The Democrats held a televised debate here in New Hampshire last night, sparring on issues from Iraq to health care, and I, like the vast majority of New Hampshire voters, did not watch. So, I leave the job of analyzing the debate to others, including Bill Kristol, who thinks Hillary is the only Democrat who can win in November of 2008 (I agree with him). The Campaign Spot on the NRO website also has this post about the debate, which the writer watched from a Durham sports bar. I'm sure the patrons were riveted by it (yeah, right).

John Distaso of the Manchester Union Leader breaks down the latest poll data from News Hampshire. The bottom line? Hillary has solidified her lead and the GOP primary is up for grabs. What does it mean? If history is to be our guide it's bad news for Senator Clinton, as the front-runner has fared badly in the last few cycles. Remember what happened to Howard Dean? How about George W. Bush in 2000 and Bob Dole in '96? Each time the leader was lulled into complacency by their solid leads, or they made some significant mistakes, or both. Frankly, I just don't see that happening to Hillary. She is too smart, and her team is too experienced. Unless Senator Obama can start making some serious inroads into her support, especially among independents, who will be voting in large numbers in the Democratic primary, it seems like Hillary should earn a solid win here in the Granite State. Of course, it makes sense. This is, after all, another wartime election. We will be looking for a "tough guy" President. And, after all the mistakes of the Bush years, we want someone with a higher degree of competence. Hillary fits the bill better than any of the others on the Democratic stage (just as Margaret Thatcher always seemed a tougher bird than any of her male contemporaries). But, while that gives Hillary the edge in the Democratic primaries which have a high degree of independent participation (those contests dominated by Democratic base voters will probably be looking for a more reliably anti-war candidate), it also gives the eventual GOP nominee the edge in the general election, as the GOP is seen, still, as the National Security party.

Speaking of National Security, the Army's top general asked Congress for an opportunity to speak to them about the state of his organization, and he told them it is not good. The Congress and the Administration have only two choices, it seems to me. Either put a lot more resources into the Army, or get them out of the wars they are fighting. Put me down as advocating the more resources option.

Idealistic young people are flocking to the Ron Paul campaign. Using history as my guide, I predict their idealistic dreams will be dashed.

David Broder and Robert Novak, both great old reporters who came to Washington decades ago, take exactly contrary views on a bill to expand health insurance for poor children. Broder likes it, Novak doesn't.

I was in New York City yesterday on my weekly visit to produce "The World in Time" with Lewis Lapham on Bloomberg Radio and, while waiting nearly 20 minutes just to get on the 59th Street Bridge and another 30 minutes to cross it into Manhattan, realized that President Bush (and President Ahmadinejad and others) were in the city at the UN. Streets were blocked off, lanes were restricted to police and motorcades, and traffic was gridlocked. No wonder New Yorkers hate it when they get VIP visits.

President Sarkozy of France, also at the UN, continues to take a hard line against Iran.

Because I am now a frequent air traveller (going back and forth between Boston's Logan International Airport and LaGuardia in NYC), this kind of story has a certain appeal.

The historian and author Arthur Herman says Columbia made a "squalid mistake" in allowing President Ahmadinejad to speak there. Herman is referring to the words used by Winston Churchill to describe the resolution of the Oxford Union in 1933 that members of that house would, under no circumstances, fight for King and Country. Adolph Hitler, who came to power that same year, certainly got the message that England would not fight, a message that was reinforced time and again right up to his invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. Is allowing President Ahmadinejad to speak an expression of strength or weakness? Some future historian, with the advantage of hindsight, will make the final determination. All I know is that, in my view, mass murderers, holocaust-deniers, and tyrants, should not be afforded the respect that is gained by speaking at a major American university and, if I was running one, I wouldn't allow it. Of course, people like me aren't allowed to run major American universities.

