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TEHRAN (AFP) - A top Iranian cleric accused Pakistan on Friday of becoming a "terrorist sanctuary," following an upsurge of violence on the two nations' border area that Tehran blames on plots by arch foe the United States and on Pakistan's inability to control its border. "Though Pakistan is our neighbour, little by little it is losing its neighbourly manners. Pakistan has become a sanctuary of terrorists who kill people in Zahedan," hardline cleric Hojatoleslam Ahmad Khatami told Friday worshippers in Tehran. Zahedan is the capital of the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, which is home to a population of minority...

I hope this doesn’t get me kicked out of the conservative pundit’s union, but I haven’t been following the Obama-Hillary!-Geffen cage match this week. Having brought myself up to speed this afternoon by reading Bill Kristol’s and Peggy Noonan’s coverage of the affair, I guess I’ve missed quite a show. Kristol gives us a delightfully catty summary of the affair to date in an editorial titled “You Go Geffen.” (Do I spot the dark skills of Jonathan Last at work in crafting that hilarious headline?): David Geffen spoke truth to Maureen Dowd last week. Here is what the Hollywood mogul...

Georgia Tech President Wayne Clough (wayne.clough@carnegie.gatech.edu) has finally succeeded. His goal upon taking charge of the school was to transform it into a real university (not just an “institute”) where tolerance is emphasized more than academic achievement. One look at the following note tells you just how much Tech has changed since Clough took over: A V-Day wish for own very own Ruth Malhotra: This Valentine’s Day, you cannot attack gay marriage. It is about love and you are about hate. This Valentine’s Day, you cannot condemn a woman’s choice. It is about love and you are about hate.This Valentine’s...

ABC’s Jennifer Rubin thinks she knows. According to her report, Mitt Romney announcing his candidacy yesterday at a museum named for Henry Ford has a lot to do with it: Indeed, the incident may say something not only about Romney but about the GOP's problem with Jews. In his boatload of advisers, Romney apparently did not have anyone to say, "You know, a lot of Jews really hate Ford, and it might mess up your message.” A few points here to counter Rubin’s hyperbole. At this moment, Romney has less a boatful of advisors than a handful. And, for what...

I knew when I used the word "mercenary" in my Tuesday column that I was being highly inflammatory. NBC News ran a piece in which enlisted soldiers in Iraq expressed frustration about waning American support. I intentionally chose to criticize the military and used the word to incite and call into question their presumption that the public had a duty to support them. The public has duties, but not to the American military. So I committed blasphemy, and for this seeming lack of respect and appreciation for individuals in uniform, I have been roundly criticized and condemned. Mercenary, of course,...

If the United States Senate passes a resolution, non-binding or otherwise, that criticizes the commitment of additional troops to Iraq that General Petraeus has asked for and that the president has pledged, and if the Senate does so after the testimony of General Petraeus on January 23 that such a resolution will be an encouragement to the enemy, I will not contribute to any Republican senator who voted for the resolution. Further, if any Republican senator who votes for such a resolution is a candidate for re-election in 2008, I will not contribute to the National Republican Senatorial Committee unless...

WASHINGTON - President Bush, responding to concerns Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert brought to the White House, called on Monday for worldwide isolation of Iran until it "gives up its nuclear ambitions." The risk to the world extends beyond Israel and the Middle East, Bush said in Oval Office remarks to reporters after meeting with Olmert for an hour. The United States and Israel say they believe Iran is working on nuclear weapons, although Tehran says its work on the technology is aimed only at producing energy. "Iran's nuclear ambitions are not in the world's interest," Bush said. "If Iran...

(2006-11-10) — Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee said today he may leave the Republican party, and is also considering ending his stormy marriage with pop star Britney Spears. “I have been a faithful member of my party, just as I’ve been true to Britney for all these years,” said Sen. Chafee. “But I feel we’ve grown apart. I’ve stuck to the Republican principles of larger government, less aggressive national defense and moral flexibility, but the the party has been co-opted by ideologues who have taken it in a new direction.” The dual announcements shocked both the political and entertainment worlds...

(2006-11-09) — At a post-luncheon news conference outside the White House today, Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, said talk of pardoning President George Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney was “premature.” “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” said Rep. Pelosi, who as House Speaker would stand third in the presidential succession line. “There are no specific charges or articles of impeachment at this point, and so it’s silly to speak of pardoning them.” “Let’s not be too hasty for emotional closure,” the California Democrat added. “Our long national nightmare has only just begun.”

I'd like to preface this with some thoughts about the election: The time has finally come. We all knew the Republican reign couldn’t last forever. Nothing does. But if it had to happen, it couldn’t have come at a better time. As a whole, Republicans have been getting lazy and corrupt. They’ve strayed from the Conservative base that elected them and instead chose to be the Party of Spending and Scandal. They’ve lost both the backbone and the character needed to govern this country. Fortunately, this wake-up call the American people have sent comes at a midterm election and not...

