Free Republic

And while tea party groups and talk radio hosts are celebrating the downfall of a Republican member of Congress who came to symbolize the “establishment,” there are indications that this enthusiasm is misplaced. In the wake of his victory, Brat joined MSNBC host Chuck Todd on Wednesday where he received a gentle grilling and was asked for his position on a variety of policy matters. Brat seemed entirely unprepared to have to speak on issues of substance. In fact, he suggested – perhaps (hopefully) jokingly – that he thought Todd invited him on the program merely to celebrate his victory....

This result would certainly be better if Sunni leaders, including some on the drafting committee, were not urging other Sunnis to defeat it. But consider this: For the Sunnis to defeat the constitution they will have to participate in the vote. That's more than they did in January's elections, and by itself represents a commitment to a democratic process that many Americans insist isn't possible in an Arab culture. It is also by no means clear that the constitution will be rejected by Iraq's voters. The pact must be repudiated by a two-thirds vote in at least three of Iraq's...

Brian Gabrielson is used to the first week of January being a busy one at staffing firm Robert Half Technology in Phoenix. This year, though, demand from Arizona companies seeking high-tech employees hit with three times its usual force, leaving division director Gabrielson surprised. "We took 32 new positions just yesterday alone. That's a phenomenal number," he said. "It's been a steamroller." The market for high-tech jobs is picking up again in Arizona. Staffing firms and others in the high-tech arena say they started to notice demand rising last summer, and that it began accelerating even more in November. An...