Roundup

Does Mickey Kaus have a scoop on Fred Thompson?

Taliban vs. Taliban in Afghanistan? What will we do, what will we do!

From the 'good news on Iraq front,' the Marine Corps Commandant suggests we have 'turned the corner' in Anbar, and Fouad Ajami reports cautious optimism in Iraq. The latter is a long and interesting piece about the US mistakes in Iraq, and the decisive moment at which Iraq finds itself.

A staff member at Katie Couric's CBS Evening News has plagiarized from the Wall Street Journal. Shouldn't there be a rule of thumb about plagiarizing from someone who buys ink by the barrel?

Drezner is haunted by the trailer for 'Away From Her.' I don't know him, but I gingerly suggest that you may need to be of a certain age to feel that way.

Mike Goldfarb looks at Romney's promise of 4% of GDP for national defense. It represents more than currently budgeted, but might not be enough. I've advised that McCain stake ground as the Republican proponent of the most muscular military.

The liberals at the View defend Imus. Truly stunning. Only one voice of reason in the lot. Is it so hard to understand that our right to freedom of speech is a guarantee against government sanction? The notion that 'freedom of speech' means the right to say whatever you want without criticism is obviously an inherent contradiction. If you may say whatever you want and I have to shut up about it, then my freedom of speech is violated. And a certain moron in this clip takes it further - claiming the right to be paid to utter unpopular views.

Don't worry about Bin Laden. DiCaprio is taking him down.

Labor unions have been threatening to disrupt the Democratic convention in Denver next year. There's even been talk of moving it to New York. But now Howard Dean is headed to Colorado to smooth ruffled feathers.

I wrote a while ago about the vulnerable Tasmanian Devil. Now comes word that the Australians have a plan to save them from the bizarre disease threatening them with extinction.