"Right now, you could make a processor that would be as fast as silicon but use one-tenth of the power."

'Quantum well' transistor promises lean computing
Will Knight/New Scientist Original Article

A transistor that uses one-tenth of the energy of existing components could lead to more powerful, less power-hungry computers within the next decade. Researchers at US microchip company Intel and UK research firm Qinetiq developed the transistor using a novel semiconducting material - indium antimonide.

Iraqi Insurgents: They are losers. Worse, they are brutal murderers and cowards.

Why 'Bloody Sunday' Didn't Happen
Ralph Kinney Bennett/TCS Original Article

As the day of the historic Iraqi elections came to a close the incapability of the vitiated Baathist/Islamofascist forces to carry out their bloody, histrionic threats became apparent. They were not able to exact casualties above the normal accident rate in a country of 27 million people.

Let's hope the Iraqi election will be the catalyst for uniting a divided nation.

Was the Iraq Election like Vietnam 1967? Or America 1864?
Noel Sheppard/TCS Original Article

Several critics of the Second Iraq War have attempted to throw cold water on those celebrating a successful and surprisingly stable Iraqi election over the weekend by pointing out that similar joy and optimism emerged after elections in Vietnam in 1967. Specifically, a few detractors have highlighted a New York Times article that ran on September 4 of that year in which Peter Grose reported:

Contemporary history of fixed withdrawal timetables: Vietnam, Lebanon, Somalia. Setting a timetable would produce a "Vietnam".

Table the Timetable
Melana Zyla Vickers/TCS Original Article

As if to mark Iraq's elections, Democrats on Capitol Hill have begun clamoring for a fixed date of departure for U.S. soldiers. "At least 12,000 American troops, probably more, should leave at once," Sen. Edward Kennedy has said. Withdraw 120,000 of the 150,000 troops within the next 11 months, Rep. Martin Meehan (D-Mass) has said. And other House Democrats have introduced a resolution on withdrawal.

Spreading democracy and freedom is not only noble but actually vital to American strategic self interest

Mind the Gap: Revisiting 'The Pentagon's New Map'
Dean Barnett/TCS Original Article

When Thomas P.M. Barnett's controversial book "The Pentagon's New Map" was published in April 2004, it received an odd sort of bi-polar public reception. On the one hand, former Pentagon briefer Barnett was the subject of a favorable profile on the front page of the Wall Street Journal as his book quickly attained best-seller status. On the other hand, several prominent outlets such as the New York Times Book Review opted to ignore "The Pentagon's New Map." Those who chose to ignore it chose unwisely. Whether you like Barnett's vision or loathe it, ten months after the book's publication it is clear that Barnett's prescience was stunning.

How the Supreme Court is Destroying America

Men in Black is a must-read
Rush Limbaugh/Townhall Original Article

There is no vacancy on the Supreme Court, but the battle over the next nominee has already begun. Hollywood's favorite group, People for the American Way, is bragging about its new war room, equipped with dozens of computers and scores of staffers to conduct opposition research on President Bush's presumed nominees and network with grassroots organizations. Other liberal groups are conducting polling and raising funds for paid television advertising.

Some Fear Choice Will Add to Red-State Blues

Ailing Democrats Put Their Faith in Dr. Dean
Dan Balz/Washington Post Original Article

Two questions swirled around the Democrats as their national committee assembled yesterday to select a new party chairman: Can Howard Dean cure what ails the party, or is Howard Dean symptomatic of why those ailments may be so difficult to cure?

Some economists worry that the Fed is too complacent

Fretting about inflation
Matthew Benjamin/US News Original Article

Drive out to the ballpark or watch the game at home on a new big-screen TV? Buy the kids a pet or a new computer? Fry up an omelet or roast a chicken? The cost-conscious would stay at home and crack a few eggs while the kids surf the Web. Prices for televisions, PC s, and eggs dropped significantly last year, while those for gasoline, game tickets, chickens, and veterinary services rose significantly.

Open a new chapter in our relationship and a new chapter in our alliance

Rice tour de force moves world into a more hopeful phase
Scotsman (UK) Original Article

SPRING may still be some cold weeks away, but across the Middle East and Europe there have been distinct and heartening signs over the past week of a real break in the ice and the promise of warmer times. In global terms, the event of the week was the handshake at Sharm el-Sheikh between Israel’s prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and Mahmoud Abbas, Yasser Arafat’s newly-elected successor. This heralds a truce and a new phase of peace-making.

