The Anchoress

Amid all the Democrat talk urging us to “embrace the defeat,” they so dearly wish upon us, two bloggers are looking at what that means. Lorie Byrd quotes soldiers “in-country” and an Iraqi dentist and makes a very good case for a reader checking out Milblogs for the real scoop on Iraq, and Neo-neocon details the difference between defeat and defeatism. Pajamas Media is also featuring imbed journalist Michael Totten and Austin Bay talking more knowledgeably about Iraq than most anyone you’ll find mainstream. And then, for some ballast, how about you scoot over to Counseling Kevin and read about war as a natural state. Quite good.

I’ve been saving this story for you all week - a must read - Howard Kurtz’ profile of CBS Newsman Byron Pitts, who at age 12 was a stutterer who tested as “functionally illiterate.” It’s a wonderful “bootstrap” sort of story of a man who achieved his dream despite the odds, and the value of one person believing in another. Read. You’ll like.

On a less exalted note Siggy tells us the unpopular truth we don’t want to acknowledge about why premature sex wrecks our kids.

I didn’t write about the Governor of Kansas trying to make “everything is always Bush’s fault” political hay out of local disaster that took precious lives. I didn’t have to, plenty of other bloggers covered her ugly folly, and a Kansas resident added his own thoughts. Thankfully, for once the Bush WH got in front of the narrative that the press and the Dems were hot to build, and they managed to tear it down. About damn time they did that about something.

Difficult as it may seem to believe, Jim Geraghty highlights something in Hillary Clinton’s background story that just doesn’t add up.

Corn and Miniter here put on a show at Pajamas Media that even an ants-in the-pants like me can sit through. Pretty good stuff.

Patterico wonders if the last hero in LA will turn out the lights

From the let ‘em kill each other and then sort it out Dept: Rick Moran looks at Mort Kondrake’s rhetoric.

He’s been a decent enough mayor for all that he’s basically kept all of Rudy Giuliani’s policies in place, but no, I don’t want to see Nurse Bloomberg in the White House. I don’t trust anyone who says an entire city may not smoke or eat trans fats. I don’t smoke, and I try not to eat trans fats…but I’m not sure it’s the city’s business if one does.

Ed Driscoll highlights the Puritans of the left and how suppressive they be. As Glenn Reynolds might say “they told me if George W. Bush were elected president” we’d encounter humorless prudes and social-behavior-police who longed to take away our freedom!

“The more you fail, the more money they throw at you,” he said. “We’re filthy rich; I don’t want any more of your money. Send me quality teachers.” Indeed, as Betsy explains throwing money at education is not the solution.

Tigerhawk quotes a doctor who left medicine once his government took over. Check out his thoughts.

I’m not much for Mitt - I’m not much for any candidate just now, but are any of the millionaire Democrat candidates having their fortunes scrutinized as thoroughly as the GOP millionaire candidates are scrutinized? They’re all rich. So are Pelosi, Kerry, Corzine, Kennedy….not a Harry S Truman, habidasher, in the bunch, but the press only seems to mind it in the GOP.

The BaronFjordman, meanwhile, looks at the fascinating roots and results of excessive MultiCulti. H/T Larwyn.

Enough of that, time to laugh:

From the Girls stuff can be funny, too Dept: The Onion, via Ann Althouse. The whole thing had me on the floor, especially this

Gaius brings reassuring news from the other revolution.

If that doesn’t make you smile, Christopher Buckley’s hilarious review of Tom Clancy’s latest novel will have hugging your sides. H/T Snarky Bastards.

Finally, I’m not even going to tell you what this is. Just watch it. It’s not “funny” but it’s wonderful. H/T Neatorama via Julie.