Been fighting it all week. I’m losing. While I hack up a lung and dig up that hot toddy recipe someone e-mailed last year, here are a few good reads this morning:

- Alexandra at All Things Beautiful on retreating Dems: “The D stands for defeat.” When you’re done reading that post, keep scrolling down. I love this blog.

- John Hinderaker coins a new term: “Defeatocrats.” It fits. (Update: Whoops. I think the neologism is a Mark Steyn original. Should have guessed!) Ed Morrissey weighs in on the White Flag Dems.

- Big Lizards analyzes Iran and the Guillotine Gambit.

- John Hawkins at Right Wing News looks at a silly CNN poll. Bias, what bias?

- Stephen Bainbridge looks at the rotten fruits of socialized medicine.

- Paul at Wizbang follows up on the New Orleans levee disaster: Man-made.

- A newspaper raises holiday charity funds…for a child molester.

- Download the latest podcast from the crew at IMAO, then keep scrolling for funny.

- Brian Maloney’s on Al Franken’s trail over at Radio Equalizer.

- Mike Fumento has some insights about John Siegenthaler.