Bush makes surprise visit to Afghanistan  —  In first-ever trip to embattled country, president vows to catch bin Laden  —  President Bush meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul on Wednesday.  —  NBC VIDEO … KABUL, Afghanistan - President Bush, on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan …

At War With Ourselves  —  We're winning in Iraq.  Let's not lose at home.  —  Last week the golden dome of the Askariya shrine in Samarra was blown apart.  Sectarian riots followed, and reprisals and deaths ensued.  Thugs and criminals came out of the woodwork to foment further violence.

Shiites Told: Leave Home Or Be Killed  —  Sunnis Force Evictions As Iraq Tensions Grow  —  BAGHDAD, Feb. 28 — Salim Rashid, 34, a Shiite laborer in an overwhelmingly Sunni Arab village 20 miles north of Baghdad, received his eviction notice Friday from a man at the door with a rocket launcher.

Alleged rape victim threatened with jail  —  A Naperville woman who on Tuesday refused a judge's order to view a videotape of her alleged rape could be jailed on a contempt of court charge if she does not change her mind Wednesday, and the judge is considering a request to drop sexual assault charges against the Burr Ridge man on trial.

Anti-Jihad Manifesto Misses the Point  —  Today twelve international authors, most of them (former) Muslims, such as Salman Rushdie and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, but also a couple of "French philosophers," published a manifesto in the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.

Democrats Get Paralysis of Analysis  —  Much is being made about the Zogby poll released today that allegedly shows a mutiny of the military in Iraq.  Nicholas Kristof has a hard time containing his excitement in The New York Times: … Editor & Publisher then jumps on the bandwagon …

The End of Fukuyama  —  Why his latest pronouncements miss the mark.  —  I have a feeling that last week was a disappointing one for Francis Fukuyama, whose essay "After Neoconservatism" (adapted from his upcoming book America at the Crossroads) was awarded seven pages in the Feb. 19 New York Times Magazine.

Recent White House missteps create rift with GOP legislators  —  Tensions between Republican lawmakers and the White House have reached an all-time high, say Republicans on Capitol Hill.  —  President Bush's sagging poll numbers, the administration's handling of the Dubai port deal …

Gonzales Seeks to Clarify Testimony on Spying  —  Extent of Eavesdropping May Go Beyond NSA Work  —  Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales appeared to suggest yesterday that the Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance operations may extend beyond the outlines that the president acknowledged in mid-December.

Howard Dean's Devastating Four-Point Plans  —  In a Tuesday speech before the Annual Conference of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Democratic Party National Chairman Howard Dean criticized the Bush Administration's defense policy, saying, "this is the weakest Administration on defense that we've seen in many, many years."

Former Conyers aides press ethics complaints  —  Two former aides to Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) have alleged that he repeatedly violated House ethics rules.  —  Deanna Maher, a former deputy chief of staff in Conyers's Detroit office, and Sydney Rooks, a former legal counsel in the district office …

Miss. House committee votes to ban most abortions  —  JACKSON, Miss. - A Mississippi House committee voted Tuesday to ban most abortions in the state - an unexpected move that left abortion opponents grappling to stake out a position on a proposal that could prompt a lengthy court battle.

Shays says he intends to vote for Lieberman  —  STAMFORD, Conn. —Republican U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays said Tuesday that he plans to vote this year for Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman and encouraged other GOP officials to endorse the three-term senator.  —  Shays, R-4th District …

al-Qaeda's Foreign Fighters in Iraq  —  The pros & cons of al-Qaeda funneling both novice and experienced jihadis into Iraq  —  In the wake of the destruction of the dome of the Golden Mosque and the ensuing unrest, al-Qaeda in Iraq is hard at work with a suicide bombing campaign designed to increase the sectarian divide within Iraq.

House Republicans could see 10 to 15 more retirements  —  House Republicans have limited most of their retirements to conservatives in solidly red districts and a handful of statewide-office seekers, but political analysts say 10 to 15 more Republicans could announce in the coming months that they are stepping down.

Rack and Ruin  —  The Supreme Court considers Anna Nicole's surprisingly real claims.  —  Listen to this story on NPR's Day to Day.  —  It's difficult to imagine two more different pieces of circuitry: The Supreme Court is hard-wired to suck out the drama from even the most emotionally charged conflicts.

Study: Few Americans Know 1st Amendment  —  CHICAGO - Americans apparently know more about "The Simpsons" than they do about the First Amendment.  —  Only one in four Americans can name more than one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment (freedom of speech, religion, press …

WE ARE ALL BIGOTS NOW  —  Last week, I wrote "They are all profilers now"—mocking Democrats for their expedient embrace of profiling to exploit the ports fiasco.  This week, I'm sick of conservatives playing the race card to attack skeptics of the ports deal.  From my syndicated column today: