U2 on tour - in their own words

In this exclusive book extract, join Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr on the epic Zooropa tour as Bono meets Sinatra, Adam collapses and the band go wild in Tokyo

Bono I thought of Zooropa at the time as a work of genius. I really thought our pop discipline was matching our experimentation and this was our Sgt Pepper. I was a little wrong about that. The truth is our pop disciplines were letting us down. We didn’t create hits. We didn’t quite deliver the songs. And what would Sgt Pepper be without the pop songs? Edge I never thought of Zooropa as anything more than an interlude . . . but a great one, as interludes go. Sarajevo Bono The very same week Zooropa was released, a young American writer/film-maker called Bill Carter came to see us at our concert in Verona in Italy and asked would we do an interview for Sarajevo Television. Right on the edge of Europe there was a symbol of tolerance, where three ethnic groups — Croats, Serbs and Bosnians — lived together in peace. And this tolerance was being challenged in an appalling siege by Serbian forces. Edge Bill’s idea was that U2 should go to Sarajevo and that would create a lot of publicity and help maintain the press profile of the siege. Bono So I agreed in an emotional moment to do a gig there. And after I’ve agreed on Sarajevo Television, I then have to explain to the band why putting our lives at risk is going to help the people of Sarajevo. Edge We looked at our schedule and tried to work out how to fit in Sarajevo. Logistically, it would have been impossible and Paul McGuinness pointed out that not only would we be risking our own lives, we’d be endangering our crew and our audience. Paul [McGuinness, manager] Bill Carter went back to Sarajevo, where he managed to get together a little video unit. The European Broadcasting Union had a satellite link out of Sarajevo which we bought time on. And we started to do live satellite connections between U2’s concert and Sarajevo every night. Most of the Zoo show was scripted and highly rehearsed. The Sarajevo links were not. Edge Some nights it felt like it was part of the concert but a lot of nights it felt like an abrupt interruption. It was hard to get back to something as frivolous as a show having watched five or ten minutes of real human suffering. Paul Larry was pretty much against it. He thought we were exploiting other people’s misery for entertainment. Bono definitely felt that we were shining a light on something important. Larry We were playing a rock’n’roll show and it was lots of fun, and though the political stuff was serious it was done with a smile. Then we’d suddenly see video footage of people being bombed and a satellite link-up with people in Sarajevo saying: “We’re being killed, please come and help us.” That was really hard to watch. Paul The worst night was Wembley Stadium, when three women came up on the screen and said, “We don’t know what we’re doing here. This guy dragged us in. You’re all having a good time. We’re not having a good time. What are you going to do for us?” Bono started to reply but they just cut him off. They said, “We know you’re not going to do anything for us. You’re going to go back to a rock show. You’re going to forget that we even exist. And we’re all going to die.” Right in the middle of the show at Wembley. And the show never really recovered. Bono Salman Rushdie came on stage at the same concert. Again, tolerance was the subject we were playing with. Freedom of expression was a real issue in music. We tried to leaven the situation with some humour. I was dressed as the Devil and I whispered in Salman’s ear, “It’s inevitable that one always falls out with one’s biographer.” Bono and Sinatra Bono During a little break in the tour, I recorded a duet with Frank Sinatra. I may not have been the most obvious choice to sing the classic I Got You Under my Skin with the 77-year-old Chairman of the Board but I was more than flattered to be asked. Scheduling was difficult and we recorded our vocals in different countries. Then someone suggested we should make a video. We asked our friend Kevin Godley to direct. It was set up for one of Frank’s favourite bars in Palm Springs. Edge We drove up to Palm Springs, met at the bar where the video clip was supposed to be shot. Simple idea. Bono walks in and sees his “old mate” Frank at the bar. Frank was incredibly charming and smart and witty and everything you would expect him to be but it was obvious that he was starting to suffer from some kind of lapses. You would suddenly see this look of confusion cross his face as he lost his bearings for a second. Everything went fine until Kevin, our director, asked Frank to do it again. Bono So Kevin made me wait outside, cleared the room and left Frank standing at the bar, waiting for me. This was not a good idea, because Frank started to get agitated. He wasn’t sure what exactly was going on. He may have had a bit of a panic attack. They tried to calm him down by telling him he was shooting a video with Bono. He’d had some kind of short-term memory loss. His people were all very embarrassed. My people were all very embarrassed that I wasn’t Sonny Bono. Edge I like to think he was just affronted by the very idea of being asked to do something a second time. Bono He called later on to apologise. He said, “Listen, I don’t like to do a lot of takes. And when I’m hanging around sometimes I just get uncomfortable.” So we got together and shot some footage in the back of his limousine. Afterwards we all went out for something to eat in a Mexican restaurant. His wife Barbara was there. She walked in wearing a beautiful red trouser suit, upon which Frank remarked, “Jeez, Barbara, you look like a blood clot!” He was on great form, telling stories, drinking a giant tequila in a fishbowl-sized glass. Edge I was sitting beside him and I watched as he picked up the blue napkin that was in front of him, stared at it, folded it up neatly and under his breath said, “I remember when my eyes were that blue.” It was not for anyone else to hear, he was really kind of muttering to himself. And he put the blue napkin in his inside jacket pocket to keep. Bono He asked us back to his house, where a few more drinks were taken. There was a classic shtick going on between him and his barman, lines like, “Am I a boy or a man?” when the barman gave him half-measure. Trying to keep up with Sinatra’s intake had gone straight to my head and so I fell asleep. When I woke up, I had this sense of dampness between my legs and thought the impossible. “Oh, my God, could this really have happened? On the snow-white couch?! What a monumental defeat.” But I had just spilled my drink. Phew! Australia Larry By the time we got out to Australia, the tour had been going on for two years and people were really starting to go a little off the rails. I started to notice that Adam was drinking more and that he was drunk in the early afternoons. It never seemed to affect his gig, so no alarm bells were ringing. Adam was such a great drunk, he was great fun and not morose at all, at least not in public. Edge Being on the road is very hard. Being on the road for a long time is even harder. It is a lifestyle that leaves you with little time to call your own but simultaneously it’s quite lonely. Adam Life was pretty chaotic. I don’t really like that kind of intensity. Every night was a party, but I don’t think I felt much contentment or peace. I’d be fine during the day, I’d be fine for the gig but afterwards it was too easy to go out all night or just keep drinking in your room. I was beginning to realise that every time I drank, I couldn’t really be sure of the result. And it always made the next day worse. So I decided to lay off and stop drinking during the final leg of the tour. We were filming the concerts in Sydney Football Stadium for the big tour video. All I can say is that I remember the night before thinking, “Mmm, it might be nice to have a glass of wine.” The next thing I remember it was about 7 o’clock in the evening of the next day and people were trying to wake me up and see if I could go down and do the gig. I don’t really know what happened in the intervening time, other than that I’d been out for a bit and I’d gone through the mini bar in the room. Larry The shows in Sydney were a big deal. David Mallet was the director and he had 25 cameras set up. Adam didn’t turn up for the sound check. He was in his room and he wasn’t coming out. I called him on the telephone and eventually got through. I said: “What’s up?” He said: “I can’t do the gig.” In a million years that was the last thing I would have expected. Adam I was in complete meltdown, there was no way I could stand on stage for two hours. Edge Obviously the timing was drastic because it was the big video that we were going to release of the Zoo TV tour. I think it was probably the pressure that tipped him over. He was in a terrible state but if you were to look at the weight of responsibilities that Adam was carrying versus, say, Bono, or even me, it would have been pretty low. But everyone deals with pressure in a different way. Larry It was the first time that somebody hadn’t turned up for a show. We were in shock but we had no time to stop and take it in, we just had to scramble and we rehearsed with Adam’s bass technician Stuart Morgan during sound-check. Stuart had been working with Adam for two years and knew the parts. He ended up doing the gig. Edge We took the decision not to cancel the TV event but to use a stand-in. It was a tough decision but I think it was the right one. I think it helped Adam put everything in context. For the first time he heard the band play without him. I think that brought everything into focus for him. Adam It was an extraordinarily hard thing to face up to. In the big picture, missing a gig is not necessarily the worst offence in your life but, for me, it was the first time as a member of U2 that I had really let my bandmates down. And this wasn’t sickness or personal tragedy, this was self-inflicted. It appeared to be out of my control, which was very scary. Even the fact that 12 hours later I was still kind of shaky and f***ed up, that wasn’t good. Plus the fact that the band had a lot riding on it. It was a spectacular calamity. That gig was filmed but I have never watched it. Larry There was a meeting with Adam. We said, “Let’s just finish out the tour and deal with this when it’s over.” Adam was as freaked as we were. I think he got himself into a state and just couldn’t find his way through it. Adam They were pretty concerned and a bit pissed off as well. But they supported me in the decision that I made at the time, which was to say to them that I had a problem with alcohol. It was then that I officially stopped drinking. Tokyo Larry The tour ended in Tokyo. People needed to let off steam and Tokyo was just the place. We slipped off into the underbelly of this incredible science-fiction city. Things went a little crazy. Bono I had always loved being in Japan but I was now head over heels, I wanted to go out all the time. Of course, we often had a lot of Japanese carers to accompany us. But one night I slipped out the back entrance of a bar to avoid our security and took off in the company of Fighting Fintan Fitzgerald, our head of wardrobe. We were joined by another good friend of ours from the music world, who I didn’t know at the time was battling with heroin addiction. The three of us went exploring. We ended up in some girl’s apartment, a small, traditional Japanese place, drinking some beers and chit-chatting. Some people started smoking a spliff and, though I don’t smoke spliffs, I did know that in Japan it was a ten-year prison sentence for doing so. It was explained to me that the police did not come here. This was a house run by the Yakuza, the Japanese mafia. “Well, that’s great,” I thought to myself. “I really feel safe now!” I was tired and fell asleep on a bunch of coats. When I woke up I thought my drink had been spiked. I thought I was hallucinating. There was a six-foot boa constrictor crawling up my leg. I completely froze. I heard Fighting Fintan Fitzgerald saying: “Don't panic. My mother used to work in a zoo!” He picked up the snake and put it round his neck. Fintan knew no fear but the same could not be said of the snake. There was the sound of water being poured onto the ground and the cry went up from our brave wardrobe man, “It’s pissed all over me!” Snakes take a pee if they’re disturbed. One of the girls performed some kind of burlesque revue and the snake was part of her act. Paul Everyone gets a little nutty after the end of a tour. You have physiological reactions that continue for months afterwards. Around about 9 o’clock you suddenly start going, “Where’s the show? Where’s the show?” Larry I remember Edge saying: “Hey, Larry, how about you and me buy a bus and travel around America and just do it for another year?” I looked at him and for a split second thought, “Oh yeah.” Because the alternative seemed too hard. Thankfully good sense prevailed. We went home. © U2 2006 Extracted from U2 by U2 to be published by HarperCollins, Sept 22 at £30. It is available at BooksFirst priced £27 (RRP £30), free P&P, on 0870 1608080

