democrats are sidestepping rules approved …

Dick Cheney Rules  —  Americans are accustomed to Vice President Dick Cheney's waiting out a terrorist threat in a "secure undisclosed location."  Now it seems that Mr. Cheney wears the cloak of invisibility in secure disclosed locations.  —  The Associated Press reported …

Attacks on U.S. Troops in Iraq Grow in Lethality, Complexity  —  Bigger Bombs a Key Cause of May's High Death Toll  —  As U.S. troops push more deeply into Baghdad and its volatile outskirts, Iraqi insurgents are using increasingly sophisticated and lethal means of attack …