The interim Volcker report is no whitewash.

Oil for Food Facts
WSJ Opinion Journal Original Article

So much for the worry that Paul Volcker's probe into the U.N. Oil for Food scandal would be a "whitewash." After taking the time to read the 246-page interim report (link in PDF) the former Fed chairman issued late last week, we think his revelations have if anything been underplayed. To wit: Oil for Food program director Benon Sevan behaved unethically and then lied about it, and he hasn't adequately explained $160,000 he received.

Mom always used to tell me, "Its hard to soar like an eagle if you hang with turkeys."

College Official Resigns Over Speaker
Guardian Unlimited Original Article

The head of a gender studies program at Hamilton College has resigned after igniting a furor by inviting to the campus a professor who likened the Sept. 11 victims to Nazis. Nancy Rabinowitz said she was stepping down "under duress'' as director of the Kirkland Project for the Study of Gender, Society and Culture. She will continue to teach comparative literature.

Democrats could learn something here. If somebody is right several times, you may want to relook your own failed policies

Europe takes new look at Bush before trip
David R. Sands/Washington Times Original Article

President Bush's re-election and the successful vote in Iraq have had a profound effect on public opinion in Europe, with expectations soaring for Mr. Bush's trip there later this month, a leading member of the European Parliament says.

Everybody wants to be involved in drafting the Iraqi Constitution; however, few wanted to pay the military sacrifice

How to Move Iraq Forward
Kofi A. Annan/Wahington Post Original Article

The success of the Jan. 30 elections in Iraq has created an exciting moment of opportunity. It matters greatly that Iraq's transition is a success. I am determined to make certain that the United Nations will play its full part in helping the Iraqi people achieve that end.

Ground breaking idea, You lie, you get fired.

CNN News Executive Eason Jordan Quits
Vid Baurer/Associated Press Original Article

CNN chief news executive Eason Jordan quit Friday amidst a furor over remarks he made in Switzerland last month about journalists killed by the U.S. military in Iraq. Jordan said he was quitting to avoid CNN being "unfairly tarnished" by the controversy.

Municipal Election in Saudi Arabia

Cleric-Backed Candidates Win in Riyadh
AP Original Article

Candidates backed by Islamic clerics won races in the Saudi Arabian capital in the kingdom's first regular balloting, an election observer said Friday. Suleiman al-Oqaili told a press conference at which the preliminary results were announced that he saw the seven Riyadh winners' names on a list circulated via cell phones and the Internet.

Most of these cuts are for things the Federal Govt has no business (Constitutionally) being involved in

White House Spells Out List of 150 Budget Cuts
Caren Bohan/Reuters Original Article

President Bush's quest to cut or eliminate as many as 150 federal programs will reduce funding for state and local homeland security grants, job training and several education programs, the White House said on Friday. The White House issued 233 pages of documents giving specifics on how Bush would meet his goal of limiting the growth of discretionary spending for fiscal 2006 to 2.1 percent -- less than the rate of inflation.

What they successfully do is create a new issue to negotiate over

N. Korean Bluff Is Typical, Experts Say
Burt Herman/AP Original Article

Bluffs and bluster, then capitulation and compromise. North Korea has decades of experience dancing a diplomatic tango with its allies and enemies to get what it wants — and leaving the rest of the world guessing as to the real intent of the isolated communist regime.

Things that make you go ewh

Officials: Woman Made Up Tossed Baby Story
Curt Anderson/AP Original Article

A woman who claimed to have witnessed a newborn being thrown from a moving car was the baby's mother and concocted the story as a way to abandon the child and conceal her pregnancy from her family, officials said Friday.

The Palestinian Authority will not tolerate any actions that will sabotage the agreement reached with Israelis on a mutual cease-fire."

Abbas Heads to Gaza to Confront Militants
Mohammed Daraghmeh/AP Original Article

A day after firing his top security commanders, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas headed to the Gaza Strip on Friday to demand that militant leaders stop attacking Israelis, a strong sign of his determination to enforce a fragile truce with Israel.