Called by the King: Election and Assurance in Romans 9-11

How does the gospel message offer assurance to the elect? The author defends the gospel as “power for salvation” and explains Romans 9-11 in light of the salvific nature of the gospel.

by PETER ANDERS

Am I Predestined? Luther and Calvin on the Dangers of Speculating about Election Apart from Christ

by SHANE ROSENTHAL

"blink" awarded Colorado PRSA's "Gold Pick for Media Relations"

To date, “blink” has earned the following awards:

• Colorado PRSA's Gold Pick Award for Media Relations, 2006
  
• Gold SABRE Award for Business-to-Consumer Marketing (New Product), 2006
• Smart Card Alliance's Financial Payments Innovation Award, 2005
• Smart Card Alliance's Outstanding Smart Card Achievement Award, 2005
• Frost & Sullivan’s Contactless Payments Card Product of the Year, 2006
• Frost & Sullivan’s Excellence in Industrial Technologies Award, 2006
• Internet Advertising Competition's (IAC) Outstanding Microsite/Landing Page Award, 2006
• Cards International's Best New Credit Card Product Launch, 2005; and
• PRWeek’s “10 Product Launches You Couldn’t Miss in 2005.”

CBS Nightly News, Sept. 7, 2006

COURIC: The 9/11 attacks were a kind of puzzle the government
couldn't solve with all kinds of warnings and clues. Would we get it
right today? David Martin found an unmarked building in the
Washington suburbs where secrets are being shared.

SCOTT REDD (Director, National Counterterrorism Center): Before
9/11, there were 13 different databases on known terrorist identities.
They were disconnected, different agencies and people didn't talk to
each other.

DAVID MARTIN: Scott Redd may be the most important person
you've never heard of. As head of the new and very secret National
Counterterrorism Center, it is his job to make all the different
intelligence agencies and their computers talk to each other and share
everything they know about terrorist plots against this country.

So you're the guy in charge of the war plan for the war against
terror?

REDD: That's one way of putting it, yes, sir.

MARTIN: And you give that to the President?

REDD: Well, yes, sir, I do.

MARTIN: Another way of describing your job might be to make
sure something like 9/11 never happens again.

REDD: That's what we worry about every day, David.

MARTIN: Known by the initials NCTC, the Counterterrorism Center
is normally off-limits and we're not allowed to tell you exactly where
this building is, but we were given unprecedented access to this brand
new, state-of-the-art nerve center.

Because this center is so new, it is loaded with the kind of
gadgets that make this make this conference room look like a made-for-
TV movie, but it's not the gadgets that make this room the hub of the
war against terror; it's the business that's transacted here.

You do this every morning?

KEVIN BROCK (FBI Agent): Every morning at eight o'clock.

MARTIN: FBI agent Kevin Brock chairs the morning's top-secret
meeting.

BROCK: Here is where we exchange current intelligence, daily
intelligence about what the terrorism threat is out there, and we talk
about and we make sure that information is being exchanged freely
among the agencies in the intelligence community.

MARTIN: For the first time in the history of this country, 18
different intelligence agencies are routinely sharing the kind of
sensitive information they used to keep to themselves. We're not
allowed to stay long.

BROCK: Good morning, everybody, we're going to get started.

MARTIN: And when you listen to the roll call, you'll understand
why.

BROCK: CIA, good morning. NSA, good morning. White House,
good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: White House here.

MARTIN: Every morning begins with an update of the threat
matrix, intelligence that has come in overnight on plots against this
country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, everyone. We have two SIT
items and seven threat matrix items to brief this morning.

MARTIN: One of those SIT reps, short for situation report
contains the latest developments in the London bomb plot, which was
just broken up the day before we were here. Redd recited for us the
message he sent to his staff after that.

REDD: I said this was just the type of event that NCTC was
established to address. The amount of effort that went into foiling
this plot was admirable and extremely effective. Bottom line is: We
save lives.

MARTIN: And the corollary is, watch out for the next one?

REDD: Watch out for the next one. Never let your guard down.

MARTIN: That's why the operation center goes 24/7. Randy
Crawford is the supervisor of this watch.

