"Far from being the source of anti-Americanism in Turkey, the AKP represents an ideal partner for the United States in the region.” So asserts Joshua W. Walker, a former Turkey desk officer at the State Department now studying at Princeton University, referring to the Justice and Development Party (known as the AKP). Writing in The Washington Quarterly, Walker supports his thesis by noting the constructive Turkish role in Iraq, praising “how carefully the AKP has guarded the [U.S.] alliance and tried to work with the Bush administration, partic­ularly when compared to other European nations.”

Instead of mischaracterizing the significance and meaning of the U.S. trade deficit and assuming that the loss of 3 million manufacturing jobs four years ago requires a tough response today, policymakers should try to attain a better understanding of the condition of U.S. manufacturing, Cato Institute policy analyst Daniel Ikenson pointed out in a Capitol Hill briefing that the think tank held recently.

If the old saying is true that “You are what you eat”, then the progressive nations may not be so progressive after all. On top of that, it costs them more to not be so progressive.

We live in the age of group apologies. I would like to add one. The baby boomer generation needs to apologize to America, especially its young generation, for many sins. Here is a partial list:

His fans throughout the entertainment world might think that comedian actor Robert Williams came from somewhere out there in the endless galaxy. (Remember his TV series, Mort from Ork?)

Surprisingly, something useful has emerged from the combination of the misconceived Annapolis meeting and a weak Israeli prime minister, Ehud ("Peace is achieved through concessions") Olmert. Breaking with his predecessors, Olmert has boldly demanded that his Palestinian bargaining partners accept Israel’s permanent existence as a Jewish state, thereby evoking a revealing response.

Nationally syndicated radio talk-show host Michael Savage, whose program originates in San Francisco even though the city’s board of supervisors condemned his opinions, apparently is remaining largely unaffected by a campaign to put pressure on his advertisers.

An interesting and actually responsive survey group in the Peoples Republic Of Kalifornia?

The key to solving American troubles in the ME is Syria, not Israel. You may recall that Saudi Arabia demanded that Syria be invited as the price for gaining its attendance and Syria was invited. There is no solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, or should I say the Israel/Arab conflict, unless and until the Arab countries are prepared to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and sign an end of conflict agreement. The former has been rejected and the latter is not even discussed.

Firefox 3 Beta 1 sports usability enhancements that make it a big step forward over previous versions. It’s proven stable enough to use as a production browser—on some machines. On other machines, it’s a pig.

I was surrounded by sartorial splendor at the magnificent Breakers hotel in Palm Beach last weekend as world class experts expounded on some truly frightening topics - our government’s handling of the war on terror, the pitiable state of Muslim women unfortunate enough to be born under Sharia law, and the consequences of a Hillary victory in 2008.

Ah, Thanksgiving. To most of us, the word conjures up images of turkey dinner, pumpkin pie and watching football with family and friends. It kicks off the holiday season and is the biggest shopping weekend of the year. We’re taught that Thanksgiving came about when pilgrims gave thanks to God for a bountiful harvest. We vaguely mumble thanks for the food on our table, the roof over our head and the loved ones around us. We casually think about how lucky we are and how much better our lives are than, say, those in Bangladesh. But surely there is something more to celebrate, something more sacred about this holiday.

For several years stories in the media have reported a farm labor shortage. This study examines this question and finds little evidence to support this conclusion.

A Top 25 list cut from Quantcast listings.

In another move that both infuriates and attempts to suppress Christianity, China is reported to have officially banned Bibles - for athletes - from the 2008 Olympics.  The Bible was included on a “prohibited items list” prepared by the Chinese government and distributed to athletes who intend to participate in the China-hosted Olympics.  Under penalty of Chinese law, Bibles may not be brought into the Olympic village.  Interestingly, no ban applies or has ever applied to the Muslim Quran.  Apparently, Islam and all of its practices are still to be allowed.  Also, apparently (although the secular and decidedly anti-Christian mainstream press did not report this story), China heard about the uproar caused by its actions from the new media and is now denying they occurred.  China has now declared that athletes will be allowed to bring Bibles into the Olympic Village if they are “exclusively for personal use.”