We believe the six-party talks are the way to resolve the situation

N.Korea Demands Two-Way Talks, U.S. Refuses
Jon Herskovitz and Steve Holland/Reuters Original Article

North Korea demanded bilateral talks with the United States over its nuclear weapons program but Washington quickly rejected the idea on Friday and insisted Pyongyang return to six-party negotiations. "There's plenty of opportunities for North Korea to speak directly with us in the context of the six-party talks," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

The Palestinian leader needs more consistent and visible support from his Arab neighbors.

Missing Mideast Puzzle Piece
The Monitor's View Original Article

To achieve this week's announced cease-fire between the Israelis and Palestinians - the first in more than four years - the key players have been doing "the right thing": The Palestinians' newly elected leader, Mahmoud Abbas, denounced violence as the way to statehood, backing up words with deeds.

Whenever government gets involved, prices always go up.

Surprise! Medicare's drug benefit gets a mega markup
USA Today OpEd Original Article

A rule of thumb in government is that new programs almost always cost more than politicians predict. So it should come as no surprise that the new Medicare prescription-drug benefit will cost taxpayers more than originally advertised. When the plan to help seniors cope with skyrocketing drug costs passed Congress in 2003, the advertised price was $400 billion over 10 years. Two months later, the Bush administration “revised” the estimate to $534 billion. Now, Medicare officials project the cost to be $724 billion from 2006 to 2015, its first full decade.

It all comes down to message. Guess substance is out.

Supercharged McAuliffe Revels in Closing Days of Tenure
Dan Balz/Washington Post Original Article

Democratic National Committee Chairman Terence R. McAuliffe is not leaving quietly. With two days left before he hands the gavel over to former Vermont governor Howard Dean, McAuliffe was running at full speed yesterday, wrapping up the last details of the party's finances, lunching with reporters, and being feted at a gala whose speakers included former president Bill Clinton and the party's 2004 presidential nominee, John F. Kerry.

Sounds like Iraqi police fought against rebels instead of fleeing

US choppers oust rebels
Tim Witcher/The Australian Original Article

US helicopters attacked an Iraqi police station overrun by rebels as the Islamic new year started with dozens more deaths at insurgent hands. At least 10 police were killed in the rebel assault on the police station at Salman Pak yesterday and a resulting fire fight, which also resulted in the deaths of 20 gunmen, the authorities said.

Australia’s wool industry gets sheepish in the face of animal-rights demagoguery.

Tall Tales Down Under
Wesley J. Smith/NRO Original Article

Demagoguery comes easy to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The most recent example comes out of Australia, where PETA is mounting an international boycott against that nation's wool industry over the admittedly unpleasant — but necessary — Australian sheep-ranching practice known as "mulesing" (described below). Yet the defensive response of the Australian wool industry after being attacked unfairly, demonstrates why PETA so often gets the upper hand.

Supporters of the bill acknowledge that it faces an uphill battle in the Senate

House Passes Tightening of Laws on Immigration
David D. Kirkpatrick/The New York Times Original Article

The House of Representatives voted on Thursday to approve a bill tightening immigration laws in the name of border security. The main provisions of the bill, which passed 261 to 161, block states from issuing standard drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants and make it easier for judges to expel asylum seekers.

US and Europe, Closer Together
James K. Glassman/TCS Original Article

"There is nothing Europeans want to hear from George Bush, nothing that will change their minds," wrote Thomas Friedman of the New York Times recently after he spent 10 days in Europe. "Mr. Bush is more widely and deeply despised than any U.S. president in history." Well, I have just spent eight days in Europe, and I couldn't disagree more.

Technology solves the mystery

Tech Solves Hope Diamond Mystery of the Hope Diamond
AP Original Article

Researchers using computer analysis have traced the origin of the famed Hope Diamond, concluding that it was cut from a larger stone that was once part of the crown jewels of France. A French connection had been suspected for the Hope, but the new study shows just how it would have fit inside the larger French Blue Diamond and how that gem was cut, Smithsonian gem curator Jeffrey Post explained.

