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Vying for the title of Most Manly

From The New York Observer, Mr. World War IV neocon patriarch Norman Podhoretz sells Rudy on Islamofascism and Thirty Years' War. From TNR, John Judis on the childhood roots of Giuliani's strange views of liberty; and Jonathan Chait on Giuliani's bizarrely punitive far-right economic beliefs. Rudy a lefty? Yeah, right: Who you callin' a moderate? Many of the men who hope to be the next president have made unreasoning, unjustified terror the centerpiece of their campaigns. Which Republican candidate is mas macho? In Iowa, McCain, Thompson and Giuliani vie for the title of Most Manly, in styles that range from low-key to aw-shucks to making glib jokes about torture. The art of the hissy fit: How the hypocritical conservatives use ritual humiliation techniques to keep the Democrats walking on eggshells. In praise of partisanship: If Democrats in Congress want to prevail, they need to stop appealing to Republicans and start fighting more aggressively. Early signs point to Democratic wins in Ohio's 2008 congressional races, with blue candidates out ahead in polling and in fundraising. Even party stalwarts acknowledge that tough times are ahead for Republicans in the state. Remembering Paul Wellstone: Five years ago we lost a politician who fearlessly stood up for the best of progressive ideals. That his positions are now coming into widespread acceptance is a testament of the courage of a man who spoke out for what was true.