I am visiting the beautiful Arizona Biltmore with a bunch of crazy right wing intellectuals at the behest of the indomitable David Horowitz.  Robert Spencer is here along with Daniel Pipes, Steve Emerson and Phyllis Chesler who were all on a panel togeher this morning. 

James Woolsey gave a very disappointing talk at breakfast in which he parsed and teased out every group of Muslims there is and gave little histories of each and how it's a tiny minority Wahabbis and Salafis who are the bad guys and we don't have to worry about "mainstream Islam."  Just when I was to the point of pounding my head on the table in frustration,  Dr. B. (from the UK I might add) came to my rescue and asked the obvious question, "but, Dr. Woolsey, isn't it all just jihad?"  I could have kissed him.  Turns out, he and his father, who is also here, are avid jihadwatch readers.

Of course, later, in Robert's panel, the questions were all very knowledgeable, which leads me to think that we Americans were giving too much deference to Woosley, but in all fairness, he spoke at length about alternative fuels and so the American were sidetracked, but still...I thought it was the Brits who were supposed to be more deferential to the powerful and afraid of stepping on toes...

On another panel, I must say I was a bit disappointed in Ken Timmmerman's insistence that we must stand with the "people of Iran" against the Mullahs.  I think we've done more that enough of that kind of thing in Iraq.  Why does he think it would work in Iran?  As John Derbyshire says, rubble countries make no trouble.  Bomb their cities, smash up their ports, demolish their infrastructure and then DO NOT go back in and rebuild it,  This is not 1946,  We're at the beginning of this war, not the end.

Last night I got to meet the head of the National Rifle Association.  A petit Jewish woman from Tucson named Sandy Froman.  It's quite a contrast from Charlton Heston and the traditional image of the NRA!  I am just so proud that a woman can hold that job.  And it was impressive to the Jewish people here that she is Jewish, too.  I didn't know that until Horowitz said so introducing her.  Very cool.

I also met a very nice man and his wife from Frontpage magazine, Ben  and Terry Johnson.  Ben is a big reason frontpage magazine is so good, wonderfully intelligent and thoughtful.  They flew in from Ohio where it was 25 degrees when they left.  It's in the high 70's here, sunny and beautiful.

Robert is in good spirits and his talk was fantastic., though he keeps calling me "boss."  I don't know why.  He's heading home tomorrow, but I'll be staying to the bitter end and then some.

More to come..