Interesting that the Iraqi government is trying to keep out Shi'ites from Iran

Iraq to close borders to thwart attacks
Alister Bull and Mariam Karouny/Swiss Info Original Article

Iraq will seal its borders next week to prevent Shi'ite pilgrims flooding into thecountry, the government says, in the latest emergency measure intended to thwart insurgent violence.The borders will be closed between February 17 and February 22, in a move a government spokesman said on Thursday was designed to coincide with the climax of Ashura, a major Shi'itereligious ceremony.

There may be purchasing of F-16s in the future

Lockheed Wins Planes Deal With India
S. Srininvasan/Associated Press Original Article

Lockheed Martin Corp., the biggest U.S. defense company, said Thursday it has won export licenses to sell C-130J military transport planes and P-3C Orion naval surveillance aircraft to India.

Obviously many Democrats agree with "Bush's supporters in the business world".

Senate Passes Overhaul of Rules for Class-Action Lawsuits
David Stout/The New York Times Original Article

The Senate voted overwhelmingly today to shift many class-action lawsuits from state courts to federal courts, handing President Bush and his supporters in the business world a major legislative triumph. The 72-to-26 vote sends the bill to the House of Representatives, where it will probably be quickly passed and sped on its way to the desk of the president, who is eager to sign it.

Ann Coulter on the Warpath

THE LITTLE INJUN THAT COULD
Ann Coulter /UExpress Original Article

If Ward Churchill loses his job teaching at the University of Colorado, he could end up giving Howard Dean a real run for his money to head the Democratic National Committee.

It needs to be seen if Abbas can reign in these militants who are challenging his rule

Officials: Abbas Fires Gaza Commanders
Josef Federman/AP Original Article

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas fired top Gaza security commanders Thursday, Palestinian officials said, hours after militants fired dozens of mortar shells and homemade rockets at Jewish settlements there, breaking a 2-day-old cease-fire.

North Korea is trying to win more concessions from the United States by hardening its stance

N.Korea Says It Has Nuclear Arms, Spurns Talks
Jack Kim and Jon Herskovitz/Reuters Original Article

North Korea declared Thursday for the first time it possessed nuclear weapons and pulled out indefinitely from six-party talks on its atomic ambitions, saying it needed a defense against a hostile United States.

Its hiscountry's obligation to repay its debt to the international community

El Salvador to Send More Troops to Iraq
Diego Mendez/AP Original Article

El Salvador has agreed to a U.S. request to send a fourth army contingent to Iraq, President Tony Saca said Wednesday. The troops were scheduled to leave Thursday en route to the southern Iraqi town of Hilla, where the third 380-troop Salvadoran contingent is currently based. Those soldiers are slated to return home on Feb. 25.

Validating the vote in Iraq. Need to make sure this is right

Recount Delays Iraq Final Election Results
Robert H. Reid/AP Original Article

Iraqi officials said Wednesday they must recount votes from about 300 ballot boxes because of various discrepancies, delaying final results from the landmark national elections. Hundreds - perhaps thousands - of other ballots were declared invalid because of alleged tampering. Postelection violence mounted, raising fears that the Jan. 30 balloting had done little to ease the country's grave security crisis.

The head of the IAEA is a key position for Bush administration

U.S. Aims to Oust U.N. Nuke Official
George Jahn/APNews Service Here Original Article

The United States is lobbying allies in a bid to oust the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, perhaps as early as the end of the month, diplomats and officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Anticipating that present European diplomatic efforts on Iran will fail, the diplomats and officials also told AP that Washington plans to increase pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program when the International Atomic Energy Agency meets Feb. 28.

ETA and those who support it have no place in political or civil life

Terror Group Blamed for Spain Car Bombing
Ed McCullough/My Way News Original Article

A car bomb exploded in a Madrid business park Wednesday after a warning call purportedly from the Basque separatist group ETA, injuring at least 43 people, officials said, in the worst blast in the Spanish capital since last year's terrorist attack on commuter trains.

Amid peace talks, message to people in Arabic doesn't change

PA TV: Goal is Israel's destruction
World Net Daily Original Article

As Israel and the Palestinians agree to a cease-fire setting the stage for peace talks, official Palestinian Authority television continues to communicate the ultimate goal of eliminating the Jewish state.

