Senior White House Staff May Be Wearing Down  —  Andrew H. Card Jr. wakes at 4:20 in the morning, shows up at the White House an hour or so later, convenes his senior staff at 7:30 and then proceeds to a blur of other meetings that do not let up until long after the sun sets.

At Republican Conference, the Future Is Now  —  MEMPHIS, March 11 — That's funny.  We could have sworn the last presidential campaign just ended.  It couldn't have been, what, more than a year, year and a half ago that George W. Bush was getting re-inaugurated and was so flush with political capital …

Death squads operated from inside Iraqi government, officials say  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Senior Iraqi officials Sunday confirmed for the first time that death squads composed of government employees had operated illegally from inside two government ministries.  —  "The deaths squads …

You've Got Mail (It's From Yale)  —  A university official calls Taliban critics "retarded" while the university maintains a stony silence.  —  The two most dysfunctional management cultures I know of right now are the Bush White House and Yale University.

U.S. Campaign Is Aimed at Iran's Leaders  —  Uneasy About Tehran's Nuclear Plans, Bush Administration Tries to Build Opposition to Theocracy  —  As the dispute over its nuclear program arrives at the U.N. Security Council today, Iran has vaulted to the front of the U.S. national security …

Newspaper Chain Agrees to a Sale for $4.5 Billion  —  Knight Ridder, the second-largest newspaper company in the United States, agreed last night to sell itself for about $4.5 billion in cash and stock to the McClatchy Company, a publisher half its size, according to people involved in the negotiations.

The GOP's Abortion Anxiety  —  The pro-life movement is on a roll.  So why are the Republican Party's top guns suddenly so shy on the subject?  —  March 20, 2006 issue - When South Dakota approved a law sharply restricting abortion last week, many pro-life Republicans around the country sounded a loud hallelujah.

Islamic websites carry al-Qaida's 'last warning'  —  Threat of 2 operations designed to bring Americans 'to your knees'  —  WASHINGTON - Islamic websites yesterday posted a "last warning" warning by Rakan Ben Williams, who describes himself as an "al-Qaida undercover soldier" in the U.S. …

POINTLESS PROGNOSTICATION....'Tis the weekend, apparently, for spouting off about who the eventual GOP nominee will be in 2008.  I usually try to abstain from this things, mostly because: a) I don't know, and b) I don't think anyone else knows.  Still, the idea that "Huckabee, Hagel, Brownback, and Graham" (Graham?

Transcript for March 12  —  MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: What should we do about Iraq?  What should we do about Iran?  And how has the port controversy affected the Bush presidency.  With us: Two men who would like to be the next president of the United States.

Harris to make 'major announcement'  —  Reports of illegal contributions dog Senate candidacy.  —  WASHINGTON — Rep. Katherine Harris fueled already rampant speculation about the status of her campaign for the U.S. Senate when she released a statement Saturday promising a "major announcement" about her future this week.

Dash to Baghdad Left Top U.S. Generals Divided  —  The war was barely a week old when Gen. Tommy R. Franks threatened to fire the Army's field commander.  —  From the first days of the invasion in March 2003, American forces had tangled with fanatical Saddam Fedayeen paramilitary fighters.

Action Steps for the Feingold "Censure Bush" Proposal  —  I have a request: Russ Feingold really stuck his neck out today, and it would be great if he — and every other Senator — knew that we had his back.  It's a gutsy move, not without risk in the polarized environment that is Washington …

A Bush Alarm: Urging U.S. to Shun Isolationism  —  WASHINGTON, March 12 — The president who made pre-emption and going it alone the watchwords of his first term is quietly turning in a new direction, warning at every opportunity of the dangers of turning the nation inward and isolationist …

Bush to defend policies on Iraq  —  President George W Bush renews his push for the hearts and minds of the American people on Monday with the first in a new series of speeches designed to convince a sceptical public that the US has a coherent strategy to win the war in Iraq.

Daschle Considering '08 Presidential Bid  —  ABERDEEN, S.D. - Former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, accusing the GOP of spreading a message of fear, says he is considering a 2008 presidential bid.  —  "I haven't ruled anything out or anything in at this point," Daschle …

CNN RELIABLE SOURCES  —  Has Bush Administration Declared War on Media?  ; San Francisco Reporters Document Bonds' Steroid Use; Interview with Dave Barry  —  THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.  THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.  —  HOWARD KURTZ, HOST (voice over): Tightening the screws.