The Do-Something Congress
Ron Paul
It has not been a good week for the Republic. It took quite a bit of trampling of the Constitution, but the bailout bill passed, as I suspected it would. The bailout failed the first time it was brought to the House. Undaunted, the Senate pressed on by attaching the bailout as an amendment to another House passed bill that was pending in the Senate. The new bailout version had new taxes, so according to the Constitution it should not have originated in the Senate.

The Stakes: The Economy
Jon Kyl
In a recent column, I discussed the economic emergency facing the nation and expressed the urgency of the response required by the federal government. This week I’d like to discuss the legislation Congress approved to address the crisis. Many have been led by the media to believe that the bill was a "bailout" of Wall Street.

The Kremlin Perfects "Divide And Conquer"
Mikhail Sokolov
It's time the Russian word "razvodka" entered the global lexicon, just as the words sputnik and pogrom have before it. The regime of Vladimir Putin has made the tactic of razvodka -- creating divisions and setting partners to squabbling with one another -- a universal approach both in foreign and domestic affairs. The Kremlin promises some Europeans preferences and others sanctions.

Requiem For Russia’s Middle Class?
Riding the train from Moscow to his native St. Petersburg, Aleksandr Zvyagin ponders the future of his business as the world's financial system spirals deeper into crisis -- and its aftershocks ripple across Russia. Zvyagin has built a profitable company, Slip Ltd., which constructs custom-made yachts for the super rich. Business is still good, for now at least.

Tbilisi Must Build Closer Relationship With EU, Former Georgian Envoy Says
European Union monitors in Georgia say they have observed the dismantling of a Russian checkpoint near South Ossetia in the "first open sign" of a promised Russian troop pullback by October 10. Ahead of that deadline, David Kakabadze, director of RFE/RL's Georgian Service, spoke with Denis Corboy, a former EU ambassador to Tbilisi, about the "great challenge" facing Georgia, the failures of Western diplomacy regarding Russia, and why the war was a wakeup call for the EU.

Economic Rescue
George W. Bush
This week, Congress passed a bipartisan rescue package to address the instability in America's financial system. This was a difficult vote for many members of the House and Senate, but voting for it was the right choice for America's economy and for taxpayers like you. I appreciate their efforts to help stop the crisis in our financial markets from spreading to our entire economy.

Ahmadinejad Unleashes Another Anti-Semitic Tirade
The media monitoring group MEMRI is reporting that Iranian President Ahmadinejad issued yet another genocidal tirade against Israel in recent days, calling Israel and its friends "germs of corruption" that must be wiped out. "The Zionists are crooks. A small handful of Zionists, with a very intricate organization, have taken over the power centers of the world."

Hizbullah: We Will "Soon Liberate" Ghajar, Shaba Farms
According to Lebanon’s Daily Star on Friday, Hizbullah has threatened it will "soon liberate" the disputed Shaba Farms area and the divided village of Ghajar nearby. While speaking to supporters in the border town of Abbasieh, Hizbullah leader in southern Lebanon, Sheikh Nabil Qaouk, said diplomacy has been a failure and that force is the only means of getting back control of the areas.

Israel Opposes Syria on UN Nuclear Board
Israel will be closely monitoring the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna on whether the UN nuclear monitoring agency will allow Syria to join its Board of Governors. According to recent reports, Syria is lobbying to join the board as the representative of the Middle East and South Asia regional group.

Biden, Palin Agree on Supporting Israel in Lively VP Debate
During their much anticipated US vice presidential debate on Thursday, both Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin declared their support for Israel but disagreed over whether the Bush Administration has pursued the right approach to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Despite Petrodollars, Iranians Struggle To Make Ends Meet
Sitting atop the world's second-largest gas and oil reserves, Iran earned an estimated $80 billion in energy sales in the last fiscal year as fuel prices spiked. But that windfall has not reached most of the population, whose living standards have plummeted. Shaya, a print journalist in Tehran, is one of millions of Iranians feeling the pinch.