The commission says that by providing long-term guidance to federal, state, and local government officials, an improved homeland security strategy can help create a "new normalcy" that acknowledges the threat of terrorism will not disappear, but still preserves and strengthens civil liberties.

After four years of work, a federal commission on terrorism issued its final report last week. The report was unremarkable except for one recommendation.

Aggressive antiterrorism policies, the report suggested, when combined with increasingly sophisticated surveillance technologies, could have a "chilling effect" on the right to privacy and other fundamental civil liberties. To prevent that from happening, the commission recommended that the White House establish a bipartisan panel to review how constitutional guarantees would be affected by all new laws and regulations aimed at enhancing national security.

Tom Ridge: "Here's how you can help:

1. Take all those items out of your pocket and put them in that tray.

2. Take the computer out of the case.

The White House and Pentagon have characterized the arrest of Saddam Hussein as a major victory in the war on terrorism. But is Iraq really the central battleground in that struggle, or is it diverting our attention while Al Qaeda and its confederates plan for new strikes elsewhere? There's strong evidence that Osama bin Laden is using Iraq the way a magician uses smoke and mirrors.

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Dec. 14 -- President Pervez Musharraf narrowly survived an assassination attempt here tonight when a large bomb detonated on a bridge 30 seconds after his motorcade had crossed.

I recently spent 10 1/2 months in a grave-sized cell in Syria, unsure why I was there, unsure how to get out. Fear paralyzed my wits when I needed them most. I was beaten and I was tortured and I was constantly scared. Every day I worried that I would never be released, that I would disappear into that concrete grave forever.

Unless we begin the long process of partnering with the Arab world, [this will go on forever.]

In 1997, the neo-cons and the paleo-cons made common cause in an alliance of the profoundest type, anchored in philosophical principles, which has helped change our country and the world.

Abroad, the makers of the Reagan Revolution – with the Heritage Foundation as a key node in the network – elevated the status of ideas as weapons in the arsenal of democracy.

As we develop and execute our strategy today in the Global War on Terrorism, there is much to be learned from the Reagan era about the power of ideas.

In the November 24, 2003, Weekly Standard, Stephen F. Hayes summarized and quoted at length a recent, secret Pentagon memo to the Senate Intelligence Committee. The memo laid out -- in 50 bullet points, over 16 pages -- the relationship between Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. Much of the intelligence in the memo was detailed and appeared to be well-sourced and well-corroborated.

The story generated lots of discussion on talk radio and on the Internet, but the establishment media did their best to take a pass. As we went to press, the memo had received nary a mention on the major broadcast networks.

The Pentagon statement [following publication] criticized "news reports" about the memo as "inaccurate." It specified neither any reports nor any alleged errors. In fact, the Pentagon's statement itself contained several mistakes.