Great read on the recent progress in Iraq. You can’t argue with the basic facts — a lot less people are dying:

In order to avoid embarrassing themselves, the war’s opponents in the press and politics will have to make a tactical adjustment of their own. Look for them in the coming weeks to try to shift the debate to the one area where Iraq has not progressed dramatically since the start of the surge–its stumble-prone central government.

If they are allowed to do this, then the American people will miss the real miracle that has occurred in Iraq over the last several months. Peace is breaking out through Iraq and the sectarian violence declining because that is the demand of the Iraqi people. Iraqi society has tired of bloodshed, and has opted for tolerance. It is the most amazing and inspiring story of the admittedly still-young 21st century. And yet few in the media have deigned to tell it, and many in our body politic refuse to hear it.

From the under-rated film, “Quick Change,” starring Bill Murray, Randy Quaid and Geena Davis. One of the funniest scenes in movie history.

Regarding the latest Halloween fashions:

Gabby Cirenza wanted to be a referee for Halloween. The outfit she liked had a micro-mini black skirt and a form-fitting black and white-striped spandex top held together with black laces running up the flesh-exposing sides. She looked admiringly at the thigh-high black go-go boots that could be bought as an accessory. And she thought the little bunny on the chest was cute.

“Absolutely not,” said her mother, Cheryl. “That is so not happening.”

Gabby is 11.

And the Playboy Racy Referee costume was only the latest that her mother had vetoed one pre-Halloween-crazed afternoon at Party City in Baileys Crossroads as too skimpy, too revealing, too suggestive .

Bawdy Halloween costumes, however, have become the season’s hottest sellers in recent years. Not just for women, but for girls, too. And parents such as Cirenza don’t like it.

Gabby eyed the Sexy Super Girl but decided against it. A friend at her Catholic school had worn that costume for a Halloween parade and pulled the already short miniskirt way up to cover her tummy. “That didn’t look very good.” But Gabby did like the Aqua Fairy, a vampy get-up with a black ripped-up skirt, black fishnet tights and blue bustier that comes in medium, large and preteen. A medium fits a child of 8.

No.

How about the Funky Punk Pirate Pre-Teen, with an off-the-shoulder blouse and bare midriff?

Yes. A disturbing trend.

Hey look. It’s the 1903 NY Times article announcing Pulitzer’s $2 million gift to Columbia University to create the journalism program.

Stephen Colbert announcing his run for president in South Carolina. His speech wouldn’t raise an eyebrow if delivered by a real politician. He truly does the country a favor by pointing out the utter inanity of our political system.

Incredibly shoddy journalism from Fox News.

So, FEMA holds a press conference, but they’re fielding questions from their own PR people.

Very smooth, very professional. But something didn’t seem right. The reporters were lobbing too many softballs. No one asked about trailers with formaldehyde for those made homeless by the fires. And the media seemed to be giving Johnson all day to wax on and on about FEMA’s greatness.

Of course, that could be because the questions were asked by FEMA staffers playing reporters. We’re told the questions were asked by Cindy Taylor, FEMA’s deputy director of external affairs, and by “Mike” Widomski, the deputy director of public affairs. Director of External Affairs John “Pat” Philbin asked a question, and another came, we understand, from someone who sounds like press aide Ali Kirin.

Asked about this, Widomski said: “We had been getting mobbed with phone calls from reporters, and this was thrown together at the last minute.”

But the staff did not make up the questions, he said, and Johnson did not know what was going to be asked. “We pulled questions from those we had been getting from reporters earlier in the day.” Despite the very short notice, “we were expecting the press to come,” he said, but they didn’t. So the staff played reporters for what on TV looked just like the real thing.

Incredible.

Apparently, there’s quite a movement afoot regarding the “truth” behind Sept. 11. Here’s Bill Clinton responding to one of these conspiracy theorists. Here’s his best quote:

An inside job? How dare you. How dare you. It was not an inside job. You guys have got to be careful, you’re going to give Minnesota a bad reputation.

Rather shoddy journalism from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution today:

Amid allegations that the White House censored CDC Director Julie Gerberding’s written testimony on climate change, a U.S. senator Wednesday called for the release of documents detailing how and why changes were made.

U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, sent a letter to President Bush seeking all drafts of the written testimony for comparison with what Gerberding presented at a committee hearing Tuesday.

Boxer also asked the White House to disclose which officials were involved in reviewing her statement and what led to the deletion of nearly seven pages about the health consequences of climate change.

“I am deeply concerned that important scientific and health information was removed from the CDC Director’s testimony at the last minute,” Boxer said in the letter.

Ten paragraphs into the article, we hear from the CDC Director herself:

Gerberding said Wednesday she was happy with her testimony and that the review process was normal. In a lunch-hour speech before the Atlanta Press Club, Gerberding said she made all the points to Congress that she wanted to make.

“This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Gerberding said of the furor. “I don’t let people put words in my mouth. I spoke the truth to Congress.”

The testimony went through many versions, perhaps as many as 40, Gerberding said. “This was not an issue of someone trying to cover up a connection between climate change and health,” she said.

Many White House administrations have reviewed Congressional testimony of government agency chiefs in the past — it’s just part of the process.

So, who other than a constant critic of the administration, also had a problem with the White House editing of the CDC director’s comments?

The Union of Concerned Scientists:

To the Union of Concerned Scientists, it appears Gerberding was censored. “At first blush this is consistent with what we’ve seen throughout the Bush administration on climate change,” said Michael Halpern, outreach coordinator of the group’s Scientific Integrity Program.

The reporter doesn’t attempt to identify “The Union of Concerned Scientists.” Despite its egalitarian name, the group is actually a liberal advocacy organization, according to the policy proposals on its Web site.

With all these facts, this issue looks like a typical partisan attack of dubious news value. Too bad the editors chose to make it the top story on page one.