Iran president sees "countdown" to Israel's end  —  TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's president said on Sunday the Lebanese and the Palestinians had pressed a "countdown button" to bring an end to Israel.  —  President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who triggered outrage in the West two years ago when he said Israel …

Cheney vs. Rice: A Foreign-Policy Showdown  —  Condoleezza Rice has steered the administration back toward diplomacy, but she's still being harried by hard-liners.  —  Newsweek International  —  Condoleezza Rice seems in control of everything—except events.

Democrats to Face Off in Second Debate  —  Iraq War, Health Care Issues Likely to Dominate Discussion  —  The Democratic presidential candidates meet here Sunday night for their second debate of the young campaign season, with Iraq and health care likely to dominate much of the discussion.

Unreasoning Hysteria as the Default Position: Joan Crawford Does Foreign Policy  —  With regard to the fearsome plot that might have, maybe, perhaps, in some other world subject to significantly different scientific laws, resulted in the Destruction of All the Universes for All Time Forevermore The End Period …

After the Surge  —  THE BUSH administration's invocation of South Korea as a model for the future of the U.S. military mission in Iraq is misleading in some ways.  Opponents of the war, such as Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), tend to jump to the conclusion that President Bush hopes …

They call this a consensus?  —  "Only an insignificant fraction of scientists deny the global warming crisis.  The time for debate is over.  The science is settled."  —  S o said Al Gore ... in 1992.  Amazingly, he made his claims despite much evidence of their falsity.

ABCNews.com: 'Murtha Ties Foiled JFK Plot to U.S. in Iraq'  —  On Saturday, a NewsBusters headline asked the following question: "JFK Terror Plot: How Soon Before Media Blame Bush For Timing of Arrests?"  —  Well, Sunday morning, ABCNews.com actually went one better by using a statement made by John Murtha …

Is America ready for a trophy wife as First Lady?  —  Fred Thompson made a big splash at a recent fundraiser.  Of course, being a professional actor, he delivered his lines perfectly, but didn't say anything particularly noteworthy.  As the WaPo reports, "Thompson managed to hit …

Columnist/author arrested in spin room  —  MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN ) - Columnist and author Eric Alterman was arrested Sunday night inside the debate spin room and charged with criminal trespass after police say he refused repeated orders to leave.  —  Goffstown, N.H. police say Alterman …

Soviet-Style 'Torture' Becomes 'Interrogation'  —  HOW did the United States, in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, come to adopt interrogation techniques copied from the Soviet Union and other cold war adversaries?  —  Investigators for the Senate Armed Services Committee are examining how the methods …

In Memory of a Blogger  —  Most of you have probably never heard of Steve Gilliard.  Steve was a Daily Kos front-pager, and then when his time there expired he formed his own blog.  I always thought he was the most gifted wordsmith in the left half of the blogosphere.

Talk Clock  —  Want this on your site? copy the code below!  —  Seriously, keep making stuff like this.  It's awesome.

Clinton backs off Defense of Marriage Act  —  Human Rights Campaign has released the results (.pdf) of its candidate questionnaires in the form of a spreadsheet showing that ... all the leading Democrats agree on everything.  —  The form — which shows the candidates to be identical …

Kopel: Talk-show hosts amok  —  If most parents aren't upset, why do Caplis, Silverman carry on so?  —  'With great power there must also come - great responsibility!  " So said the first Spider-Man comic book, in 1962.  In the last few weeks, talk radio's The Caplis & Silverman Show has abused its great power.