TOM MAGUIRE explains all.

WANT TO DO SOMETHING FOR THE TROOPS this Christmas? Visit www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil, Operation Gratitude, and www.SoldiersAngels.com.

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: I asked for ’em, and I got ’em! Here goes:

Reader Michael Gebert writes:

For good history, I would champion the author William Lee Miller, who’s written two books which knocked the cobwebs off a familiar era– America around the time of the Civil War. Arguing About Slavery is about the debates in Congress over slavery (and the debate over whether Congress even had the right to debate it, etc.); full of wonderfully overripe chunks of 19th century bloviation from the Congressional records of the day, it also shows how the South, by overplaying its hand, turned Northern public opinion toward abolition, a lesson in the excesses of extremism which certain members of Congress could certainly learn from today. And Lincoln’s Virtues is a terrific book about Lincoln the practical politician and how he balanced his ideals with what it took to win office and be effective; a great book about how you can achieve power without losing your soul and, indeed, accomplishing in the end exactly what you set out to do.

TigerHawk emails:

The three most interesting/entertaining books that I read in the last year:

The Right Nation, by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge. Two British reporters discuss the rise of the American right over 40 years. They are so balanced in their analysis that it is almost impossible to divine the political opinions of the authors. Simply the best book on American politics that I have ever read.

New Glory, by Ralph Peters. Beautifully written, Peters spares almost nobody in this analysis of American geopolitics. Whether on the inside of the Bush administration or to its left or right, there is something in this book that will challenge your assumptions and force you to confront your own biases.

Old Boys, by Charles McCarry. A very thought-provoking spy novel by a former spy, both literate and entertaining. How retired old cold warriors on the outside limber up to rescue a comrade and interdict an Islamist nuclear weapon, all in the same very black op. A stupendous thriller by an unheralded master of the craft.

Jefferson Perkins emails:

Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. Perhaps the most important philosophical work of the 20th Century, and I don’t think it’s going to be recommended by most of today’s faculty. One liberal friend of mine refuses to even read it, his mind might be poisoned or something — Written in 1957, it is as eerily prescient as de Toqueville in some matters, such as the expansion in size and power of the federal government.

The Federalist Society’s little booklet containing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

Hayek’s Road to Serfdom. Although it’s a little dated, as Hayek focussed on post WWII “Central Planning” rather than other governmental mischief.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, the best fantasy series ever written, period. I don’t know whether these works have been elevated into “English Literature” as yet — but they should be.

Richard Kemmer writes, “This book about the Reformation is superb.”

Kirsten Mortenson emails:

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, by Charles C. Mann. Very well-written survey of the latest research & analysis of pre-Columbian Native American culture. Couldn’t put it down.

Shakespeare: The Biography, Peter Ackroyd. This is what I’m reading now. I adore Ackroyd. I’ve also read “London” and have a couple other of his books on my Amazon wish list. Now if I can just get my dad to part with his complete Shakespeare that he claims to have in the attic :-)

Ernesto Suarez writes: “The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB And The Battle For The Third World. I read it. It’s an excellent and well documented book that definitely gives a different perspective about the history of international relations for the past almost 50. years. I highly recommend it.”

Mike Erickson writes:

If you are interested in the history of the space program may want to look at my brother’s book.

Since it was written on the government’s nickel, you can also download a complete and unabridged pdf.

It is quite interesting to read various expert’s opinion of the need (or lack thereof) for human space flight from an earlier era, and how it is echoed by many today.

Hey, if we’re going to plug brothers’ books, let me take a moment to plug my brother’s book, Trading Tastes : Commodity and Cultural Exchange to 1750 — or his other book, Africa in World History. Buy ’em both — they’re great stocking stuffers!

I’m sure I’ve missed a bunch, but there are lots more recommendations at the Big Tent history blog.

WANT A NIKON D200 for Christmas? So do a lot of people.

GOOD NEWS FOR BUSH:

President Bush’s approval rating has surged in recent weeks, reversing what had been an extended period of decline, with Americans now expressing renewed optimism about the future of democracy in Iraq, the campaign against terrorism and the U.S. economy, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News Poll.

