Once more, fearful symmetry reigns supreme in the surreal world we have been inhabiting for almost eight years. The Random House Dictionary instructs us that Hab is an abbreviation of Habbakuk, a minor prophet of the 7th century B.C. So now we have another prophet -- unintentional, we can be...

In the matter of Barack Obama and his rhetorical style, a familiar and tedious critique appears -- and reappears -- each time the candidate steps on a new stage. The high-falutin' words. The inspiring sentiments, devoid of any content or connection to reality. The absence of policy prescriptions. The poverty...

We learned today of three more U.S. troops killed in Iraq, making April's total 47, the most lethal month for Americans since last September. We are also watching as U.S. troops become more and more involved in military operations within Sadr City, the Shiite stronghold in eastern Baghdad.

Did I...

In the aftermath of Pennsylvania, the chin-stroking, basso-intoning, wisdom-spouting Fourth Estate has outdone itself. Let us all be shocked, shocked that this latest iteration of "What It All Means" surpasses, in straws grasped and whole cloth woven, all that has come before. The tectonic plates are moving, we are told....

I quote from Ms. Ephron's most recent cri de coeur about us boors: "To put it bluntly, the next president will be elected by them (white men): the outcome of Tuesday's primary will depend on whether they go for Hillary or Obama......"

'Hmmm,' I says to myself. 'Whatever could...

Memo to: PA democrats From: a NY democrat

Re: lies and consequences

There is a well-known judicial principle called "standing," by which anyone seeking to pursue a legal action must demonstrate his or her right -- or standing -- to do so. First things first, then -- let...

After dropping out of contact for several months, Muhammad e-mailed from Baghdad last April:

I'm writing for you today asking your help (if possible if possible) to pick up me from the hell which is Iraq. Actually, I reached now the climax of the suffering here in Iraq.

So, it has come full circle. The new U.S. military policy in Iraq, described recently in The New York Times, will arm and empower the very elements of Iraqi society that were the chief targets of the original invasion. It isn't surprising -- what, after all, could be surprising at...

The U.S. military experts in Iraq, such as they are, have found a new way to insure more trouble down the road. The latest initiative in Iraq will arm and empower the very elements of Iraqi society that were the chief targets of the original invasion. It's hardly surprising --...

Every now and then I feel called upon - these damned voices in my head - to correct some misguided, distorted view embraced by my fellow Americans. Now is such a time.

I have the strong impression, as well as the evidence of my own eyes and ears, that...

Today's nightmare question is: in what condition will the three missing American soldiers be when next we see them? Alive, on videotape, with guns to their heads? Dead in the street, riddled with bullets? Or worse?

The daily ambushes, pitched battles, car bombs, suicide bombs, and ever-escalating death toll -...

As surely as day follows night, last evening's royal fête at the White House was sure to be followed by fawning on this morning's television programs. And so it was. There is a particular tone of voice, tilt of the head, and sparkle in the eye meant to signal a...

Having spent my life wallowing in the bog of secular humanism, it's passing strange that I now see myself as, well, a millennialist. Naturally, this strikes me as quite a revelation, although it has nothing to do with Revelations. Or does it?

I know the place, I...

Watching George Tenet on 60 Minutes last night and then this morning on Today, I was reminded just how grotesque the technique of strategic contrition really is. Incongruously but aptly, I think, I remembered the day President Clinton landed at Kigali Airport, where he stepped to a microphone, bit his...

In the spirit of the moment, something is eating at me, big time. Although it's sparked by the Imus fandango, it's not specifically about him, and I have nothing worthwhile to add to Imus-gate. Rather, his public disgrace is just the springboard for this other sensation that is sweeping over...