An interesting thought about the confirmation process

Filtering Out the Best
Thomas Sowell/Real Clear Politics Original Article

Having lost the White House, both houses of Congress, and a majority of the governorships and state legislatures, the Democrats are in an ugly and desperate mood, lashing out without regard to how their words and actions will affect this country's position internationally, including giving aid and comfort to our enemies.

Promoting democracy is in America's interests even if the democratic process sometimes yields results we don't like.

Best of the Web Today
James Taranto/WSJ Original Article

America's Winning Streak Not so very long ago, American opponents of the Bush administration were rejoicing in the election victories of anti-American or anti-Bush candidates in such countries as Germany, South Korea and Spain. They've been awfully quiet of late, and little wonder: In recent months President Bush has been doing very well in elections around the world.

OK, stop the extremist teachings then.

Extremist Teachings, Not Jobs, Cause of Terrorism: Gosaibi
Arab News Original Article

Labor Minister Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi thinks extremist teachings, not unemployment, are the root causes of terrorism in Saudi Arabia. Gosaibi blamed the spread of terrorism on the “indoctrination that teaches young people they can kill justifiably” and the training some extremists received in terror camps in Afghanistan. “I don’t believe that terrorist movement has anything to do with unemployment,” the minister told reporters in Riyadh.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans satisfied with war on terrorism

Poll: Bush gets higher marks on terror
CNN Original Article

Nearly two-thirds of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the war on terrorism, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Tuesday. Sixty-four percent of those polled said they were "very" or "somewhat" satisfied with the way things are going in the war on terrorism, while 35 percent said they were dissatisfied.

President Carter compromised the hopes of Venezuelans in the recall election

Cracking down on Caracas
Mortimer B. Zuckerman/US News Original Article

While we have our eyes on the Middle East and the recent good news out of there, a danger to democracy is brewing right here in our backyard. Venezuela, long one of Latin America's strongest democracies, is now under siege by its president, Hugo Chavez. Thanks to an ill-judged intervention by former President Jimmy Carter, Chavez narrowly survived a recall election and has now accelerated his subversion of Venezuela's democracy by a scummy deal with Fidel Castro.

Before long, Abbas will need to confront the terrorist groups

Does Abbas have the courage to commit to peace?
USA Today Original Article

It takes enormous courage to be a peacemaker in the Middle East. Yasser Arafat didn't have it. Whether the new Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, can find it within himself will likely decide whether Tuesday's extraordinary moment of hope in the Middle East grows into more.

Iran with a nuclear weapon would be a very destabilizing force in the world

Rice: Iran Can't Delay Nuke Accountability
Anne Gearan/AP Original Article

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Iran on Wednesday that it risks U.N. action if negotiations with Europe over its nuclear program don't progress. Nearing the end of a fence-mending tour of European allies, Rice also said she encountered "a kind of coming together of common purpose" on another troubled front: Iraq. Several countries committed to help train Iraqi forces and participate in an upcoming NATO training mission.

Lets see how Abbas handles this threat to the truce.

Palestinians Say Hizbollah Trying to Wreck Truce
Diala Saadeh/Reuters Original Article

Lebanese Hizbollah guerrillas are trying to recruit Palestinian militants for attacks on Israelis in order to sabotage Middle East peace efforts, senior Palestinian officials said on Wednesday. The accusations from political and security officials, a day after Israel and the Palestinians announced a cease-fire, echoed charges from the Jewish state. The officials declined to be identified.

Everybody knows what the Iranians need to do. They just need to do it.

Rice chides Europeans over Iran nuclear talks
AFP Original Article

A day after heralding a new era in transatlantic relations, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice scolded her European allies over their handling of nuclear talks with Iran. Rice complained that Britain, France and Germany had failed to make sufficiently clear the threat of UN sanctions if Tehran refused to renounce its suspected nuclear weapons ambitions.

Another small step towards peace in the Middle East

Israel Set to Reopen Gaza Border After Truce Summit
Mark Heinrich/Reuters Original Article

Israel said on Wednesday it would shortly reopen its border with Gaza to Palestinian workers and merchants -- the first follow-up to a cease-fire summit in Egypt that resuscitated hope for Middle East peacemaking. Adding to a mood of optimism, the "Quartet" of United States, Russia, United Nations and European Union said they would attend a Palestinian reconstruction conference set for March 1-2 in London.