I have never been invited to a Hanukah Party until today thanks to Matt Dallek. But Hanukah parties have been on my mind lately because I am hosting a “holiday party” at my home on December 17th, and several of my friends cannot make it because of competing Hanukah soirees.

A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon. — Napoleon Bonaparte Veterans – Use your VA Benefits to Purchase a Home It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press.

Many thanks to everyone for the myriad cold-killing recipes that have been sent to me. I’ve tried quite a few and am happy to report that something, not sure what, is beginning to work. I think it was the mint tea and bourbon.

Wow. I just received email #513 requesting either a transcript, tape or weblink from the conference Al Qaeda 2.0: Transnational Terrorism Since 9/11 which Peter Bergen, Karen Greenberg and I produced on Thursday for the New America Foundation and NYU Center on Law & Security.

Yesterday in the Russell Senate Office Building where we were holding the Al Qaeda 2.0 Conference, Howard Dean walked by and looked slightly interested in the proceedings before running into a meeting room that didn’t seem to belong to any particular Senator or Committee.

Folks, the Al Qaeda 2.0 Conference discussed below went superbly, but I am exhausted and am coming down off of all the Robitussin, Cepacol, Motrin, Advil, and Tyleno Flu pills I survived on most of the day.

But we are way oversubscribed! Always a good problem. I just sent the note below to the email list for the New America Foundation and wanted readers of TWN to see this as well.

My cold is still in full swing, but I am doing a one-hour long radio interview talk show today on “Your Call with Farai Chideya,” KALW 91.7 FM in San Francisco. The subject is the falling dollar and what that means for you (and me).

Walter Russell Mead calls them Jacksonian Americans. Anatol Lieven calls them pugnacious nationalists. I call them “Fuck Yeah Americans.” If you missed Team America: World Police, you need to watch this music video.

Folks will have to bear with me today. I have a rotten head cold, and my temperament is set on the “difficult curmudgeon” setting this morning — sort of like William Safire on most days. There is so much that can be said about William Safire, and many in the progressive community are saying them….