Is this some sort of an airline -

RANDY CRAWFORD (National Counterterrorism Center): That's an
aircraft tracker and what that is used for tracking aircraft movement
around the United States. These are aircraft that are inbound to the
Washington National Capital Region, and we can go in and pull up their
flight numbers.

MARTIN: They can also call up the passenger manifest and check
it against the no-fly list of known or suspected terrorists.

CRAWFORD: Earlier this week, there was a no-fly on a flight
bound from Heathrow into the United States, and sure enough, we got
the list and there was a no-fly on it and the plane turned around and
landed at Heathrow.

MARTIN: There's a name on there that corresponds to a name on
that huge database that you keep of all suspected terrorists, and then
that's enough for someone else to make the decision to turn a plane
around.

CRAWFORD: Yes.

RUSS TRAVERS (National Counterterrorism Center): Information
sharing is undoubtedly the most complex thing I've ever been
associated with.

MARTIN: Russ Travers is responsible for keeping that list of
suspected terrorists accurate and up to date.

How big is that database?

TRAVERS: It's got between 300,000 and 400,000 names in it now.
It's huge. It doubled in '04 and it doubled again in '05.

MARTIN: Sorting through the 6,000 cables that come in each day
and the six million documents stored on the Center's internal Web site
is a task of mind-boggling complexity, but Redd insists it's night and
day better than before 9/11.

REDD: Five years on, we're better prepared today to fight this
war than we have been at any time in our history.

MARTIN: We're better prepared, but are we winning?

REDD: You don't know a commander that is going to tell you that
he is winning the war in the midst of a war. There are too many
unknowns out there, but I will say this, it's a long war and if we
have the perseverance to stick with it, we'll lose a few battles along
the way and that's almost inevitable, but we're going to win most of
the battles and at the end of the day, Lord willing, we'll win the
war.

PRESIDENT BUSH: If the United States ever says, oh, my
goodness, I don't want to defend democracy because somebody might harm
us, we will have lost our soul.

A Day in the life of The Edge: Pt. 3

A Day in the life of The Edge: Pt. 2

A Day in the Life of The Edge, Pt. 1

produced by Bono

Wisconsin @ #6 Michigan

Saturday, Sept. 23 • 12 p.m.
Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI
ESPN Television

[ U-M Audio (Free): All-Access | Quicktime ]
[ Gametracker (Live Stats) ]
[ Press Conference Quotes: Lloyd Carr | Players ]
Michigan Football Game Notes

• U-M leads the series against Wisconsin 47-11-1 and is 15-2 vs. them in Big 10 openers
• Series Streak: U-M lost 1, 20-23 in 2005
• Michigan is second nationally in turnover margin (2.67 avg) and fourth in time of possession (34:43)
• The Wolverines boast the nations fifth toughest schedule so far in 2006. Michigan's opposition has compiled 21-7 overall record thus far. Their future opposition boasts the third toughest schedule with an 18-4 mark.

Yahoo! Game Preview
ESPN: After big win, Michigan opens Big Ten play vs. Wisconsin

ESPN: Michigan Clubhouse
Yahoo!: Michigan Team Page
Detroit Free-Press: Michigan Team Page
Detroit News: Michigan Clubhouse

Michigan Stats

• Michigan is #6 in the AP Poll and #6 in the USA Today Coaches Poll
• Michigan has more wins that any football program in NCAA history, 852-280-36
• Michigan has the highest winning percentage of any team in the NCAA history (.744863)
• Michigan ranks #1 all-time in composite AP final football polls (1936-2005)
• Michigan has 42 Big 10 titles which is the most conference titles of any NCAA school and is 448-163-18 in Big 10 play
  
• Michigan has the most weekly appearances in the AP poll, appearing 727 times entering the 2006 season
• Michigan has led the nation in attendance 31 of the last 32 years
• Michigan has played 1,945 consecutive games at "The Big House" in front of 100,000+ fans
• Michigan has compiled a 363-106-15 record (.765) in "The Big House"
• Michigan has appeared in 31 straight bowls, the longest current streak in NCAA history.
• Michigan has had 359 football games televised (240-111-8), which leads the NCAA.
• The Michigan football program is the only Big 10 team in any sport to win a conference title in each decade. It is the winningest overall athletic program in Big 10 Conference history
• Michigan has appeared in more Rose Bowls (19) than any other Big 10 Conference school
• Michigan has 11 national championships (5th all-time) to OSU's 7
• Michigan's five current NFL quarterback's are more than any other school in the country.

Lloyd Carr Stats

• Head coach Lloyd Carr has a career winning percentage of .755 (105-34), ranking him fifth among active Division I coaches.
• He is 37-7 (.841) at Michigan Stadium.
  
• Michigan has a 39-21 overall record against nationally ranked teams under Carr. They are 16-6 against Top 10 opponents; 8-2 against teams in the Top 5; and 4-1 against No. 2 ranked teams.
  
• He leads active Big 10 coaches with 68 conference wins, 68-20 (.773), a mark he grabbed in 2003.
• He is the 8th coach in conference history to claim five or more Big 10 championships.

Misc.

In seven of the past 10 years, UM has finished in the top five of the NACDA Director's Cup, a ranking compiled by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to tabulate the success of universities in competitive sports. UM has finished in the top eleven of the Directors' Cup standings in each of the award's twelve seasons and has placed in the top six in each of the last eight seasons.^[27] The University of Michigan remains the only school in NCAA history to win at least one national championship in all four of these sports: baseball, basketball (men's), football, and ice hockey (men's). The Wolverines have also won NCAA Division I national championships in women's field hockey, men's golf, men's gymnastics, women's softball, men's swimming and diving, men's tennis, and men's outdoor track and field. Overall, Michigan's 32 official NCAA Division I national championships ranks eighth all-time, trailing only UCLA, Stanford, USC, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, and LSU. And in NCAA D1 men's sports only, UM ranks sixth all-time in championships behind USC, UCLA, Stanford, Oklahoma State, and Arkansas.

Michigan Blogs:

• Big House Football
• Blah Me To Death
• The Blog That Yost Built
• Champions Of The West
• The Diag
• iBlog For Cookies
• Maize 'n' Brew
• The M Zone
• MGoBlog
• Michigan Sports Center
• Michigan Football Saturdays
• Mr. Wolverine
• Ron Bellamy's Underachieving All Stars
• Schembechler Hall
• Stadium And Main
• Westsider Rider

Time: 10 Questions for The Edge

MARK MAINZ / GETTY

Portrait of musician The Edge of U2.

Posted Monday, Sep. 18, 2006
His name is Dave Evans, but everyone from roadies to relatives calls him the Edge. As U2's guitarist, he's one of the world's most famous rock stars. As co-founder of Music Rising, he has taken a lead role in getting New Orleans musicians back on their feet. TIME's Josh Tyrangiel spoke with the Edge about the beginnings of U2's next album, a couple of songs he wishes his band had written, and what it was like to be a young man with a large head.

You're speaking from a London recording studio. Does that mean there's a new U2 album around the bend?

Noooo. Nowhere near. We're here with [producer] Rick Rubin and enjoying the chemistry, but we're nowhere near a timetable or anything. I will say that we're having a good time. And I have a feeling that because of Rick's presence it's going to sound very different. But really, it's early days. And we are messing about with other stuff too.

Messing about meaning ...?

Well, right now we're recording a duet with Green Day that we'll perform on Monday Night Football [Sept. 25] for the re-opening of the Superdome.

When you record with another band, who plays lead guitar?

