articles 12/30

Washington Post
On Nov. 2, GOP Got More Bang For Its Billion, Analysis Shows
By Thomas B. Edsall and James V. Grimaldi

Pentagon ousts official who tied Russia, Iraq arms
By Bill Gertz

AP
FBI Probes Laser Beam Directed at Cockpit
Authorities are investigating a mysterious laser beam that was directed into the cockpit of a commercial jet traveling at more than 8,500 feet.

You go to war with the press you have
by Helmut Sonnenfeldt/Ron Nessen

The Man Who Stole the Secrets
The story of Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen--from the KGB's point of view.
by Edward Epstein

Revering and reinventing history
by Suzanne Fields
Cheney reminded him that unlike the bombers and beheaders of Baghdad, the Americans are 'on the side of freedom.' The men shivering on the banks of the Delaware in 1776 understood that, too.

Free lunch 'safety': Part II
by Thomas Sowell
No one has to show that some particular medication is more dangerous than some particular recreation in order to get the medication banned while the recreational activity is allowed to go on.

Painkiller panic
by Alan Reynolds
Depending on which of two recent studies you may have read about, you might suppose the pain reliever Alleve (naproxen) will either reduce or increase the risk of heart attacks.

Hysteria
by Emmett Tyrrell
We now have journalistic hysteria over the Giant Pharmaceuticals and their alleged reckless pursuit of profit.

Barreling ahead into 2005
by Larry Kudlow
The U.S. economy is hitting on all cylinders as 2004 passes into 2005.

Welfare reality
by George Will
Angela Jobe, 38, is a grandmother who has lived most of her adult life at ground zero of the struggle to 'end welfare as we know it.'

What transition costs?
by Robert Novak
The Democratic Party establishment is appalled at the thought of private Social Security accounts turning ordinary Americans into owners of stocks and bonds and, therefore, potential Republicans.

Who Forgot China?
In the middle of fighting the global war on terror, America has forgotten about their "strategic competitor" to the East. The Chinese have noticed.
by Tom Donnelly

2004: Highlights and lowlifes
by Ann Coulter
The single biggest event of 2004 was the Election Day exit poll, which, like John Steinbeck's 'The Short Reign of Pippin IV,' made John Kerry the president for a few moments.

The Bush legacy will take a healing period
by Larry Elder
After Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush knew America could no longer tolerate the status quo, that only offense could guarantee security in the wake of this era's peril -- Islamic fascism.

Why the war in Iraq is an integral part of the war on terror
by Ben Shapiro
Since the invasion of Iraq, liberals have been arguing that the war in Iraq is not part of the broader war on terror.

That 'Sluggish' Economy
It's still the strongest in the world.

Disturbances in the Earth
The biggest story of 2004 is also the oldest story in the world.
by Peggy Noonan

Jimmy Carter's Misadventures
by Charlie Norwood

In a Clueless Party
By Michael Gecan

Iraqi Election is Osama's Nightmare
by Ralph Peters

The Pathetic Ethics of Jim McDermott
by Real Clear Politics

Movement Interruptus
September 11 slowed the Democratic trend that we predicted, but the coalition we foresaw is still taking shape.
By John B. Judis & Ruy Teixeira

Army Seeks to Save War-Torn Marriages
With studies showing divorce rates as high as 21 percent among couples where one spouse has been sent off to war, the Army is spending $2 million on a variety of marriage programs, including vouchers for romantic getaways to places like the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn.

U.S. News & World Report
Ways to fix your life: Quit your job
John Doyle was an overworked New York investment banker on the fast track. By most measures, he was a success. But he was also miserable. So during a semiannual review 2 1/2 years into the job, he simply quit. "Almost immediately I lost 35 pounds," says Doyle. For four months, he did little more than relax, rollerblade through Central Park, and read books. "Honestly, it was one of the happiest times in my life," he says.