From a connected Keystoner: We all prepared for this year?s elections to be heated, particularly in PA with so many contested races. But even with teams of lawyers on the ground, I don?t think anyone anticipated what is going on right now. I expect this will be THE national story by 5pm today if not sooner. 37 counties in Pennsylvania use the ESS & Ivotronic. These machines are experiencing massive failures. If you vote for one candidate, the opposing candidate lights up. Rendell votes are counting for Swann. Santorum votes are counting for Casey and so on County Boards of...

You see kids – this is what happens when your worldview gets hopelessly narrow. In its semi-annual November surprise, the New York Times “reveals” that the Bush administration put documents on the web that showed that Iraq was quite far along in its quest for nuclear weapons. Naturally, that’s not the focus of the story. The focus of the story is the cursed incompetence of the Bush administration, the Republican Party, and even right-wing media-types (like me!) who wanted the documents released. But the takeaway from the story for normal people won’t be that conservatives both inside and outside the...

Democrats must be cursing that damn Karl Rove. How does he do it? From where in the black depths of his soul did he conjure the idea of putting a microphone in front of John Kerry’s mouth during the last week of a campaign season? We all know the truth now, and it is incontrovertible: Karl Rove is one magnificent bastard! For those of you late to the party, here’s the source of the controversy: According to the Pasadena Star-News: "Kerry then told the students that if they were able to navigate the education system, they could get comfortable jobs...

From the unhinged leftists at the Daily Kos: “Bush Caused Spinach E. Coli. Expect More of this!!!” In their worldview, Bush truly is to blame for everything. “Bush Caused Spinach E. Coli. Expect More of this!!!” He did. Bush Administration officials planted ineffectual political operatives in high level positions as a reward for campaigning for the Republicans. Bush administration officials cut the budget and the staff for the FDA, we have all heard this before, two or three years ago. Expect more of this lack of oversight to endanger us in every area the Bush Administration has appointed idiots and...

This is an email I recieved from the SaveStargateSG1.com website. For those of you who don't know the show, it has been airing for 10 seasons and recently passed the 200 episode landmark. This current season is actually very intriguing because it has introduced a new villian that acts in very similar ways to the Islamofacists. Though there was no provocation, this new villian has just sent its armies to our galaxy to either convert (to the "one true religion") or kill every living thing. The SciFi station recently showed its contempt for the fans of this show, who give...

ISTANBUL, August 8 (Compass Direct News) -- Seven years after Issa Motamedi Mojdehi converted from Islam to Christianity, Iranian secret police have jailed him for abandoning Islam but officially charged him with illegal drug trafficking. Authorities formally charged the 31-year-old Christian with drug trafficking when he was arrested two weeks ago. But Savama (secret police) officials have told Motamedi Mojdehi that his real offense, said to be recorded in his confidential legal file, is abandoning Islam. Unless he renounces his Christian faith and returns to Islam, officials told him, he will remain in jail and possibly face execution. In a...

We have gone from highs to lows over the last month as together we have watched Israel suffer. The people in the north of Israel have suffered deaths and injuries as well as losses of income and production in the billions of dollars, due to the rain of thousands of rockets that have fallen on their homes. All of Israel and those that love Israel around the world, have suffered through a month of the worse leadership in Israel’s history. This failure of leadership is not only on the part of the ruling government but extends to the total of...

CAIRO, Egypt - Palestinian militants have agreed to a conditional release of the kidnapped Israeli soldier but Israel has not yet accepted their terms, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said in remarks published Friday. In an interview with Egypt's leading pro-government newspaper, Al-Ahram, Mubarak said "Egyptian contacts with several Hamas leaders resulted in preliminary, positive results in the shape of a conditional agreement to hand over the Israeli soldier as soon as possible to avoid an escalation. "But agreement on this has not yet been reached with the Israeli side," Mubarak said. Gideon Meir, a senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official, said...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli planes attacked three bridges in central Gaza late Tuesday and early Wednesday, the military said, and Israeli tanks were on the move after a limited operation was approved, a response to a weekend Palestinian attack in which two soldiers were killed and a third captured. Israeli military officials said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert approved a "limited operation" for southern Gaza, aimed at "terrorist infrastructure." The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. Palestinian security forces said Israeli tanks were on the move near the Israeli village...

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected the prospect of talks with the United States on the nuclear program, saying nothing would be gained, state television reported Tuesday. "Negotiations with the United States would have no benefit for us, and we do not need them," the television quoted Khamenei as telling Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade.