The Democrats have found a convenient political tool to combat charges that they do not support the troops. They are advocating a larger pay increase for the military, something the Bush Administration opposes. While the difference is only a matter of degree, as the administration also favors an increase, it should help the Democrats as a campaign issue.

Eleanor Clift has this piece on what she believes is a robust foreign policy that Democrats could campaign on and win. First, they won't campaign on it. Second, it doesn't matter. The Democrats will win if they run a candidate who promises to end the war in Iraq, as long as that candidate seems tough enough to aggressively defend the country.

Max Boot has an e-mail from an Army officer in Iraq. This officer believes we need to stay in Iraq at least until his 11-year-old son is old enough to serve. That sounds about right. At least six more years, perhaps ten. It won't happen, of course, despite the pleadings of people like Frederick Kagan, who hopes Americans will not abandon our Iraqi friends. History tells me that we will.

Here is some first-hand reporting from Iraq.

Rich Lowry thinks the Senate's immigration compromise is a bad deal.

Little Estonia under cyber assault from Russia. While damaging, it's not so bad as being under real assault.

Speaking of real assault, here is an article in the Washington Times about the clan violence that adds another layer of complexity to the deteriorating situation in Gaza.

Here in New Hampshire, an e-mailer has alerted me to the fact that registered sex offenders can live here anonymously (at least as far as their neighbors are concerned) so long as their crimes did not involve minors. Read about it in stories on the WBZ-TV website and the WMUR-TV website.