Free kibbles

Bush gambles on more troops in Iraq, conducts raids on the Mahdi Army in Sadr City, but also paves the way for pull-out if the maneuver fails. Better 4 years late than never, I guess. This plan depends a lot on Maliki, who has been dominated by al Sadr so far. The raid on Sadr City is a good sign, but it's hard to imagine Maliki breaking his alliance with al Sadr. Bush's plan may be too little, too late.

Democrats resist plan.

U.S. detains 6 Iranians in Iraq. Bush vows to cut off Iranian and Syrian support for Iraqi insurgents. Once again, better 4 years late than never.

Marines using sand berms in Anbar province.

Robert Novak reports on problems in the State Department.

The intersection of pin-point searches and privacy.

Firefighters say they were forced to remove flags from their lockers.

Duke accuser changes story again.

Let's hope comet doesn't portent doom for us in Iraq - or anywhere else.

Ralph Peters says we need to support the President on Iraq one last time.

The crackdown in Baghdad truly has to be non-partisan, comprehensive and uncompromising. And the big test isn't going to be the current struggle for Haifa Street - defended by Sunni insurgents and foreign terrorists - but the occupation, disarmament and ideological disinfection of Sadr City. If we and the Iraqis try to avoid Sadr City's challenges, you'll know the entire effort's a hollow sham.

The London Times offers faint praise.

In reality, there is no credible alternative. The Iraq Study Group proved rather better at setting out the many problems that exist in Iraq than in offering precise solutions. Its recommendation that the White House co-opt Iran and Syria as its allies in Iraq does not look remotely plausible. The idea that suddenly withdrawing American soldiers from the country would convince Shia and Sunni hardliners to be more charitable to one another is equally improbable. Mr Bush’s domestic foes, notably Nancy Pelosi, the new Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives (who has a minimal record in foreign policy) and the increasingly surreal Edward Kennedy, would simply abandon Iraq and be done with it.

Not everybody agrees with Bush's proposal.

But, like millions of other Americans, I can no longer contain the primal scream I want to direct at the members of my party [Democrats] who declined to engage a real debate in the run-up to this completely avoidable misjudgment of old men and women, willing to send boys and girls to die for their ideological hallucinations and political cowardice.

Victor Davis Hanson points out that America is damned if we do, damned if we do it all kinds of different ways, and damned if we don't.

Ralph Peters highlights the actions of our special forces in Somalia.

Update on Lake Vostok.