That had the effect of taking Shiite militias that had mostly been fighting passively on the war defending their own population centers and bringing them into the war en masse and on the offensive in ways that al-Qaeda hoped would create enough chaos in Iraq to force the Americans out.

NPR: Evaluating The Surge In Iraq

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Europe today defending US conduct in the war on terror.

NPR: Rice Defends U.S. Policy During Stop in Germany

He worked harder than anyone I'd ever met, spending fourteen hours a day defending Haitian refugees and Muslim political detainees and the victims of war and empire.

NPR: Excerpt: 'Take This Bread'

Unlike the PAN, whose leaders seem obsessed with causes and crusades -- for Fox, defending Mexican immigrants in the United States, and for Calderon, the drug war -- the PRI kept the trains running on time.

CNN: To-do list for Obama and Mexico's new president

Talk about projecting strength, defending allies, thinking the U.S. can shape the World, and letting Israel drag us into another war sounds great on the campaign trail, but is not useful in dealing with vast historic multinational problems.

FORBES: The Arab Spring -- Energy And The Road To Democracy?