DEMANDING RELIGIOUS RECIPROCITY FROM THE SAUDIS

The Saudis have recently asked permission to build a mosque in Moscow, a city where there are only four mosques and 2 million Muslims. The Russians, however, are saying they want, in return, an Orthodox church in Saudi Arabia.

BACK TO THE OLD 9/11 WORLD

Now Obama gets to deal with Islamic terror, and has no Bush to blam

DON'T CONFIRM HER!

Hillary Clinton likely would be the most leftist American Secretary of State ever, and certainly the most ethically conflicted and unqualified. For her to be confirmed for the position would be a travesty. And it would be profoundly dangerous for American interests.

Consensus Of Whom?

Socialized Medicine: "Consensus" has become one of the scariest words in America. It means officials have reached agreement on how to fleece the public. And it's being used in the same breath as "universal health care."

CANADA'S CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS

ERIC HOLDER'S POLITICS

For a politicized Justice Department, none can compare to the Clinton Administration's, and the role that Mr. Holder played in it deserves the fullest airing before he is given the opportunity to return.

OBAMA SUPPORTS SCHOOL CHOICE, FOR HIS CHILDREN

When it comes to Sasha and Malia, the Obamas understand the critical importance of a good, rigorous education because such educations changed their own lives. Yet when it comes to giving that opportunity to other youngsters in the District of Columbia, most of whom are African American, and whose parents count them as precious as the Obamas count their daughters, the president and his party will likely withdraw aid. For those 2,000 boys and girls in the OSP, the "education train" may be their only ticket out of poverty and dependency, and they may not get a chance to ride it.

FREEDOM AND THE LEFT

The essence of bigotry is refusing to others the rights that you demand for yourself. Such bigotry is inherently incompatible with freedom, even though many on the left would be shocked to be considered opposed to freedom.

THE BUDGET AND THE BAILOUT BLUES

As much as Obama would like to portray himself as a giant budget cutter, it isn’t going to happen. Despite what he says about going through the budget line-by-line looking for waste, he has no line-item veto authority. In fact, there have never been any meaningful budget cuts. Budgets simply continue to grow.

The really frustrating part is that we blithely continue to re-elect the same politicians that got us into this mess in the first place who insist on growing the budget and going further into debt. When the house of cards falls, it won’t be pretty.

LOOKING BACK FROM THE LEFT COAST

By Schmid

LEFT BEHIND

Obama’s centrist Cabinet picks must have Democratic ideologues wondering what happened to the change they can believe in.

OBAMA A CENTRIST? LIKE I'M A LIBERAL

I am far less convinced than many that Barack Obama will be a centrist in office. Despite his announced future Cabinet appointees, I find it amazing that people are so willing to believe he'll change his stripes that fast.

SERVING SARAH THE OLD PATRIOTISM LIE

Some of the criticisms of Sarah Palin are fair. Some of them are unfair. There’s no question about the category into which this latest criticism falls: Blatantly unfair. Historically dishonest. If the Anchorage Daily News wants to complain that Sarah Palin’s spent too much time away from her state already, fine. But by lending her star power to Chambliss’s reelection-runoff bid, she’s not campaigning for “a reprehensible Republican chicken hawk.” If you want Jim Martin to win, fine. But you do him, your readers, American politics — and, yes, your governor — a disservice by keeping a political lie alive.

DON'T BLAME BUSH FOR SUBPRIME MESS

ousing Crisis: A new report from the Associated Press claims that the mortgage meltdown is due largely to President Bush's failure to act in 2005. Sounds plausible — until you actually look at the facts.

STANDING UP TO RUSSIA'S THREATS

The Obama Administration should reject Medvedev's missile threats, exposing them as a throw-back to the Cold War. The great irony and blunder of Russia's actions is that had Moscow acted more responsibly, the Obama Administration might have delayed the European missile defense system altogether. Now the Obama Administration must resist Russian pressure, if only to avoid the appearance of weakness and to discourage Russia's strategic revisionism.

WHO IS RAHM EMANUEL?

By all accounts, Rahm Emmanuel is a savvy political operator. But if his voting record is anything to go by, a penchant for centrist accommodation is not among the talents he will bring to his new role as White House chief of staff.

THE HUMAN SIDE OF LEADERSHIP

One of the best films about the Vietnam war came out in 2002, "We Were Soldiers", starring Mel Gibson. The technical director who counseled the portrayal of leadership was spot on.

MITT ROMNEY: LET DETROIT GO BANKRUPT

IF General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye. It won’t go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed.

INSANE SAME-SEX-MARRIAGE RAGE

Corporate honchos, church leaders, and small donors alike are in the same-sex marriage mob’s crosshairs, all unfairly demonized as hate-filled bigots by bona fide hate-filled bigots who have abandoned decency in pursuit of “equal rights.” One wonders where Barack Obama — himself an opponent of Proposition 8 — is as this insane rage rages on. Soul-Fixer, Nation-Healer, where art thou?

OF FAITH AND FILM

It had all the trappings of a made-for-TV movie: a former sitcom star in the leading role, a Hallmarkian sentimentality, and a direct-to-DVD budget. It's the kind of project studio execs pass on. They did, yet Fireproof raked in the money.