[Laughs.] That's the great thing about punk rock. It was anti the very concept of lead guitar. This song [The Saints Are Coming by Scottish punk act the Skids] is pure 1978, a big inspiration to us at the time, and it couldn't be more in the sweet spot of what Green Day are about. And it's really right for the occasion.

This will be your second time playing a football game, right?

The first was the Super Bowl in the Superdome, right after Sept. 11, which was obviously memorable. But a little added irony is that an hour after I got offstage that night, I got a call from Dublin saying that the U2 [storage] space had been flooded. All our instruments and amps had been destroyed. The only ones that survived were the ones we happened to have in New Orleans.

What prompted a Welsh Irishman's interest in reviving the music culture of New Orleans?

If you understand what goes into making great music, you can't help but worship the miracle that is the combination of all those influences. It's an incredibly precious and delicate thing, and it has to be preserved.

What have you accomplished so far?

Music Rising has given instruments and aid to about 2,000 musicians, but it's barely a start. New Orleans is like one giant music academy; all of those neighborhoods fostered multigenerational music tuition. Grandfathers taught grandchildren in churches, homes, schools. People were passing on knowledge everywhere.

You don't sound terribly optimistic.

It's not a great situation. Obviously we're getting money and instruments to them, but a large part of it is just to offer a little bit of encouragement and to get the rest of the country to realize that this is something we'll all regret if we let it disappear.

Let's get abstract for a moment.

If you could attach your name to any song written over the past few years, which would it be?

Interesting. There's quite a few songs I've been jealous of. Certainly Wonderwall by Oasis. Oh. Easy. The New Radicals' You Get What You Give. That's a great tune. I really would love to have written that. Great spirit, great energy.

U2 is putting out a coffee-table book next week of old photos and first-person tales about your lives. I presume you did this because the band has been so overlooked by the media all these years?

We really did need the publicity. [Laughs.] I don't know, the book idea ... it just felt right somehow. Then we got into it and realized it was actually a big commitment, going through scrapbooks and memories. But it turned out well.

One of the most revealing things in the book is that as a child you had a freakishly huge head. Was this a concern for your parents?

I wouldn't say a concern, but looking back I was like, Wow! That was a weird phase! As Bono says, the stage is like a giant platform shoe, and we all have reasons we end up in bands. For me, my awkward phase corresponded to an interest in rock 'n' roll. From experience, I'm guessing an insecure childhood is probably quite a common thing among people who start a rock band.

Shock Value: Michigan stunned Notre Dame with an easy win

Sorry, Domers, but it's time to run the numbers. While giving up its most points at home since 1960 in a 47-21 beatdown administered by Michigan last Saturday, Notre Dame netted all of four yards rushing and was penalized 11 times for 84 yards. Quarterback Brady Quinn's four turnovers -- three interceptions and a fumble -- resulted in 17 Wolverines points as the Irish plunged from No. 2 in the AP poll to No. 12.

But on a day practically groaning under the weight of all its great games, the most telling figures may have been these: 5'7", 115 pounds. That is the height and weight of Heather Vogt, a senior clarinetist in the Michigan marching band. Vogt, a movement science major from Mason City, Mich., took the brunt of the collision with Mario Manningham after the Wolverines wideout sailed through the end zone, having snagged his third touchdown pass of the first half. "He pretty much knocked the wind out of me," reported the resilient Vogt, who made a speedy recovery and missed not a single rendition of The Victors.

While Manningham was busy hauling in three first-half touchdown passes, the Heisman hopes of Quinn (above) took a hard fall.

Manningham returned to the sideline holding his left wrist, bruised, apparently, when he banged it against a band member's instrument. While the sensational sophomore missed only a series or two -- he finished the game with four receptions for 137 yards and those three scores -- the conclusion is inescapable: Vogt and her bandmates had more success slowing him down than did Notre Dame's secondary.

After seeing his team get torched for 342 passing yards by Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl last January, Fighting Irish coach Charlie Weis knew he had to get his defense to play faster. Schemes were simplified so that besieged defensive backs could react rather than think. Blue-chippers were imported: Darrin Walls and Raeshon McNeil, touted as two of the nation's top cover corners, played their way onto the two-deep.

Neither was on the field for the heroics of Manningham, whose middle name, befitting a receiver with such soft hands, is Cashmere. Manningham's big day had been forecast by the eerily confident Mike Hart, the junior running back who rushed for 124 yards on 31 carries. "Those safeties can be real nosy," he said of Notre Dame's Tom Zbikowski and Chinedum Ndukwe. Seeing them "nose their way up into the box" during film study, Hart said, "I knew we'd be taking some shots."

It was Hart who'd spent the week asking his teammates in Ann Arbor, "Do you feel it? Do you feel what I'm feeling?" Standing outside the visitors' dressing room in the House that Rockne Built, where the Wolverines had not won since 1994 and where his coach, Lloyd Carr, had never won, Hart elaborated on that feeling: "We knew we were gonna come down here and win this game. We knew." How did they know? "Last year they were hunting us," he explained. "This year we were hunting them."

A year ago the Irish could sneak up on people. No más. On Saturday it was the Wolverines' turn to be the underdog -- their reward for underachieving so epically last season. With all-world wideout Braylon Edwards gone to the NFL and with Hart as well as every member of the offensive line missing significant time due to injuries, quarterback Chad Henne struggled to recapture the magic of his freshman season, when the Wolverines had shared the Big Ten title. While his statistics were similar, the results -- a 7-5 season -- were not.

Henne took major heat from Michigan fans, a tribe not known for its patience. The only Wolverine who took more abuse was Carr, long a target for posters named sickofcarr and firelloydyesterday on such websites as sackcarr.com and firelloydcarr.us. Even Victor Abiamiri, Notre Dame's senior defensive end, got into the act at Friday's pep rally. After claiming the Wolverines had spent the week talking about how Carr was "going to outscheme our coach," Abiamiri concluded, "the last time I checked, you can't spell Lloyd without two l's." (Michigan's players had made no such claims, but then, stretching the truth at pep rallies, the better to inflame the home crowd, is expected and encouraged.)

Carr-bashers will grant you that Lloyd, now in his 12th season at Michigan, has won 105 games -- including a share of the 1997 national championship -- against just 34 losses. But they can't get past his sins: He is overly predictable, plays not to lose and has but a single victory in his last five games against Ohio State.

Even as Michigan opened this season with two victories, the critics kept up their chorus. The team's aerial attack in those wins, over toothless Vanderbilt and Central Michigan, bordered on popgun. Henne threw for 135 yards against the Commodores and a career-low 113 against the Chippewas.

As it turned out, the absence of a vertical passing attack was by design. Why show the Irish anything if they didn't need to? Said Hart, in defense of his quarterback, "He can't put the ball down the field if we're not calling plays down the field."

Henne's detractors were in full throat after his first pass of the game, a strike to Ndukwe. The Notre Dame safety returned the ball 51 yards to the Michigan four. Two plays later Quinn threw the first of his three touchdown passes, to backup fullback Ashley McConnell. Henne responded to that disaster by leading touchdown drives on four of his next six possessions.

Far more surprising than the travails of Notre Dame's defense was the egg laid by Quinn, who moves, for the time being, to the fringe of Heisman consideration. Asked what the Wolverines had done to confuse him, he replied, "Nothing. We flat out didn't execute."

