Good editorial in the Wall Street Journal on Republican congressional policy failures

The title of this editorial is The GOP Record: The Roots of Republican Failure in Congress. OpinionJournal – Featured Article Social Security reform was never going to be easy, and Mr. Bush’s war-driven decline in job approval meant he couldn’t move any Democrats. But that still doesn’t excuse such prominent Republicans as Tom Davis (Virginia) … Read more

Brigid’s family arrives for a short visit

Well, not the whole family. Brigid’s brother Neville, his wife Geri, and their daughter June flew in today for a five day stay. They live in Australia and were visiting in England before arriving here. When they leave, they will fly west to Los Angeles for two days and then back to Australia. So they … Read more

Here’s a good post on the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) that was just declassified.

UPDATE #2 Thursday – Washington Post sensible editorial: A Good Estimate – washingtonpost.com The larger thrust of the report goes well beyond Iraq or the cacophony of the midterm election campaign. It says "the most powerful weapon in the war on terror" over time will be not military success in Iraq or the capturing and … Read more

Female graduate of West Point dies in Iraq

I’m sure that overwhelmingly, the men and women who have died in Iraq have been outstanding individuals. This certainly seems to be the case with this young woman, who is the first female graduate of the military academy to die in Iraq. West Point Mourns a Font Of Energy, Laid to Rest by War – … Read more

The Wall Street Journal on Pope Benedict’s comments

The Journal had a nice rational editorial on the Pope’s controversial comments – including putting the purported incendiary quotation in the context of Benedict’s entire address. Here’s the link (it’s free; you may have to register with opinionjournal) and an excerpt: OpinionJournal – Featured Article In Christianity, God is inseparable from reason. "In the beginning … Read more