I returned from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and am pleased to report that former leftist David Horowitz delivered a dynamite talk. From the podium, in front of thousands and to strong applause, he called on the organizers of CPAC to clean the ranks of collaborators with radical Islam. This is something that had to be said. Horowitz has true courage. I am proud to call him a friend and ally.

It was 18 days of sometimes violent demonstrations that forced the man who ruled Egypt for nearly 30 years to step down. Friday was the day the demonstrators had been awaiting. The announcement of Mr. Mubarak’s resignation drew an immediate roar of cheers and honking automobile horns throughout Cairo that went on for hours.

The announcement came from Vice President Omar Suleiman on state television.

He said Mr. Mubarak was stepping down and had asked the military to take control of the country. He ended his statement with the words “May God help everyone.”

Thailand and Cambodia plan to present their positions next week to the United Nations Security Council over recent fighting on their border.

A ceasefire held Friday along the Cambodian-Thai border, though the armies of both governments remain on alert.

Latest fight

A week ago, fighting erupted near a 900-year-old Hindu Khmer temple on the border. Several died before fighting halted Tuesday, and thousands on both sides were forced to flee their homes.

Tunisia's Senate has followed the lead of the lower house of parliament and adopted a measure giving interim President Fouad Mebazaa temporary powers to rule by decree.

Wednesday, the Senate unanimously passed the measure, which is part of an effort to help restore order following the January ouster of then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali by popular revolt.

The French news agency, AFP, quotes interim Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi as saying the caretaker government is facing social pressure because of the demands of citizens seeking economic improvements.

Members of Jordan's major Bedouin tribes have added their voices to opposition demands for urgent political reforms, warning King Abdullah that he risks a popular revolt unless such reforms are carried out.

In a letter to the Jordanian monarch published Monday, 36 tribesmen called for changes to an electoral law that critics say allows the king's loyalists to dominate the parliament. The tribesmen also demanded the formation of a new government to oversee a transparent parliamentary election based on the revised rules.

Thai say they have resumed discussions with Cambodia to try to establish a ceasefire in a disputed border area. Military clashes over the weekend left at least seven people dead and sent thousands of villagers fleeing the area.
Thai and Cambodian authorities say there has been no new fighting in their disputed border area for more than a day after four days of heavy shooting.

Thai officials in Si Sa Ket province say the two sides also resumed talks and have agreed to stop the fighting.

Colonel Chinnakaj Rattanajitti is a Thai military spokesman for the area.

Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov is vowing to carry out more terrorist attacks on Russia, and says Moscow faces "a year of blood and tears" if it does not relinquish control of the largely-Muslim North Caucasus.

A senior official of the Zimbabwe Republic Police has threatened to crush any Egyptian-style protests by the Movement for Democratic Change formation led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, further stressing the power-sharing government.

Senior Assistant Commissioner Clement Munoriyarwa, in charge of the province of Harare, told the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation that Egyptian-style mass protests would not be tolerated.

Hmong Americans, family, friends and allies of General Vang Pao:

Let's not have any illusions or amnesia about the ultimate betrayal of General Vang Pao and the Hmong people. For the facts are clear and any denial of these facts simply reveals the twisted reality some General Vang Pao supporters continue to live and believe in.

First, it is obvious that the editor of Soldiers of Fortune, the author of the above blog, was never an Obama fan. In fact, he voted for George W. Bush, and in the recent election, John McCain and Sarah Palin.