Pat Dollard

Update: Drudge took our headline. Cool! Telegraph: Gen David Petraeus, the new US commander in Afghanistan, is to review the controversial doctrine of “courageous restraint”, according to Pentagon sources. He is to re-examine the rules which some soldiers believe have prevented them from defending themselves. “There will be no change in overall policy but all [...]

The Independent: The revolving door spectacle at the top of America’s military brass may have been executed with swift efficiency by Barack Obama but the fallout may just be beginning as Republicans prepare again to challenge his plans to begin a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan next year. Fresh and possibly unfriendly scrutiny of President Obama’s [...]

New York Times: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan is exploiting the troubled United States military effort in Afghanistan to drive home a political settlement with Afghanistan that would give Pakistan important influence there but is likely to undermine United States interests, Pakistani and American officials said. The dismissal of Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal will almost certainly [...]

Wall Street Journal: U.K. Is Latest to Seek ‘Ruthless’ Cuts, Auguring Trouble for Afghan Effort European governments’ budget-slashing efforts are expected to cut deep into the Continent’s defense spending, widening the gulf between U.S. and European military capabilities. Governments in France, Germany, Spain and Italy, in rolling out recent austerity measures in response to Europe’s [...]

Times Of London: 11.35am: We told you earlier (see 9.55am) about Paul the psychic Octopus, who has correctly predicted all three of Germany’s results so far at this World Cup. Well I’m afraid it is bad news for England supporters. This morning, Paul was asked to select the winner of Sunday’s match and he plumped [...]

Progressive hatchetmen Which means you’re going to pay it… Financial Times: Banks and hedge funds will be hit with a $19bn fee to pay costs associated with financial reform, Barney Frank, chairman of the US House financial services committee, said late on Thursday. The proposed levy emerged as an unwelcome surprise for the industry deep [...]

by @BetterOffSingle

Rasmussen: Nearly half of American Adults see the government today as a threat to individual rights rather than a protector of those rights. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 48% of Adults see the government today as a threat to rights. Thirty-seven percent (37%) hold the opposite view. Fifteen percent (15%) are [...]

Fox News: The Obama administration has tapped an outspoken critic of immigration enforcement on the local level to oversee and promote partnerships between federal and local officials. Harold Hurtt, a former police chief in Houston and Phoenix, has been hired as the director for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of State and Local [...]

Fox News: Two federal agencies have joined the “boycott Arizona” trend and nixed conferences there out of concern over the state’s immigration law, a Democratic Arizona congresswoman said, calling the development “very troubling.” Any cancellations by the Department of Education and the U.S. Border Patrol may have been more out of a desire to steer [...]

Times Online: The human foetus cannot feel pain before the age of 24 weeks, according to an authoritative review of scientific evidence that sets back the campaign to cut the time limit for abortion. Nerve connections in the foetal brain do not form fully enough to allow perception of pain until after the 24-week limit [...]

(AFP) – Oil from the massive Gulf of Mexico spill reached the white sands of Pensacola in north-eastern Florida, forcing local authorities Thursday to close down area beaches to swimming at the height of summer. “There’s oil both in the water and in the sand,” said Warren Bielenberg, an official with the Gulf Islands National [...]