In “The Big Picture(s),” I noted that the dominant mode of the establishment media this year was to claim that any piece of bad news “cast doubt” on the new US strategy or the progress it has made: When Pres. Bush announced the surge, the poll numbers supporting it increased, but the establishment media — especially CBS –focused almost entirely on negative reaction to it.  If civilian casualties went down, it was

In a chilling scenario of how war might come, a senior intelligence officer warned that public denunciation of Iranian meddling in Iraq – arming and training militants – would lead to cross border raids on Iranian training camps and bomb factories. Because, you know, these denunciations ought to be kept private. Not as though Iran’s been ramping up the rhetoric, is it? The intelligence source said: “No one outside that

“I’m not sure if people are becoming more casual, but in the case of Vanessa (Hudgens), she comes with a lot of brand equity and this was her first strike. If she was a constant train wreck, her fans may not be as forgiving,” he said. “Brand equity” is the new way of saying a hot body? Well, okay then. Cruel & Unusual?

Who cares whether he’s Baptist or Episcopalian? Aren’t Episcopalians allowed to enjoy NASCAR, or something? And why is it that I can post, but not comment?

From The Telegraph: Osama bin Laden’s deputy has seized control of al-Qaeda and rebuilt the terror network into an organisation capable of launching complex terror attacks in Britain and America. Intelligence officials have told The Sunday Telegraph that bin Laden has not chaired a meeting of al-Qaeda’s ruling shura, or council, in more than two years. Instead, Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden’s nominal number two, is credited with rebuilding the terror

That’s the scuttlebutt. A detailed, if speculative, analysis at the Times of London. (h/t Instapundit)