GERMANY’S TERROR BUST: Reading between the lines. Plus a reason why Bush should pursue a “more European” approach to anti-terrorism.

REVIEWING IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON: The review’s a bit politicized, though, or at least a bit historically illiterate — anyone who thinks that politics are more polarized, domestically or internationally, than they were in 1969 has no clue. I highly recommend Michael Collins’ book, Carrying the Fire, though.

I FOR ONE WELCOME our new alien overlords.

CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS, spinning the surge for the Bush Administration?

OSAMA BIN METROSEXUAL.

CRITICIZING BRITISH GUN CONTROLS in the London Times:

Despite the recent spate of shootings on our streets, we pride ourselves on our strict gun laws. Every time an American gunman goes on a killing spree, we shake our heads in righteous disbelief at our poor benighted colonial cousins. Why is it, even after the Virginia Tech massacre, that Americans still resist calls for more gun controls?

The short answer is that “gun controls” do not work: they are indeed generally perverse in their effects.

Indeed. And I like this:

We are so self-congratulatory about our officially disarmed society, and so dismissive of colonial rednecks, that we have forgotten that within living memory British citizens could buy any gun – rifle, pistol, or machinegun – without any licence. When Dr Watson walked the streets of London with a revolver in his pocket, he was a perfectly ordinary Victorian or Edwardian. Charlotte Brontë recalled that her curate father fastened his watch and pocketed his pistol every morning when he got dressed; Beatrix Potter remarked on a Yorkshire country hotel where only one of the eight or nine guests was not carrying a revolver; in 1909, policemen in Tottenham borrowed at least four pistols from passers-by (and were joined by other armed citizens) when they set off in pursuit of two anarchists unwise enough to attempt an armed robbery. We now are shocked that so many ordinary people should have been carrying guns in the street; the Edwardians were shocked rather by the idea of an armed robbery.

Which seems a more appropriate focus for shock and outrage, to me.

DANNY GLOVER has a Norman Hsu pun roundup.

WHO IS FRED THOMPSON? Tennessee bloggers weigh in.

DARTMOUTH’S ADMINISTRATION does the deed. Plus, this: “Governance Committee considered censoring or limiting bloggers who write about Trustee elections.”

MORE ON THE INTERNECINE STRUGGLES AT DARTMOUTH.

ILYA SOMIN ON SOCIALISM: “The spectre that once haunted Europe and the world may have been defeated and discredited. But we have not yet completed the task of driving a stake through its heart.”

THE VICTORY CAUCUS STILL WANTS YOU TO SUPPORT THE TROOPS by signing the online petition.

JEW-HATRED and Jihad.

A LOOK AT POLITICS AND THE EASTERN ORTHODOX CHURCH, in Romania.

A UNIQUE MELDING OF dead-tree media and blogging. I think it’s very clever.

GOODBYE TO CHUCK HAGEL: “From would-be anti-war presidential candidate to a guy who wants to spend more time with his family. . . . Ironically, the man who’ll most likely replace Hagel is both 1)a Democrat and 2)proudly pro-Iraq War: Bob ‘Ask Me about Vietnam’ Kerrey.”

UPDATE: Ouch.

OKAY, HERE’S AN IRAQ WITHDRAWAL PLAN I CAN LIVE WITH:

In a report to be released Sunday, a panel of experts assembled by the U.S. Institute of Peace calls for a 50 percent reduction in U.S. forces in Iraq within three years and a total withdrawal and handover of security to the Iraqi military in five years. . . .

With some recent security improvements, the biggest problem facing the Bush administration and Iraq is the failure of politicians in Baghdad to reconcile Sunni and Shiite factions and pass critical laws to secure the fledgling new democracy. “The situation remains fluid, but a window has opened, fleetingly, for Iraq to proceed with political reconciliation. Iraq’s national politicians have been unable to take full advantage of this opportunity,” says the report, authored by USIP vice president Daniel Serwer.

That seems like a realistic timetable, and — coming from the Institute of Peace — it can hardly be called a warmongering one. And it recognizes that these things take time. Indeed, things may go faster, though this piece from the New York Times takes a less positive view.

UPDATE: McCain is still on the warpath: “McCain Warns Against Iraq Pullout.”

ANOTHER UPDATE: More here, from Sunday’s Washington Post. Excerpt:

In Baghdad, Crocker and O’Sullivan pressed Maliki to reach consensus with four other Iraqi leaders representing Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds. In late August, the five announced agreement on a path forward on stalled legislation such as de-Baathification. A week later, Bush made a surprise visit to Anbar where he met with Maliki and the others to congratulate them, then met with the sheiks to highlight the success of the U.S.-tribal coalition.

The trip energized Bush and his team. Even Gates said he was more optimistic than he has been since taking office. While the secretary had been “cagey” in the past, a senior defense official said, “he’s come to the conclusion that what Petraeus is doing is actually more effective than what he thought.”

But the trip did not end the debate.

Nope. Probably nothing will, at least until after the 2008 election. Meanwhile, on the political front, a reader sends a link to this story, which I had somehow missed when it came out the other day:

Huge strides towards peace in Iraq were made during discussions between Middle Eastern power-brokers over the weekend, Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister said today.

Martin McGuinness said four days of Finnish talks involving politicians from Northern Ireland and South Africa were a major stepping stone towards a resolution of conflict in the troubled region. . . .

Organisers said the representatives from Sunni and Shiite groups in Iraq agreed on a road map to peace during the secret talks in Finland.

The four-day meeting brought together 16 delegates from the feuding groups to study lessons learned from successful peacemaking efforts in South Africa and Northern Ireland.

Is there anything to this? Beats me. I’d certainly like it to lead to something.

MORE: Further developments here:

President Bush’s top two military and political advisers on Iraq will warn Congress on Monday that making any significant changes to the current war strategy will jeopardize the limited security and political progress made so far, The Associated Press has learned.

U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, who has been less forthcoming than Gen. David Petraeus in advance of his testimony, will join Petraeus in pushing for maintaining the U.S. troop surge, seeing it as the only viable option to prevent Iraq and the region from plunging into further chaos, U.S. officials said.

Crocker and Petraeus planned to meet on Sunday to go over their remarks and responses to expected tough questioning from lawmakers – including skeptical Republicans. But they will not consult Bush or their immediate bosses before their appearances Monday and Tuesday, in order to preserve the “independence and the integrity of their testimony,” said one official.

Read the whole thing.

MEN ARE FROM MARS, Dennis Kucinich is from Venus.

THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES is now available online. Not in the Edward Gorey version, though. Er, though that’s online too, I guess. . . .