I spent 23 years in the CIA. I drafted or was involved in many of the government's most senior assessments of the threats facing our country. I have devoted years to understanding and combating the jihadist threat. 

We rightly honor as heroes those who serve our nation and offer their lives to protect ours. We all 'support the troops.' Yet the first step for any commander is to understand the enemy.

Iran has condemned US presidential candidate John McCain for his remark that one way of killing Iranians was to export cigarettes to Iran, the official news agency IRNA reports. 

Iran Condemns McCain Over Ciggy Remarks

The word began spreading across Wall Street trading desks on Monday morning: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the giant companies at the heart of the nation’s housing market, might be in trouble. 

Tony Abbott today pointed to the premiere of the ABC's The Hollowmen as an indication of how the Rudd Government has performed in its first year in office. 

Mr Abbott was sentimental about the Howard legacy and quoted Margaret Thatcher as he spoke of his plans for a new book, to be released next year under the working title Conservatism After Howard, outlining his ideas for what he calls 'evolutionary conservatism'.

from the SMH …..

Paul Borg and Barry Oakley (Letters, July 8) are worried about the various reactions to World Youth Day. The Prime Minister wants us to show respect to the Pope.  

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has confirmed that he will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on 8 August. 

He was speaking after meeting Chinese President Hu Jintao at the G8 summit. 

There had been speculation that the French President would stay away in protest over Chinese actions in Tibet. 

At first sight, the G8 agreement on climate change promises much. 

Leaders are 'committed to avoiding the most serious consequences of climate change', and determined to stabilise greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at levels that would avoid 'dangerous climate change'. 

The Catholic Church's most senior figure in Australia, Cardinal George Pell, has conceded a letter he wrote to a man who had been sexually assaulted by a priest was a mistake but has defended his overall handling of the case. 

The Editor,

Sydney Morning Herald.                                                                   July 8, 2008.  

‘Pell accused of sex abuse cover-up’, Herald, July 8.  

New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma has accused the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) of trying to blackmail the State Government by calling a strike during World Youth Day (WYD). 

The rail union says it is planning to stop work for 24 hours on Thursday next week, when Pope Benedict has several events planned in the CBD. 

After fights over rising costs and falling pilgrim estimates, government and church both need World Youth Day to be a hit, writes Linda Morris. 

In the autumn of 2003, a high-ranking Vatican official visited Sydney for a week. He was Cardinal James Stafford, a member of John Paul II's inner circle and a mate of the Sydney Archbishop, Cardinal George Pell.

The sex industry is expected to be blessed with an increase in customers thanks to the most unlikely of sources - World Youth Day. 

US President George W Bush will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, the White House says. 

Spokeswoman Dana Perino said Mr Bush will also visit South Korea and Thailand as part of the trip. 

After Senator Barack Obama said Thursday that he might “refine” his Iraq policies after meeting with military commanders there later this summer, he hastily held a second news conference to emphasize that he remains committed to his central proposal for withdrawing all combat troops from Iraq within 16 months of taking office. 

As these anecdotes illustrate, Downer never learnt the lesson of his tenure as a failed leader of the opposition. His leadership of the Liberal Party was already in strife but it was his ill-judged joke about domestic violence - "the things that batter," Downer chortled - that brought his term to a rapid end.