Quinn can shoulder all the blame he wants, but Michigan has a seriously ornery defense. Under glowering, intense first-year coordinator Ron English -- whose motto is "Swarm" -- the Wolverines are much more aggressive than they were under his predecessor, Jim Herrmann. They are also blessed with one of the finest linebacking corps in the country. Shawn Crable made the quarterback's life miserable, sacking him once and pasting him after a pass on another occasion. Prescott Burgess, a former strong safety whom Carr benched recently to get the senior's attention, responded by intercepting Quinn twice, returning the first of those picks 31 yards for a touchdown on Notre Dame's second play from scrimmage. And LaMarr Woodley delivered the coup de gröace by returning Quinn's fumble 54 yards for a touchdown with 3 1/2 minutes left.

The only Wolverine who had a more spectacular game than Burgess was his former Warren G. Harding High teammate, Manningham, who was a sophomore at the Ohio school when Burgess was a senior. "That was the year [Manningham] scored four touchdowns against Massillon-Washington," recalls Thom McDaniels, coach of the Raiders. "One on a punt return, one on a kickoff return, and two touchdown receptions. We won 31-28. You can't tackle that guy in a phone booth. He's the best receiver I've seen in 33 years of coaching."

He may also be the most reticent. Asked what routes he had run for his touchdown receptions, the sophomore replied wearily, "I can't remember." He then invoked a mild medical emergency. "I just drank a bottle of lemonade too fast," he reported, "and now I've got a really bad stomachache. I need to get on the bus."

How are you going to argue with that?

And how are you going to argue that the Wolverines, who dominated every phase (except punting) against the No. 2 team in the nation, didn't deserve to jump from No. 11 in the polls to No. 6? Wouldn't it be something if, when Michigan visits Ohio State on Nov. 18, the ancient rivals are undefeated? If return artist Steve Breaston can develop into a bona fide receiving threat opposite Manningham -- Breaston's hands are a trifle suspect -- there's no telling how far the Wolverines can go. Because they've got everything else.

Including Weis's respect. As a sort of prologue to his postgame analysis, before addressing his team's shortcomings, Weis gave it up for the Wolverines. It's only proper, he pointed out, to give props "to an opponent who just kicked your butt."

Hail, in other words, to the victors.

"Are We Safe Yet?"

Religion and Foreign Policy
God's Country?
Walter Russell Mead
The evangelical boom is remaking America's politics at home and abroad.

France and Its Muslims
Stéphanie Giry
Most European Muslims are trying hard to fit in, not opt out.

9/11: Five Years After
Why al Qaeda Hasn't Hit the U.S. Again
John Mueller
The myth of the omnipresent enemy.

The Next War of the World
Niall Ferguson
The Middle East could spark another global conflagration.

The Real Online Terrorist Threat
Evan F. Kohlmann
The Internet offers a window onto terrorist methods, ideas, and plans.

U.S. Nuclear Primacy Revisted
Keir A. Lieber, Daryl G., Press, Pavel Podvig, Alexei Arbatov, Keith Payne, Peter C. W. Flory Could the U.S. really pull off a first strike? An exchange.

How to Keep the Bomb From Iran
Scott D. Sagan
The price for stopping proliferation will be abandoning regime change.

After Proliferation
Stephen Peter Rosen
How the world will be different if more states go nuclear.

#11 Michigan Rolls over #2 Notre Dame, 47-21

Press Conference Quotes: Lloyd Carr | Players

#11 Michigan at #2 Notre Dame

Saturday, Sept. 16 • 3:30 p.m.
Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, Ind.
NBC Television
Michigan Football Game Notes

• U-M leads the series 18-14-1
• Series Streak: U-M lost last two and three straight at Notre Dame
• The teams rank #1 and #2 in all-time wins (851-813), winning percentage (.7446443 vs. .7439785), tv appearances and all-time final composite AP poll rankings.

Yahoo! Game Preview
ESPN: Wolverine's Seek First Win In South Bend Since '94

ESPN: Michigan Clubhouse
Yahoo!: Michigan Team Page
Detroit Free-Press: Michigan Team Page
Detroit News: Michigan Clubhouse

Michigan Stats

• Michigan is #11 in the AP Poll and #13 in the USA Today Coaches Poll
  
• Michigan has more wins that any football program in NCAA history, 851-280-36 (.7446443)
• Michigan has the highest winning percentage of any team in the NCAA history (.7446443)
• Michigan ranks #1 all-time in composite AP final football polls (1936-2005)
• Michigan has 42 Big 10 titles which is the most conference titles of any NCAA school
• Michigan has the most weekly appearances in the AP poll, appearing 726 times entering the 2006 season
• Michigan has led the nation in attendance 31 of the last 32 years
• Michigan has played 194 consecutive games at "The Big House" in front of 100,000+ fans
  
• Michigan has appeared in 31 straight bowls, the longest current streak in NCAA history.
  
• Michigan has had 358 football games televised (239-111-8), which leads the NCAA.
• The Wolverines have compiled a xxx-xxx-xx (.xxx) all-time record against AP nationally ranked teams.
• The Michigan football program is the only Big 10 team in any sport to win a conference title in each decade. It is the winningest overall athletic program in Big 10 Conference history
• Michigan has appeared in more Rose Bowls (19) than any other Big 10 Conference school
• Michigan has 11 national championships (5th all-time) to OSU's 7
• Michigan's five current NFL quarterback's are more than any other school in the country.

Lloyd Carr Stats

• Head coach Lloyd Carr has a career winning percentage of .754 (104-34), ranking him fifth among active Division I coaches.
• Michigan has a 38-21 overall record against nationally ranked teams under Carr. They are 15-6 against Top 10 opponents; 7-2 against teams in the Top 5; and 3-1 against No. 2 ranked teams.
  
• He now leads active Big 10 coaches with 68 conference wins (68-20).
• He grabbed the active career lead in Big 10 wins during the 2003 season.
• He is the eighth coach in conference history to claim five or more Big 10 championships.

Central Michigan @ #10 Michigan

Michigan Football Game Notes
U-M leads the series 2-0

Yahoo! Game Preview
ESPN: Michigan looks to work out offensive kinks vs. CMU

Saturday, Sept. 9 • Noon EDT
Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, Mich.
ESPN Television




ESPN: Michigan Clubhouse
Yahoo!: Michigan Team Page

Michigan Stats

• Michigan is #10 in the AP Poll and #13 in the USA Today Coaches Poll
  
• Michigan has more wins that any football program in NCAA history, 850-280-36 (.7444253)
• Michigan has the highest winning percentage of any team in the NCAA history (.7444253)
• Michigan ranks #1 all-time in composite AP final football polls (1936-2005)
• Michigan has 42 Big 10 titles which is the most conference titles of any NCAA school
• Michigan has the most weekly appearances in the AP poll, appearing 725 times entering the 2006 season
• Michigan has led the nation in attendance 31 of the last 32 years
• Michigan has played 194 consecutive games at "The Big House" in front of 100,000+ fans
  
• Michigan has appeared in 31 straight bowls, the longest current streak in NCAA history.
  
• Michigan has had 357 football games televised (238-111-8), which leads the NCAA.
• The Michigan football program is the only Big 10 team in any sport to win a conference title in each decade. It is the winningest overall athletic program in Big 10 Conference history
• Michigan has appeared in more Rose Bowls (19) than any other Big 10 Conference school
• Michigan has 11 national championships (5th all-time) to OSU's 7

Lloyd Carr Stats

• Head coach Lloyd Carr has a career winning percentage of .752 (103-34), ranking him fifth among active Division I coaches.
• Michigan has a xx-xx overall record against AP nationally ranked teams under Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines have compiled a xxx-xxx-xx (.xxx) all-time record against AP nationally ranked teams.
• He now leads active Big 10 coaches with 68 conference wins (68-20).
• He grabbed the active career lead in Big 10 wins during the 2003 season.
• He is the eighth coach in conference history to claim five or more Big 10 championships.

