Heh:

KBR has kept the company [Halliburton], once led by Vice President Dick Cheney, under lawmakers’ microscope for its work in Iraq since a U.S.-led coalition invaded the country three years ago.
Halliburton’s Iraq-related work contributed nearly $1.2 billion in revenue in the third quarter and $45 million of operating income, a performance that pleased analysts.
“Iraq was better than expected,” said Jeff Tillery, an analyst with Pickering Energy Partners Inc. “Overall, there is nothing really to question or be skeptical about. I think the results are very good.”

Nice that someone is doing better than expected in Iraq. Too bad the same can’t be said for American troops.

A visual breakdown of content at “the most trusted name in news'” website.
A commenter points out that the international version actually contains news. Apparently the American version of the site is now being run primarily for entertainment purposes.

With talk of the Democrats potentially picking up control of Congress, many people have been asking if we are about to experience a watershed election, like 1994. Chuck Todd offers five similarities and five differences between 2006 and 1994.
It’s an interesting analysis, though I did laugh out loud at this line: “Voters are taking their political decisions very seriously, and that means there could be hesitation toward change.” Yes, one only need watch a few of the intellectual campaign commercials this season to realize we have entered the new age of the “serious” voter. Heh.
I don’t have a firm expectation on what we’ll see November 7. Many Democratic-leaning blogs are making a big deal out of yesterday’s NBC/WSJ poll, which has Congressional approval at the lowest level since 1992. I don’t take much from this for two reasons:
(1) generic ballot polls are pretty worthless. People only vote in their local race, not a national one. And, in most cases, they end up voting for their incumbent even if they disapprove of Congress at large.
(2) I’m suspect of polling in general. What kind of turnout will we have November 7? Is the general population more interested in this election than a typical mid-term? Are religious rightists sufficiently turned off that they will stay home this year? No one really knows. And thus the sampling methodology is largely guesswork.
If I had to bet today what will happen, I’d predict that the Democrats will win a narrow majority in the House, and pick up three or four seats in the Senate. Of course if I was good at making predictions, I’d be much richer than I am today, so that’s not worth much.
Interestingly, in recent years the Senate has been more of the bell weather in shakeup elections, i.e., it’s the chamber more likely to change hands. Odds seem against Democrats picking up the Senate without the House, but history says it’s possible.

A Republican running for Oklahoma state educational superintendent has a nifty school safety platform: arm students with old textbooks to protect them against school shootings. [Video included.]
Yes, it really is that stupid:

Bill Crozier, a Union City Republican going against incumbent Democrat Sandy Garrett, said he believes old textbooks could be used to stop bullets shot from weapons wielded by school intruders.
If elected, he said he would put thick used textbooks under every desk for students to use in self-defense.

If only the Secret Service had thought of this idea years ago. We should have had the president riding around in a bookmobile for protection.

Keith Olbermann and Jonathan Turley discuss the
suspension of Habeas Corpus. The entire segment is worth your time. In particular, Turley made a salient point:

People have no idea how significant this is. Really a time of shame this is for the American system.–The strange thing is that we have become sort of constitutional couch potatoes. The Congress just gave the President despotic powers and you could hear the yawn across the country as people turned to Dancing With the Stars. It’s otherworldly..People clearly don’t realize what a fundamental change it is about who we are as a country. What happened today changed us. And I’m not too sure we’re gonna change back anytime soon.

Indeed, one only need flip over to “the most trusted name in news” the same night to see his point. CNN devoted about two hours of prime time programming to the mind of John Mark Karr and whether or not Hillary Clinton is named for the climber.
Yesterday, Senator Russ Feingold rightly described the signing of the Military Commissions Act as “a stain on our nation’s history.” And sadly, pathetically, most Americans weren’t even paying attention.