Bush’s overall approval rating rose to 47 percent, up from 39 percent in early November, with 52 percent saying they disapprove of how he is handling his job. His approval rating on Iraq jumped 10 percentage points since early November to 46 percent, while his rating on the economy rose 11 percentage points to 47 percent. A clear majority, 56 percent, said they approve of the way Bush is handling the fight against terrorism — a traditional strong point in his reputation that nonetheless had flagged to 48 percent in the November poll. . . . A solid majority (60 percent) agrees with Bush on his opposition to setting a timetable for withdrawing forces. Of the 39 percent who favor a deadline, 31 percent would like to see all U.S. troops removed by the end of next year. The poll also found Americans slightly more receptive to a candidate for Congress next year who opposes a timetable than to one who supports a timetable.

This poll predates last night’s speech and this morning’s press conference, of course.

BRENDAN O’NEILL: “Bin Laden’s script: ghost-written in the West.” Plus there’s this:

Is it that the dumbing down of public life is now so complete that even a loon like bin Laden can get five stars from literary pundits for saying things like ‘kill the Americans and seize their money wherever and whenever [you] find them’ (December 1998) and ‘My kidneys are all right’ (November 2001)?

I think he stole that last from The Who, with a slight translation error creeping in . . . . Read the whole thing, which is a pretty damning indictment of a lot of literary — and political — punditry.

ON THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR: Where I usually wind up . . . .

ORIN KERR has a big post on the NSA surveillance story. Excerpt:

My answer is pretty tentative, but here it goes: Although it hinges somewhat on technical details we don’t know, it seems that the program was probably constitutional but probably violated the federal law known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. My answer is extra-cautious for two reasons. First, there is some wiggle room in FISA, depending on technical details we don’t know of how the surveillance was done. Second, there is at least a colorable argument — if, I think in the end, an unpersuasive one — that the surveillance was authorized by the Authorization to Use Miltary Force as construed in the Hamdi opinion.

Meanwhile, Marty Lederman also has a long post, and observes:

In his press conference this morning, the President focused on two things: (i) defending the legality of his Executive Orders authorizing eavesdropping of conversations involving U.S. persons (including citizens); and (ii) scolding Senators for refusing to reenact the PATRIOT Act.

What virtually no one is pointing out is the incongruity of these two arguments — that if the President is correct about the legality of his wiretapping protocol, then there is little need to reenact the PATRIOT Act.

Read the whole thing(s).

UPDATE: Daniel Solove has more.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Ann Althouse observes: “Members of Congress were briefed about the program in the past and did not see fit to take a position about it one way or the other. They were content to let the President act and but feel pressured to do something now that the program is no longer secret. Let’s see what they do.”

She also notes that Bush seems awfully relaxed and confident when this topic comes up. I wonder why?

DefenseTech says it’s all about new technology — and has the coolest illustration so far on this topic!

And Tom Maguire looks at what Congress knew and when it knew it. The 1990s?

MORE: Tom Smith responds to Orin Kerr’s post. The blogosphere is certainly producing more erudite commentary by law professors than the MSM-osphere.

A PACK, NOT A HERD: Rand Simberg notices something in the Miami plane crash response.

MICHAEL TOTTEN has a long, and mostly depressing, interview with Egyptian blogger Big Pharaoh — but with one spot of good news.

I DIDN’T SEE BUSH’S PRESS CONFERENCE, but here’s a post at Dartblog. And both Michelle Malkin and AnkleBitingPundits liveblogged it.

UPDATE: Meryl Yourish says that something was missing from Bush’s speech last night. And Laurence Simon notes that there’s a transcript — and video — of Bush’s press conference online already at the White House website. They seem to be getting quicker. Laurence observes: “Kinda makes you wonder when Presidents won’t bother asking ‘The Big Three’ networks for airtime and instead ask the wireless providers for videostreaming to wireless phones time.”

Sooner than the Big Three would like, I expect . . . .

LEAKS ARE CAUSING TROUBLE IN IRAQ, according to Omar:

The IECI stressed repeatedly that no results should be considered official until the commission itself announces the final results but still, numbers and percentages keep leaking from different sources, including people in the commission.

The worries of voters are being fueled by the announcements that keep coming from this or that list declaring “smashing victories” here and there.

Some lists are taking partial results that leak from a single polling center and generalize them over an entire province to give the impression that they have won. Of course none of this can be confirmed or denied until all votes are counted and sorted out.

Maybe one day Iraqi government officials will be as disciplined and leak-resistant as people are here. Come to think of it, they already are!