Michigan Blogs:

• Big House Football
• Blah Me To Death
• The Blog That Yost Built
• Champions Of The West
• The Diag
• iBlog For Cookies
• Maize 'n' Brew
• The M Zone
• MGoBlog
• Michigan Sports Center
• Michigan Football Saturdays
• Mr. Wolverine
• Ron Bellamy's Underachieving All Stars
• Schembechler Hall
• Stadium And Main
• Westsider Rider

Nerve Center In The War On Terror

"How do you prevent another 9/11? You don't take anything for granted."

---

Scott Redd,
head of the National Counterterrorism Center

National Counterterrorism Center (CBS)

Fighting Terror Every Day
Only On The Web: David Martin spoke to Admiral Scott Redd, Director of the top-secret National Counterterrorism Center, about the critical role his agency plays in the War On Terror.

Vanderbilt @ #14 Michigan

Michigan Football Game Notes


2006 University of Michigan Football Team
Vanderbilt at #14 Michigan
U-M leads the series 9-0-1

Saturday, Sept. 2 • Noon EDT
Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, Mich.
ESPN Television

Michigan Stats

• Michigan is #14 in the AP Poll and #15 in the USA Today Coaches Poll
  
• Michigan has more wins that any football program in NCAA history, 849-280-36 (.744206)
• Michigan has the highest winning percentage of any team in the NCAA history (.744206)
• Michigan ranks #1 all-time in composite AP final football polls (1936-2005)
• Michigan has 42 Big 10 titles which is the most conference titles of any NCAA school
• Michigan has the most weekly appearances in the AP poll, appearing 724 times entering the 2006 season
• Michigan has led the nation in attendance 31 of the last 32 years
• Michigan has appeared in 31 straight bowls, the longest current streak in NCAA history.
  
• Michigan has had 356 football games televised (237-111-8), which leads the NCAA.
• The Michigan football program is the only Big 10 team in any sport to win a conference title in each decade. It is the winningest overall athletic program in Big 10 Conference history
• Michigan has appeared in more Rose Bowls (19) than any other Big 10 Conference school
• Michigan has 11 national championships (5th all-time) to OSU's 7

Lloyd Carr Stats

• Head coach Lloyd Carr has a career winning percentage of .750 (102-34), ranking him fifth among active Division I coaches.
• Michigan has a xx-xx overall record against AP nationally ranked teams under Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines have compiled a xxx-xxx-xx (.xxx) all-time record against AP nationally ranked teams.
• He now leads active Big 10 coaches with 68 conference wins (68-20).
• He grabbed the active career lead in Big 10 wins during the 2003 season.
• He is the eighth coach in conference history to claim five or more Big 10 championships.

Christian megastar: Bono on record.

Review -- One Step Closer: Why U2 Matters to Those Seeking God

U2 on All-Time Album Chart

U2 on All-Time Album Chart

The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was today voted the nation’s favourite Number One album.

The smash hit only just pushed Michael Jackson’s Thriller album into second place by 201 votes in the BBC’s Radio 2 Music Club Top 100 Albums chart.

The nationwide survey saw more than 220,000 people select their favourite artists and was designed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the official UK album charts.

A full run-down of the top 100 was broadcast on Radio 2 by DJ Simon Mayo today.

U2’s Joshua Tree came in third, with Rumours by Fleetwood Mac taking fourth place.

The Fab Four scooped five spots in the album top 11, with Revolver taking sixth place, Abbey Road in eighth, the White Album at 10 and Rubber Soul taking 11th place.

Colossal Mike Oldfield hit Tubular Bells, which stayed in the charts for five years, also featured, taking the number 18 slot.

Of the classic albums that failed to reach the number one position, Britons voted Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon as their favourite with The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, by David Bowie, as number two.

The Official Album Chart started in 1956 and since then there have been 787 number one albums.

Presenter Simon Mayo said: “It is a very impressive list and no surprise at all that Sgt Pepper is at the top.

“It revolutionised music and what we expect from an album. A fine choice indeed.”

Misspellings by voters keen to take part in the poll also saw votes go to “The Dark Side of the Room” by “Pink Flid” and “Achtung Bono” by U2.

Other blunders included fans voting for “Codplay” and “Oink Floyd”.

The BBC Radio 2 Music Club Top 100 Albums list in full:

1 Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – Beatles
2 Thriller – Michael Jackson
3 The Joshua Tree – U2
4 Rumours – Fleetwood Mac
5 Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
6 Revolver – Beatles
7 Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel
8 Abbey Road – Beatles
9 A Night At The Opera – Queen
10 The Beatles (The White Album) – Beatles
11 Rubber Soul – Beatles
12 Brothers In Arms – Dire Straits
13 (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? – Oasis
14 Automatic For The People – REM
15 Led Zeppelin IV (Four Symbols) – Led Zeppelin
16 Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette
17 Parallel Lines – Blondie
18 Tubular Bells – Mike Oldfield
19 Led Zeppelin II – Led Zeppelin
20 Band On The Run – Paul McCartney & Wings
21 Hounds Of Love – Kate Bush
22 Definitely Maybe – Oasis
23 Graceland – Paul Simon
24 Ray Of Light – Madonna
25 Who’s Next – Who
26 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John
27 OK Computer – Radiohead
28 Never Mind The Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols – Sex Pistols
29 Aladdin Sane – David Bowie
30 Out Of Time – REM
31 A Rush Of Blood To The Head – Coldplay
32 Scissor Sisters – Scissor Sisters
33 X & Y – Coldplay
34 Born In The USA – Bruce Springsteen
35 Like A Prayer – Madonna
36 A Hard Day’s Night – Beatles
37 Confessions On A Dancefloor – Madonna
38 Parachutes – Coldplay
39 Harvest – Neil Young
40 Bad – Michael Jackson
41 American Idiot – Green Day
42 A Kind Of Magic – Queen
43 Faith – George Michael
44 Fever – Kylie Minogue
45 Back In Black – AC/DC
46 Let It Be – Beatles
47 Like A Virgin – Madonna
48 The Unforgettable Fire – U2
49 Imagine – John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band With The Flux Fiddlers
50 Help! – Beatles
51 Arrival – Abba
52 Led Zeppelin 3 – Led Zeppelin
53 Urban Hymns – Verve
54 Spice – Spice Girls
55 Sing When You’re Winning – Robbie Williams
56 Let’s Dance – David Bowie
57 Hopes And Fears – Keane
58 Diamond Dogs – David Bowie
59 Escapology – Robbie Williams
60 Parklife – Blur
61 Rattle And Hum – U2
62 Hot Fuss – The Killers
63 How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb – U2
64 True Blue – Madonna
65 Sticky Fingers – Rolling Stones
66 Music – Madonna
67 A Day At The Races – Queen
=68 War – U2
=68 Life Thru A Lens – Robbie Williams
70 No Angel – Dido
71 Physical Graffiti – Led Zeppelin
72 Swing When You’re Winning – Robbie Williams
=73 Super Trouper – Abba
=73 Let It Bleed – Rolling Stones
75 All Things Must Pass – George Harrison
76 Spiceworld – Spice Girls
77 Dare! – Human League
78 Different Class – Pulp
79 Please Please Me – Beatles
80 Back To Bedlam – James Blunt
81 So – Peter Gabriel
82 All That You Can’t Leave Behind – U2
83 Diva – Annie Lennox
84 Paranoid – Black Sabbath
85 The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan
86 Songs About Jane – Maroon 5
87 By The Way – Red Hot Chili Peppers
=88 The Division Bell – Pink Floyd
=88 Scary Monsters And Super Creeps – David Bowie
90 Play – Moby
91 Listen Without Prejudice Volume 1 – George Michael
92 Dangerous – Michael Jackson
93 Voulez-Vous – Abba
94 Innuendo – Queen
95 Demon Days – Gorillaz
96 Love Over Gold – Dire Straits
=97 The Album – Abba
=97 Come On Over – Shania Twain
99 I’ve Been Expecting You – Robbie Williams
100 Welcome To The Pleasuredome – Frankie Goes To Hollywood

--Evening Echo

Rumsfeld's American Legion Speech, Aug. 29, 2006

Address at the American Legion National Convention

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, Salt Lake City, Utah, Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Tom [American Legion Commander Tom Bock], I understand that your son is flying a Chinook in Iraq -- following in his dad's proud tradition of military service. Our country is deeply grateful to him -- and to all of you who have children or relatives serving in our nation's military.

