Myths of Iraq  —  During a recent visit to Baghdad, I saw an enormous failure.  On the part of our media.  The reality in the streets, day after day, bore little resemblance to the sensational claims of civil war and disaster in the headlines.  —  No one with first-hand experience of Iraq …

Democrats slash Feingold move on censure, as Feingold says party 'cowering'  —  While mainstream media outlets have pounced on the fact that Democrats blocked an effort by one of their own to censure President Bush over his warrantless wiretapping program, RAW STORY has found that Senate Democratic offices are fuming.

Recruiting "top drawer blacks" for the GOP  —  Adele Fergusen  —  Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal  —  Dear Mrs. Fergusen,  —  I think you answered your own question about why black people aren't flocking to the Republican Party.  If, as you point out, slavery was a godsend to them …

Bush delegates most issues, focuses only on Iraq, '06 campaign  —  President Bush has decided to stay out of the lion's share of decisions made by his administration.  —  Sources close to the administration said that over the last year, Mr. Bush has chosen to focus on two issues …

Web Magazine Raises Doubts Over a Symbol of Abu Ghraib  —  The online magazine Salon is challenging the identity of a man profiled by The New York Times in a front-page article on Saturday who says he is the iconic hooded figure in a published photograph who was abused by Americans at Abu Ghraib prison in 2003 and 2004.

On Religion and Politics  —  Since I'm now getting angry emails about things I've never even said let's clear a few things up.  —  I'm not hostile to religion.  I don't much care about religion.  I'm not much interested in it.  This isn't strange.  Most people aren't much interested in religion other than their own, if that.

Mike Wallace Retiring From '60 Minutes'  —  When asked in an interview last April if he would ever consider retiring from "60 Minutes," Mike Wallace said that he planned to do so only "when my toes turn up."  —  "Well," Mr. Wallace said, amending that statement in an interview today, "they're just beginning to curl a trifle."

Jail siege ends as PFLP chief Sa'adat, 5 others surrender  —  A tense, gunfire-punctuated nine-hour IDF siege of a Jericho prison complex ended after dark on Tuesday with the abrupt surrender of Ahmed Sa'adat and five other militants.  —  Sa'adat, leader of the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine …

Study Links Ambien Use to Unconscious Food Forays  —  The sleeping pill Ambien seems to unlock a primitive desire to eat in some patients, according to emerging medical case studies that describe how the drug's users sometimes sleepwalk into their kitchens, claw through their refrigerators …

Tehran elite turning on extremist presidency  —  TEHRAN — Iran's clerical and business establishments, deeply concerned by what they see as reckless spending and needlessly aggressive foreign policies, are increasingly turning against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

YOUR INNER WARRIOR: SUITING UP FOR BATTLE  —  Lust stalks you like a beast, attacking at every opportunity, attempting to poison your life with its self-centered cravings.  It's a teen guy's No. 1 battle.  Guys who are victorious have learned to face present and future temptations head-on.

Federal aid programs expand at record rate  —  A sweeping expansion of social programs since 2000 has sparked a record increase in the number of Americans receiving federal government benefits such as college aid, food stamps and health care.  —  A USA TODAY analysis of 25 major government programs found …

New Panel to Investigate Iraq War Policy  —  WASHINGTON - Ten prominent Americans, including former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, are forming a bipartisan group to assess the Bush administration's policies in Iraq and political and economic developments in the troubled country.

Elevating Elephants  —  For the 2006 midterm elections, Republicans should propose an idea so big that it stretches to the stars.  Republicans should commit the government to building a space elevator by 2020.  —  A space elevator would essentially be a 62,000-mile cable stretching from the earth's surface out into space.

WHEN HAWKS RUN  —  March 14, 2006 — CAN the War on Terror be won?  America's inability to secure a victory in Iraq against the insurgency suggests to many people of good will and good sense that it really can't be.  They believe the enemies of the United States are motivated by a force …