DOES THIS PHOTO mean that Valerie Plame is starting a blog? She’s wearing pajamas!

THE CARNIVAL OF TOMORROW is up! So is the first-anniversary Haveil Havalim.

THIS IS INTERESTING:

So much for the popularly peddled view that anti-Americanism in the Muslim world is so pervasive and deep-rooted it might take generations to alter. A new poll from Pakistan, a critical front-line in the war on terror, paints a very different picture–by revealing a sea-change in public opinion in recent months.

Long a stronghold for Islamic extremists and the world’s second-most populous Muslim nation, Pakistanis now hold a more favorable opinion of the U.S. than at any time since 9/11, while support for al Qaeda in its home base has dropped to its lowest level since then. The direct cause for this dramatic shift in Muslim opinion is clear: American humanitarian assistance for Pakistani victims of the Oct. 8 earthquake that killed 87,000. The U.S. pledged $510 million for earthquake relief in Pakistan and American soldiers are playing a prominent role in rescuing victims from remote mountainous villages.

Read the whole thing.

PROF. LIONEL TIGER WRITES: “At my university as at countless others, one of the very first official greeting to students is a rape seminar predicated on the intrinsic danger males carry with them.” Read the whole thing, and read this, too.

FOLLOWING UP on my earlier post, an interesting look at casualty rates in various conflicts and settings.

MORE NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN:

The country has had no elected national assembly since 1973, when coups and a Soviet invasion plunged it into decades of chaos that left more than one million people dead. Civil war raged in the early 1990s, followed by the disastrous rule of the Taliban. . . .

The inauguration of the assembly formally concludes the political transition process agreed on by Afghan factions under UN auspices in December 2001, although Afghanistan is still a long way from stability.

Read the whole thing. And Gateway Pundit has much, much more.

THE NATIONAL JOURNAL’S DANIEL GLOVER looks at Cory Maye, “Tookie” Williams, and the blogosphere.

And Dave Kopel writes in The Rocky Mountain News: “After all the attention the mainstream media, including the Denver dailies, gave to the execution of the unrepentant quadruple- murderer Tookie Williams, it would be nice if the media focused on a man on death row who is actually innocent.”

ANOTHER UPDATE: John Leo looks at the Tookie case. But why not a column on Cory Maye?

IN THE MAIL: George Basalla’s Civilized Life in the Universe: Scientists on Intelligent Extraterrestrials.

The cover is pretty cool, and there’s a lot of interesting history on the topic of scientists’ thoughts on extraterrestrial life. I found Basalla’s technological relativism a bit unconvincing — alien science, if it exists, may look different from ours in some ways, but he almost makes it sound as if physical laws are cultural artifacts, which no amount of postmodern argument can make true, or even persuasive. What’s more, he doesn’t really engage the point made by Ernst Fasan years ago in his Relations With Alien Intelligences: While it’s possible to imagine aliens with whom we have nothing whatsoever in common, the aliens we’d be most likely to deal with — as competitors or friends — are those who are more like us.

ANNALYN HAS A CELLPHONE with a built-in flashlight. Great for power failures. In Nigeria, actually, people favor phones with bright screens so that they can be used as emergency light sources during the frequent outages, so I guess this is the next logical step.

ALEX KOZINSKI: “Call me a Panglossian.” I’d rather call him “Justice,” but oh, well.

READER BILL DARROW EMAILS:

With Christmas approaching, I’m thinking of giving some books. Would you consider posting what you regard as some kind of Top 5 or Top 10 books (to think about as gifts)? They needn’t be published in 2005, or limited to non-fiction. But it would be helpful and interesting. I fear that my nieces and nephews (at Cornell, Smith, Marlboro, and some outfit in Montreal) are not getting directed to important books or good history.

Who do I look like? Frank Wilson? But hey, send me some recommendations and I’ll post ’em.

CARNIVAL-O-RAMA: Check out the latest from the Indian blogosphere at Blog Mela, and don’t miss this week’s Carnival of the Capitalists. There’s also the law-bloggers’ Blawg Review, and the always-amusing Carnival of the Insanities. And if that’s not enough, there are lots more blog carnivals listed here.

CIVILIAN DEATH TOLLS AND WAR: A rather striking graphic. (Via Ann Althouse).

UPDATE: More here.