They are in our thoughts and prayers. Please tell them we appreciate all they do for our country.

I thank each of you for the love and support you provide for our troops every day.

No one is more proud of those young people than their Commander-in-Chief. I know that President Bush is looking forward to being with you on Thursday.

We are truly fortunate to have a leader of resolve at a time of war. Through all the challenges, he remains the same man who stood atop the rubble of lower Manhattan, with a bullhorn, vowing to fight back; the leader who told a grieving nation that we will never forget what was lost; and the determined President who works every day to fulfill his vow to bring the enemy to justice or to bring justice to the enemy.

Our nation is so fortunate to have the American Legion standing up for all those who are serving our country in this time of testing.

About a year ago, I participated in the dedication of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. And when I looked out into the audience, I could see a great many American Legion caps. It was a reminder of the millions who sacrificed for our country, so many of whom did not come home.

And it was also a reminder of all that American Legionnaires do to for our servicemen and women. Indeed, through nearly nine decades of service, the American Legion continues to find new ways and to undertake new initiatives to embody their motto: "For God and Country."

The Department of Defense is proud to be a partner with you in the "Heroes to Hometowns" program, which is helping severely wounded veterans with job searches, their homes, and other activities to aid the transition to civilian life. Your partnership with the "The America Supports You" campaign helps communities, organizations, and individuals across this nation express their appreciation to our troops, and to their families.

And, on a personal note, I commend the American Legion for its sponsorship of the Boy Scouts. I know there are some places where Boy Scouts are a subject of scorn.

Well, I was a proud Cub Scout, then a Boy Scout; then an Explorer Scout; an Eagle Scout; and, in 1975, a Distinguished Eagle Scout. The Scouts represent some of the best qualities in our great country -- and they certainly deserve our support!

The American Legion has achieved a great deal for our country since its founding in the months following World War I, when those folks came together in a hotel in Europe to find a way to help some of their fellow veterans who would be coming home soon.

Indeed, that year -- 1919 -- turned out to be one of those pivotal junctures in modern history -- with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles and the creation of the League of Nations -- a treaty and an organization intended to make future wars unnecessary and obsolete.

Indeed, 1919 was the beginning of a period where, over time, a very different set of views would come to dominate discourse and thinking in the west.

Over the next decades, a sentiment took root that contended that if only the growing threats that had begun to emerge in Europe and Asia could be appeased, then the carnage and destruction of then-recent memory of World War I might be avoided. It was a time when a certain amount of cynicism and moral confusion set in among the western democracies. When those who warned about a coming crisis -- the rise of fascism and Nazism -- were ridiculed and ignored.

Indeed, in the decades before World War II, a great many argued that the fascist threat was exaggerated -- or that it was someone else's problem. Some nations tried to negotiate a separate peace -- even as the enemy made its deadly ambitions crystal clear.

It was, as Churchill observed, a bit like feeding a crocodile, hoping it would eat you last.

There was a strange innocence in views of the world. Someone recently recalled one U.S. Senator's reaction in September 1939, upon hearing that Hitler had invaded Poland to start World War II. He exclaimed:

"Lord, if only I could have talked with Hitler, all this might have been avoided."

Think of that!

I recount this history because once again we face the same kind of challenges in efforts to confront the rising threat of a new type of fascism.

Today, another enemy -- a different kind of enemy -- has also made clear its intentions -- in places like New York, Washington, D.C., Bali, London, Madrid, and Moscow. But it is apparent that many have still not learned history's lessons.

We need to face the following questions:

• With the growing lethality and availability of weapons, can we truly afford to believe that somehow vicious extremists can be appeased?

• Can we really continue to think that free countries can negotiate a separate peace with terrorists?

• Can we truly afford the luxury of pretending that the threats today are simply "law enforcement" problems, rather than fundamentally different threats, requiring fundamentally different approaches?

• And can we truly afford to return to the destructive view that America -- not the enemy -- is the real source of the world's trouble?

These are central questions of our time. And we must face them.

We hear everyday of new plans, new efforts, to murder Americans and other free people. Indeed, the plot recently discovered that would have killed hundreds -- possibly thousands -- of innocent men, women, and children on planes coming from Britain to the United States should have demonstrated to all that the enemy is serious, lethal, and relentless.

But this is still -- in 2006 -- not well recognized or fully understood. It seems that in some quarters there is more of a focus on dividing our country, than acting with unity against the gathering threats.

We find ourselves in a strange time:

• When a database search of America's leading newspapers turns up 10 times as many mentions of one of the soldiers at Abu Ghraib who was punished for misconduct, than mentions of Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith, the first recipient of the Medal of Honor in the Global War on Terror;

• When a senior editor at Newsweek disparagingly refers to the brave volunteers in our Armed Forces as a "mercenary army";

• When the former head of CNN accuses the American military of deliberately targeting journalists and the former CNN Baghdad bureau chief admits he concealed reports of Saddam Hussein's crimes when he was in power so CNN could stay in Iraq; and

• It is a time when Amnesty International disgracefully refers to the military facility at Guantanamo Bay, which holds terrorists who have vowed to kill Americans and which is arguably the best run and most scrutinized detention facility in the history of warfare, as "the gulag of our times."

Those who know the truth need to speak out against these kinds of myths, and lies, and distortions being told about our troops and our country.

The struggle we are in is too important -- the consequences too severe -- to have the luxury of returning to the old mentality of "Blame America First."

One of the most important things the Legion has done is not only to serve, and assist, and advocate as you've done so superbly for much of the past century -- but also to educate and speak the truth about our country and our military.

Not so long ago, an exhibit on the Enola Gay at the Smithsonian during the 1990s seemed to try to rewrite the history of World War II by portraying the United States as an aggressor. Fortunately, the American Legion was there to lead the effort to set the record straight.

This watchdog role is even more important today in a war that is to a great extent fought in the media on a global stage -- to not allow the lies and the myths be repeated without question or challenge -- so that at least the second and third draft of history will be more accurate than the quick first allegations.

You know from experience that in every war there have been mistakes and setbacks and casualties. War is, as Clemenceau said, a "series of catastrophes that results in victory."

And in every army, there are occasionally bad actors -- the ones who dominate the headlines today -- who don't live up to the standards of their oath and of our country.

But you also know that they are a small percentage of the hundreds of thousands of honorable men and women in all theaters in this struggle who are serving with humanity and decency in the face of constant provocation.

And that is important in this "long war," where any kind of moral and intellectual confusion about who and what is right or wrong can severely weaken the ability of free societies to persevere.

