A lie gets halfway round the world before truth has time to put its trousers on. So said Cordell Hull, Franklin Roosevelt's distinguished secretary of state, but his complaint today is more than a bit behind the times, given the explosion of information on the Internet and 24-7 cable TV. Lies travel faster than truth because truth is more complicated. Today, however, a simple lie is more lethal than ever because the imagery that accompanies it is so quickly absorbed by the mind. What we see on TV seems so real-"But I saw it with my own eyes!"-that false perceptions often become impossible to correct. We used to say power comes from the barrel of a gun. Now it comes from the lens of the video camera.
Here we celebrate excellence. We bask in the radiance of America's Best Leaders, learning from their inspiring examples. Kudos to these men and women who change the world by leading with honor. They make us proud.
Pediatrician Donald Berwick left the bedside years ago, but he still cares very much for patients. For 15 years, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, which he cofounded, has been a Johnny Appleseed for health change, roaming the nation to plant ideas that cut hospital deaths and complications. While IHI didn't invent most of these ideas, Berwick has become perhaps their most visible promoter. The most grandiose idea, which Berwick announced in late 2004, envisioned saving at least 100,000 lives over the following 18 months if enough hospitals agreed to employ a few low-cost measures such as raising the head of the beds of patients on ventilators to prevent pneumonia. Sure enough, when the final numbers were crunched, the campaign had saved an estimated 122,000 lives. Berwick talked with Avery Comarow, who directs U.S. News's "America's Best Hospitals" rankings, about making healthcare better and safer and how he found himself helping to lead the charge.
AP - Militants targeted police recruits and shoppers rounding up last-minute sweets and delicacies Sunday for a feast to mark the end of the Ramadan holy month, the highlight of the Muslim year. At least 44 Iraqis were reported killed across the country.
AP - The White House is bracing for guerrilla warfare on the homefront politically if Republicans lose control of the House, the Senate or both — and with it, the president's ability to shape and dominate the national agenda.
Gunmen attacked two busloads of unarmed Iraqi police recruits in Baquba on their way to Baghdad to celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Some of the recruits were killed and bombs left next to their bodies to kill rescuers. The attack is one of many that has made October the deadliest month this year for U.S. troops fighting in Iraq.
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