Ok. i don’t care that U.S. intelligence officers didn’t want to reveal their identities when discussing the Iranian munitions that have been used against our troops. I also believe that the munitions are Iranian, that various Iranians are trying to make life harder for us in Iraq and I know that Iranian leaders ever since Cyrus have …

Ames, Iowa–Barack Obama turned a little spikey this morning in his first official press conference of the campaign. It started innocently enough–several questions about Iraq: How important was it that he was against the war from the start? Answer: “I think it demonstrates that even at that time it was possible to make judgments that …

Cedar Rapids–I only have a few minutes to post here, but Obama has just completed his first real campaign event, a town meeting in a high school gymnasium. Large audience, natch…But really striking for these reasons:

–very low key and serious. No hokey intro music. No stump speech. Just Q & A. “The country’s in a serious, sober mood …

Back inside from the Obama rally, hoping to regain the use of my feet, checking around for reactions…and look at this from The Corner. Aside from the fact that we’re in Illinois, not New Hampshire…
And more from Lopez.

The Obama websiteis streaming live TV of the Senator’s announcement…I’m about to leave this clean, well-heated press filing center to brave arctic cold and watch the speech that I’ve just read: very inspiring, as expected, not many details, as expected…I”ll have more to say about Obama’s first day of campaigning later today, after he …

As a newcomer to this blogging business, I’ve been interested in the Edwards dust-up. As readers know, I’ve been critical of the tone of the left-wing blogosphere in the past. But I think that Yglesias raises an important point here and anyone reading the comments section of any Swampland post knows that troglyditic right-wing …

for your service to our country. Moms also serve. This, from a reader:

You can count me with the Hagel, Reed, Murtha and Webb crowd. I put a kid on a bus for basic in 86 and been watching ever since while much went unnoticed. Every uniform I see is my skin. And I’m totally tired of the ‘TROOPS’ as a political football from the WH to

…

In which the columnist offers an opinion on the latest posturings of Senators Lieberman and McCain.

James Taranto points out –accurately–that Democratic poiticians are having some difficulty figuring out what to do about Iran. Several readers have asked where I stand on the issue. Let me make a few points:

–We should do more than merely talk with Iran. We should recognize Iran. As I argued several years ago, the U.S. policy of …

This, from Juan Cole:

Only 2,000 of the expected 8,000 extra troops PM al-Maliki ordered to Baghdad had shown up by the beginning of February. The two Kurdish brigades coming from Irbil and Sulaymaniya, which were supposed to have 3,000 troops each, are not actually coming at full strength. One showed up with only 1500 troops. The other

…

Here’s what I like about the Edwards health care plan:
–it’s universal and mandatory.
–it imposes needed reforms on the insurance industry, like community rating (which means that everyone has to be covered at similar rates, regardless of pre-existing conditions).
–it opens the door to a fascinating competition: private insurers would …

Arianna Huffington, the doyenne of the Hollywood left, has taken time from her busy schedule to attack me for something I said on Meet the Press three years ago. Since this lone quote has become an article of faith among the take-no-prisoners left, let me respond:

1. Yes, I said it. It was a moment of stupid weakness on the brink of …

I’m not sure what’s been happening for the past hour, but right now–4:05pm–Senator Warner is arguing furiously against the surge, adding up 332,000 Iraqis trained in the past 4 years and argues that they should be the people policing the civil war…but will there be a vote or not?

4:23–Boy, is this confusing! Arlen Spector is …