Our enemy knows this well. They frequently invoke the names of Beirut and Somalia -- places they see as examples of American retreat and weakness. And as we have seen most recently -- indeed, this month -- in Lebanon, they design attacks and manipulate the media to try to demoralize public opinion. They doctor photographs of casualties, use civilians as human shields and then provoke an outcry when civilians are accidentally killed in their midst.

The good news is that most of the American people, though understandably influenced by what they read and see in the media, have inner gyroscopes and good centers of gravity.

And I am confident that over time they will evaluate and reflect on what is happening in this struggle and come to wise conclusions.

In Iraq, a country that was brutalized and traumatized by a cruel and dangerous dictatorship is now undertaking the slow, difficult, and uncertain steps to secure a new future, under a representative government -- one that is at peace with its neighbors, rather than a threat to their own people, their neighbors, and to the world.

As the nature of the threat and the conflict in Iraq has changed over these past three years, so have the tactics and deployments. But while military tactics have changed and adapted to the realities on the ground, the strategy has not -- which is to empower the Iraqi people to defend, govern, and rebuild their own country.

The extremists themselves have called Iraq the "epicenter" in the War on Terror. They mean it. And our troops know how important completing the mission is.

A Soldier who recently volunteered for a second tour in Iraq, likely captured the feelings of many of his peers. In an e-mail to friends he wrote:

"I ask that you never take advantage of the liberties guaranteed by the shedding of free blood, never take for granted the freedoms granted by our Constitution. For those liberties would be merely ink on paper were it not for the sacrifice of generations of Americans who heard the call of duty and responded heart, mind and soul with 'Yes, I will.'"

Someday that young man may be a member of the American Legion, attending a convention such as this. I hope he will be. And one day, a future speaker may reflect back on this time of historic choice -- remembering the questions raised as to our country's courage, dedication, and willingness to continue this fight until we have prevailed.

I believe the question is not whether we can win. It is whether we have the will to persevere.

I believe that Americans do have that steel. And that we have learned the lessons of history, the folly of turning a blind eye to danger, and of ignoring our responsibilities. These are lessons you know well -- lessons that your heroism has taught to generations of Americans.

May God bless each of you. May God bless the men and women in uniform and their families. And may God continue to bless our wonderful country.

U2's "One" on Greatest Songs List

"One" on Greatest Songs List Ed. Note: "One" has topped this list in the past and may very well do so again the next timepolls its readers. Oasis's "Live Forever" looks all set to live up to its title after being voted the greatest song ever. The 12-year-old single - the first to demonstrate that the Gallagher brothers could have a tender side as well as bravado and swagger - has beaten classic tracks by the Beatles, U2 and Queen in the Q magazine poll of music fans to identify the all-time greats. "Live Forever doesn't date. It satisfies a timeless need for communal joy," The Sun quoted a Q "People said after 'Live Forever,' 'Where are you gonna go after that?' I was like, 'I don't think it's that good.' I think I can do better," Noel Gallagher said. Oasis also claimed the second spot with their hit "Wonderwall," while two other songs, played by the band "Don't Look Back In Anger" and "Champagne Supernova," also made the top 100. Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was third in the poll. While the Beatles' "A Day In The Life" and U2's "One" came in fourth and fifth place respectively. The Beatles claimed six places in the top 100 songs, the most by any band. The list of the top ten "All-Time Top 100," as per Q magazine is: 1 Live Forever – Oasis 2 Wonderwall – Oasis 3 Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana 4 A Day In The Life – The Beatles 5 One – U2 6 Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen 7 Love Will Tear Us Apart – Joy Division 8 Stairway To Heaven – Led Zeppelin 9 Bitter Sweet Symphony – The Verve 10 Paranoid Android – Radiohead Q magazine spokesman as saying. --ANI

Expat life in Beijing

Stuck in Traffic
Cabs

Flight 93 - savagely funny?

I went to the local dvd "store" today and they had a number of the latest movies and tv shows in stock -- Click, Mi-III, the new Pirates of the Caribbean, Season 5 of 24, lost Season 2, etc. As I was looking at "Flight 93," I noticed something rather odd, or odder than usual.

The front markets the film this way:

"September 11, 2001. Four terrorists wanted to turn flight 93 into a weapon. Forty brave passengers and crew stopped it from reaching its target."

"Four Stars: Terrifving" -- Trhm trlr Boct


The back of the dvd however tells quite a different story.

"Deliciously entertaining. Savagely funny -- Nuts.

Nick Love's follow up to the The Football Factory may well be the best bloke film of the year. -- FHM

Golf Ball Collection @ a Chinese Driving Range

Excerpt from "The Gospel According to the Beatles," by Steve Turner

Is the Bush Doctrine Dead?

The president's critics are wrong. That includes the neocons.
by Norman Podhoretz

Bush & Friends

President Bush gestures during a statement after meetings at the National Counterterrorism Center on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2006 in McLean, Va. From left is Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Fran Townsend, Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, Bush, CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden, and Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Vice Admiral John "Scott" Redd. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President George W. Bush(R) speaks while touring the operations center at the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean, Virginia with CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden(L), and Director of the center Vice Admiral John 'Scott' Redd. Bush pointed to last week's alleged plot in Britain to bomb US-bound airliners as evidence that the US-led war on terrorism will last "for years to come."(AFP/Tim Sloan)

President Bush gestures during a statement after meetings at the National Counterterrorism Center on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2006 in McLean, Va. From left is Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Fran Townsend, Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, Bush, CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden and Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Vice Admiral John 'Scott' Redd. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

New to China

If you're looking for a fun read about a "newbies" experience in China, check out my former colleague, Chris Brooks' blog.

President Bush Meets with Counterterrorism Team

President George W. Bush addresses the media at the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean, Va., Aug. 15, 2006. Standing with President Bush are, from left: White House Homeland Security Advisor Frances Townsend; Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte; CIA Director Michael Hayden; and Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Vice Admiral John Scott Redd. White House photo by Paul Morse

THE PRESIDENT: It's been my honor to be here at the NCTC. A couple of observations: One, that of the work being done here by some really fine Americans because from different agencies in our government, America is safer than it has been. But it's not yet safe. The enemy has got an advantage when it comes to attacking our homeland - they've got to be right one time, and we've got to be right a hundred percent of the time to protect the American people.

I'm proud to report that there's a lot of good folks that are working hard to see to it that we're right a hundred percent of the time. And I want to thank all the people in this building and around our government who spend an incredible amount of time and energy and effort to do a very difficult job, and that's to protect the American people.

Recently we saw the fruits of their labor in conjunction with their counterparts in Great Britain. Because of the good work in Great Britain and because of the help of the people there at NCTC, we disrupted a terror plot, a plot where people were willing to kill innocent life to achieve political objectives. And that plot is -- and this building and the work going on here really is indicative of the challenge we face, not only this week, but this year and the years to come, because the United States of America is engaged in a war against a extremist group of folks bound together by an ideology, willing to use terror to achieve their objectives.

Our most solemn duty in the federal government is to protect the American people, and I will assure the American people that we're doing everything in our power to protect you. And we've got some good assets, and the best asset we have is the people, people represented right here in this building.

So I've come to listen and learn and to look at reforms that have been put in place. And I've also come to thank the good people who work here and elsewhere in our government for doing what they are doing.

Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Sharing Intelligence Across the Agencies

In the years after the Sept. 11 attacks revealed weaknesses in the way the government's intelligence agencies share and analyze information, the federal government changed the structure of the intelligence community. Its 16 components — many of which are part of the Defense Department — now report to a director of national intelligence. The National Counterterrorism Center integrates the components.