Here at home, a new poll shows Hillary Clinton well ahead in New Hampshire over Barack Obama. I still find it hard to believe that she is running away with the Democratic nomination. I had thought that Obama would strike a cord with Liberals and excite independents. My guess is that he has not run a very good campaign so far, and Liberal Democrats (and independents) are so fed up with the Bush Administration and the Republicans that they are desperate to get rid of them. Therefore, they see Clinton as the best weapon to accomplish the mission. They may be right.

Bob Novak warns that Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel of New York has a plan to "tax the rich". Of course, many of you who don't think of yourselves as "rich" will, in all likelihood, fall into that category.

Gazans get a taste of what life is like under a fundamentalist Islamic regime.

As I discovered while taking calls on WBZ a week ago Monday morning, the general public doesn't think General Petraeus is being straight with us concerning the Iraq War. But, of course, as the commander of troops fighting a war, there are perfectly good reasons for him to emphasize the positive and minimize the negative. Like, he's trying to win. Of course, the MoveOn folks don't care about that, they are close-minded to any narrative other than their own. Perhaps that's because they want us to lose. Richard Cohen, who is certainly no conservative, slams Hillary Clinton for her pandering to the MoveOn people.

Michael Totten reports on the improving situation in Anbar Province.

The Iraqi government is trying to pull the operator's license of Blackwater, a private security company that is providing security for, among others, the U.S. State Department in Iraq.

French officials are trying to tone down the war talk concerning Iran and it's nuclear program.

President Bush will endorse the recommendation by General Petraeus that will bring a small number of troops home by the end of the year and then the rest of the 30,000 that constitute the "surge" by next Summer. Pat Buchanan believes the President is doing this as part of his strategy to force the Democrats into retreat.

A new poll shows a majority still don't believe we can win in Iraq.

Tony Blankley has some thoughts on where we are six years after the 9/11 attacks.

Norman Podhoretz believes we are fighting World War IV, but is not surprised that the American Left refuses to believe it. William F. Buckley stands with Podhoretz on this one.

If, like me, you travel frequently by air into and out of New York City, you are probably familiar with the experience of flight delays. One outgoing Federal official is warning the airlines that they need to do something about it, or the Feds will do it for them.

A record number of immigrants now living in the United States.

I don't know much about Belgium, but I did know that it is mainly comprised of two different ethnic groups, Walloons and Flemings. Some are suggesting that the country may split apart, and perhaps it should.

A nice piece from the Boston Globe on the passing of my WBZ colleague Paul Sullivan. I did not know Paul well, but whenever I interacted with him, whether in the hallway or control room or on the air in the studio, he was always genuinely interested in how I was doing and always had a self-deprecating quip whenever asked about his own welfare. I can only hope that I deal with my own final days, whenever they come, as well as he did.

On the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, there is a great deal of conversation about the testimony of General Petraeus about the progress of military operations in Iraq. Yesterday, the General testified in front of a House committee and indicated that some troops could be withdrawn, but we face a long road ahead. His testimony was met by skepticism from Democrats, and a truly McCarthy-esque tactic by Moveon.org. In a full-page ad in the New York Times, the left-wing extremist group essentially declared General Petraeus a traitor who was "cooking the books" to give a positive report to Congress about Iraq. Byron York wonders if the Democrats will have the guts to repudiate the group's actions. Ralph Peters slams the group, even though he has often disagreed with Petraeus. After taking calls Sunday night/Monday morning on WBZ from folks who share Moveon's view, I doubt the Democrats will have the courage to put them in their place. Much like McCarthy, many mainstream politicians will be afraid of angering the significant number of people who back them. Unlike McCarthy, Moveon will not be discredited by their actions, even if they get significant media coverage, because back then Senator McCarthy's views, as well as his tactics, were loathed by the mainstream media members. This time, while many mainstream media members may be uncomfortable with Moveon's tactics, they sympathise with their views, so they won't make too much of an effort to discredit them.

George Will, long a skeptic of the Iraq War, is skeptical of any reported progress in that war, not because he doubts General Petraeus' honesty or patriotism, but because he believes the military does not have an achievable mission in Iraq.

