HAS THE NUMBER OF HOMELESS VETS REALLY DROPPED, or is the government playing games with statistics?

SMART DIPLOMACY? China Begins To Turn Against Iran.

Related: Is This The Year The Dragon Will Roar?

AMAZON.COM: Your place to go for . . . gas masks?

MEGAN MCARDLE: So What About Romney’s Offshore Tax Havens?

So the story-of-the-week seems to be Mitt Romney’s off-shore investments. I am deeply confused by the reporting. Either that, or the reporters are. . . .

Most of the writing I’ve seen today about this seems to be confusing the Cayman’s role as an offshore tax haven, and its other role as a headquarters for hedge funds. They are not entirely unrelated, but they are also not the same thing. Cayman, and a lot of other islands, became tax havens because they wouldn’t tell your government if you had money there. It’s not because there is some special tax break for investing there.

If the investments are showing up on Romney’s tax return, then they are definitionally not this sort of tax haven.

Plus, from the comments: “People seem to be thinking that Romney’s tax returns can be demagogued because adhering to our current tax law will make anyone look shifty and incoherent because the law is so complex and incoherent.”

PUNCH BACK TWICE AS HARD: Rush Limbaugh: Time to ‘focus on’ personal lives of journalists.

CBS AIRS VIDEO on Michael Yon’s medevac issue.

TEN YEARS AGO ON INSTAPUNDIT: DOUBLE STANDARDS FOR FAILURE:

John Tierney says there’s a double standard, with the government foulups and coverups that led to September 11 barely even being investigated — even though thousands died — while Enron’s foulups and coverups have already got people calling for criminal prosecutions. Tierney’s lesson:

“If you’re going to make that kind of mistake, do it on government time.”

Well, we’ve certainly seen that observation borne out.

AT AMAZON, up to 55% off on Hitachi Power Tools.

IRA STOLL ON TONIGHT’S DEBATE.

More thoughts from The Anchoress. “I find I am still not loving any of these guys, but I respect them a bit more. And while the press will still do all it can for Obama, I think perhaps it won’t be the cakewalk I was thinking, for the president. . . . Still, as my husband said, all these debates certainly are giving the Obama team lots of talking points and tape for their commercials. Do they end soon?”

Meanwhile, Rush Limbaugh says that Barack Obama Is The Problem.

I HOPE THIS IS WRONG: Access to Space: It’s as Cheap and Easy as it will get for a Long Time. But the news isn’t all grim.

JIM TREACHER: Why Are Obama’s Fanboys So Crazy?

AT AMAZON, bestselling books in History.

I MENTIONED SMALLPARTS.COM EARLIER, and reader Jonathan Guest writes: “I wish I’d known you were interested in sources like smallparts. I’ve been aware of them for nearly 30 years. They’re great on certain items, but the prices are steep. A much broader selection is available from Mcmaster-Carr at mcmaster.com. Great website, super service. Their prices are also a little higher than you can find elsewhere, but lower than smallparts, I think, and the quality, service and convenience are outstanding. We order stuff from mcmaster a couple of times a week and it’s here 99% out of the Atlanta warehouse the next morning by fedex ground.”

HE FIGHTS: The Emergence of Ulysses S. Gingrich. “Newt Gingrich was not my preferred candidate, and still isn’t. But in these debates he has proven that Republicans love a fighter.”

FROM STEPHEN GREEN’S DEBATE DRUNKBLOGGING:

6:11PM A SOPA question!

6:12PM Newt: “You’re asking a conservative about the economic interests of Hollywood.”

I think Newt has been reading Instapundit.

6:12PM The GOP, by and large, is so RIGHT about SOPA — and techies will still give and vote overwhelmingly to Democrats who love SOPA.

Why?

6:14PM Every single candidate on this stage hates SOPA. Damnit, techies, what’s wrong with you?

6:14PM Excuse me. Rick Santorum only mostly hates SOPA.

And the techies will latch on to that as they write their checks to Obama 2012.

Rubes. But there’ll be fewer than in 2008.

SAME: A Federal Budget of Just $10 Million, But Something’s Familiar. “In 1797-98, the total federal budget was $10,161,097.48. For 2012, $3.7 trillion was the amount proposed by President Obama.”

U.S. GOVERNMENT SERVES AS enforcer for Big Entertainment.

ROGER SIMON: Pre-Debate Notes From The Media Center. And watch for more from Roger and from Bryan Preston at The Tatler.

Also, Stephen Green is drunkblogging. “I’m betting Wolf has some money in the Caymans.”

THE INSTA-WIFE ON E! TV: Tonight at 10 pm Eastern.

CAN I GET A WITNESS? Ace Knoxville lawyer Doug Weinstein is looking for anyone who may have attended the Willie Nelson “Last of the Breed” concert in Sevierville, Tennessee on August 21, 2007. Apparently, there was an altercation during the Willie Nelson portion of the show involving the police, the yellow-shirted security, and at least one individual. If anyone did go to that show and happened to see that altercation, or if anyone shot photos or video during that concert, please give him a call at (865) 622-9719 or email him at .

AGING AND LIFE QUALITY: What Does The Future Hold?

WHAT WAS HE THINKING? Why Obama Turned Down The Keystone XL Pipeline.

PHOTOS: Lisa Bettany Goes Around The World With An iPhone. For an all-iPhone photography book.

EMILY MILLER: Why I Still Haven’t Bought A Gun in DC. It’s a Kafkaesque exercise in bureaucratic complexity, and argues for national deregulation of firearms purchase, carry, and ownership.

SEEN ON FACEBOOK: “I don’t care if Gingrich was a swinger at this point. If he gets the nod, he gets my vote, because at least he was screwing a woman and NOT AMERICA.” Heh.