My choice for president  —  A short time ago, I wrote in jest about what I would do if I am elected president.  Of course, that was written all in good fun.  —  Like most of you, over the summer and into the fall, I've been watching, listening, studying and praying about who could lead this country as our next president.

Beck: "[A] handful of people who hate America ... are losing their homes in a forest fire today"  —  On the October 22 edition of his nationally syndicated radio program, host Glenn Beck stated, "I think there is a handful of people who hate America.  Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today."

Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week kicks off; Update: Just in time for IFA Week...a new bin Laden tape  —  Update 4:00pm Eastern.  Megan Sego at UC Berkeley's California Patriot is liveblogging the Nonie Darwish event tonight.  —  Update 3:30pm Eastern.  A new purported bin Laden audio tape calls on jihadis to unite.

Resistance is Futile  —  October 22, 2007  —  Resistance is futile: You will be (mis)informed.  —  A gulf.  —  A gap.  —  A chasm.  —  A parallel universe.  —  All describe the bizarro-world contrast between what most Americans seem to think is happening in Iraq versus what is really happening in Iraq.

Bin Laden issues Iraq message  —  Osama Bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader, has released a new audiotape calling on fighters in Iraq to unite and stand shoulder to shoulder.  —  In the tape broadcast by Al Jazeera on Monday, a voice sounding like bin Laden admitted that mistakes have been made in Iraq …

Mistrial declared in Muslim charity case  —  DALLAS - A judge declared a mistrial Monday for four former leaders of a Muslim charity accused of funding terrorism, after chaos broke out in the court when three jurors disputed some verdicts that had been read.

Witch Creek Fire  —  We have been linked to by several other weblogs, and I welcome all new readers to this site.  I know most of you folks love my maps.  The base for them is this Google Map site that is full of interesting and useful information.  —  View Larger Map

Bloggers Without Borders...  Syria is a beautiful country- at least I think it is.  I say "I think" because while I perceive it to be beautiful, I sometimes wonder if I mistake safety, security and normalcy for 'beauty'.  In so many ways, Damascus is like Baghdad before the war- bustling streets …

The Worst 'Notable Quotables' of the Past 20 Years  —  To commemorate the Media Research Center's 20th anniversary this month, we've just published a special expanded edition of our 'Notable Quotables' newsletter.  This issue contains more than100 of the most outrageous, sometimes humorous …

Stalin, Mao And ... Ahmadinejad?  —  Conservatives have become surprisingly charitable about two of history's greatest mass murderers.  —  At a meeting with reporters last week, President Bush said that "if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing …

Dishwashers for Clinton  —  DONORS WHOSE addresses turn out to be tenements.  Dishwashers and waiters who write $1,000 checks.  Immigrants who ante up because they have been instructed to by powerful neighborhood associations, or, as one said, "They informed us to go, so I went."

Poll Tries to Measure Colbert Effect  —  You don't need The Fix to state the obvious: Stephen Colbert is everywhere right now.  —  Following the announcement of his presidential ambitions last week, Colbert has chalked up quite a run of political coverage, capping the week with an appearance …

Low Road to Splitsville  —  Right-Wing Publisher's Breakup Is Super-Rich In Tawdry Details  —  Looking for a perfect little weekend vacation this fall?  Here's a travel tip you don't hear very often: Head to Pittsburgh.  Right away.  —  Seriously, get in the car and read this story later …

How much did the Democrats suck?  —  Last week was, as I noted below, a terrible week for Democrats in Washington and progressive politics more generally.  And the consensus is that, for all intents and purposes, the Democrats blew it.  —  I think that's basically true, but worth examining a bit more deeply.

IT'S THE COVERUP THAT KILLS YOU, PART 3  —  It's been another week without word from the New Republic on the status of its "investigation" into the columns of TNR Baghdad Diarist Scott Thomas Beauchamp.  "The editors" have not spoken on the matter since their August 10 update.

Democrats launch message offensive  —  House Democrats are launching a major message push this week in an attempt to reverse their sagging approval ratings as Congress tackles a heavy legislative docket before the end of the year.  —  Late last week, the top aides to Speaker Nancy Pelosi …

Ain't That America  —  Think of America's greatest historical shames.  Most have involved the singling out of groups of people for abuse.  Name a distinguishing feature — skin color, religion, nationality, language — and it's likely that people here have suffered unjustly for it …