What motivates Osama bin Laden and his followers? Despite all the rhetoric that seems to indicate his war against us is driven by our policies, here is an argument by a German that says Osama's ideology has direct links to the Nazis and is rooted in Jew-hatred.

I will be filling in for Steve Leveille tonight on WBZ-Boston. The show airs from Midnight to 5 AM (so, actually, I am on the air on Monday morning). Among the topics up for consideration:

Is "driving while Black" a real phenomenon, and are police departments in Massachusetts trying to avoid the issue?

Should we get out of Iraq? Is the "surge" working? Do you want to win, or get out? More on the issue here.

Do you trust the electoral system? Congress is looking, again, at changing the system, this time requiring a paper trail.

Should private businessmen be allowed to trap or kill coyotes in Massachusetts?

As we approach the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it is time again to consider whether we are winning or losing the "war on terror".

Some other interesting articles include this one about the backlash against immigrants in Switzerland, David Ignatius writes about whether or not the Democrats can get to "yes" on and Iraq War compromise, and David Broder writes about the McCain surge in New Hampshire.

Is a recession on the way? The New York Times puts this article on the front-page which brings the "R" word back into the conversation.

The asteroid that struck the Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs was probably a fragment from an asteroid that was broken apart by a collision with another asteroid.

Here is one observer who doesn't think the declining birthrates in advanced countries is something to worry about.

At least one Brit thinks his country has gone too far with its restrictive gun control laws.

Fred Kagan thinks the Iraq War strategies that might garner a consensus in Washington almost certainly won't work on the battlefield.

John McCain, surging in New Hampshire, at least in one man's opinion. If New Hampshire conservatives find Mitt Romney or Fred Thompson don't fit the bill, then McCain still has a chance.

Apparently, the Islamists didn't get the memo that they should confine their activities to fighting the American occupation of Iraq. So at least some were plotting to blow up Americans in Germany, a plot which was foiled by German police.

In case you forgot, Bill Clinton committed America to a war, without UN authorization, to protect Kosovo Albanians from displacement and possible genocide by Serbian nationalists and the Serb armed forces, then under the control of Slobodan Milosevic (who died before he could be found guilty by an international tribunal). Since then, the UN has been in charge in Kosovo, and their has been some talk of independence for the Kosovars. It seems the Serbs, despite the fact that they are no longer ruled by Milosevic, still don't want to see that happen. Some are now threatening to use force to prevent it from happening. What would Bill Clinton do?

Democrats in Congress are talking compromise (which will, no doubt, infuriate their anti-war base) with their Republican colleagues on the issue of Iraq, even as a new report casts doubt on the ability of the Iraqi Army to stand up to the many challenges that face it. Some experts are also calling into question the statistics being used to measure progress in Iraq. Meanwhile, that country's Prime Minister journeys to see its most influential cleric.

New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner gets a nice piece in the New York Times.

Fred Thompson is finally in. But, he decided to skip a debate here in New Hampshire. John McCain gets the most positive reviews, at least in this article and this one from the Weekly Standard. I did not get a chance to see the debate, but I am not surprised that McCain is vigorously supporting the surge and attempting to slap down anyone who seems to be wishy-washy on the issue (see Mitt Romney). Those things that irritated the GOP base about McCain, including his stands on immigration and campaign finance reform, are fading into the background. Meanwhile, his hard and steadfast position on the Iraq War and his status as a genuine war hero are beginning to make a comeback. Can it carry him all the way back? Time will tell.

Frederick W. Kagan says we are winning the battle against al Qaeda in Iraq. Ralph Peters, just back from there, also is optimistic. It's too bad we are losing the battle in Washington.

Andrew C. McCarthy says you should read Michael Ledeen's new book to fully understand the Iranian menace.

Is anti-Americanism on the way out in Europe? While that may be true, it is also true that anti-Semitism is on the rise.

Bob Novak detects despair inside GOP ranks.