Blaming Extreme Rhetoric for Extreme Acts

News that Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik was a fan of anti-Islamist sites, including Robert Spencer’s Jihad Watch and Pamela Geller’s Atlas Shrugs has opened a big can of schadenfreude.

Oslo Shooter Anti-Muslim Christian Extremist

The death toll in Norway’s deadliest day of terrorism is up to 91. The man behind it, 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik, is a frequent poster of anti-Muslim screeds on Christian fundamentalist websites.

Oslo Bomb Blast and Shooting Spree: Al Qaeda Suspected (Updated)

A bomb blast in Oslo’s government center has killed at least two people and a presumably related shooting spree at a nearby children’s camp are being investigated as terrorist related.

An Attempt at Unpacking the News Corp Scandal

I must confess to having only paid peripheral attention at first, but it is clear that there is a major story here that requires attention.

Pakistan Boots U.S. From Drone Base We Weren’t Using Anyway

Our good ally Pakistan has publicly ordered us to leave a base used for “covert” CIA drone attacks.

Sudan Update

The government in northern Sudan is engaging in military attacks against the people of Southern Kordofan.

Comments Alert

Our patience with those who repeatedly hijack the discussion thread to detract from the topic at hand has ended, effective immediately.

Is Obama Bullying Israel on Peace Talks?

The United States is pressuring the Netanyahu government to move off its hard line.

America’s Newest Secret War, Or The Same One We’ve Been Fighting For Ten Years?

American drone strikes in Yemen are intensifying. Is this a new war. or just the same one we’ve been fighting since October 2001?

F-16s Scramble Over Reclined Airline Seat

A passenger started a fight over a reclined airplane seat, causing fighter planes to scramble.

Ratko Mladic and Osama bin Laden

Glenn Greenwald asks two questions about the cases of Osama bin Laden and Ratko Mladic. Helpfully, the second answers the first.

Rand Paul Delays Renewal Of PATRIOT Act

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul wants a full debate on the PATRIOT Act. What’s Congress so afraid of?

Why John Walker Lindh is Still in Jail

Frank R. Lindh, father of Abu Sulayman al-Irlandi (aka Sulayman al-Faris, Abdul Hamid, and John Walker Lindh) has an op-ed in the NYT asking “Bin Laden’s Gone. Can My Son Come Home?” The answer is, sure: In another 8 to 11 years.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Laughed Off Waterboarding

Marc Thiessen claims Khalid Sheikh Mohammad mocked the CIA interrogators who waterboarded him.

Why Obama’s Osama Bounce Didn’t Last

President Obama’s approval numbers shot up after Osama bin Laden was killed two weeks ago. They’ve already settled back to where they were

Ron Paul: I Would Not Have Ordered The Mission Against Bin Laden

Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who will enter the Presidential race tomorrow, says he wouldn’t have tried to have Osama bin Laden killed.

John McCain: Neither Waterboarding Nor Any Other Form Of Torture Led To Bin Laden

John McCain thoroughly dismantles the argument that Osama bin Laden’s capture vindicates the use of so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques.”

Osama Part of Obama’s Campaign Pitch

Not surprisingly, having ordered a successful mission to kill Osama bin Laden is being highlighted on President Obama’s re-election tour.

Report: Decade Old “Secret Deal” With Pakistan Authorized Raid Against Bin Laden

Did a deal between the U.S. and Pakistan during the infancy of the war against al Qaeda play a role in the raid against Osama bin Laden?

Pakistan Tries, And Largely Fails, To Explain Itself

Pakistan is trying to explain how the world’s most wanted man was able to hide in plain sight for six years, and failing badly.

Senator Proposes “No-Ride” List For Rail

One U.S. Senator wants to bring elements of the TSA’s security theater to America’s rail system.

Al Qaeda Confirms Osama bin Laden Death

In a move sure to satisfy Deathers as much as a contemporaneous newspaper story satisfied Birthers, al Qaeda has released a statement confirming that Osama bin Laden is dead.

Osama bin Laden Raid Controversial in Germany

The free world rallied around the United States after the 9/11 attacks–but not all back the killing of the man who ordered it.

Torture Creep?

The defense of torture as an extreme measure for extraordinary circumstances has evolved.tortu