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 …

For Bush's Ex-Aide, Quick Fall After Long Climb  —  WASHINGTON, March 13 — Claude A. Allen often said his religious upbringing took him from a two-room apartment in a poor neighborhood of Washington to a post at the White House.  —  "Probably the vast majority of the kids who grew …

Iraqis Find 85 Bodies in 24-Hour Period  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Police in the past 24 hours have found the bodies of at least 85 people killed by execution-style shootings — a gruesome wave of apparent sectarian reprisal slayings, officials said Tuesday.  —  The dead included at least 27 bodies stacked …

Isaac Hayes Quits 'South Park'  —  NEW YORK - Isaac Hayes has quit "South Park," where he voices Chef, saying he can no longer stomach its take on religion.  —  Hayes, who has played the ladies' man/school cook in the animated Comedy Central satire since 1997, said in a statement Monday that he feels a line has been crossed.

Bush's Approval Ratings Slip In the Latest Harris Poll  —  President Bush's job-approval ratings continue to slip, according to a recent Harris Interactive poll, while job-approval ratings for most of his key cabinet members also remain low.  —  Mr. Bush's current job-approval ratings stand at 36% in March …

No Sympathy for Slobo  —  Let's not forget Milosevic's many crimes.  —  During the siege of Sarajevo or the mass deportations from Kosovo, the news of a sudden stoppage of the heart of Slobodan Milosevic would have occasioned a joyous holiday in many other hearts.

CREW FILES IRS COMPLAINT AGAINST GROVER NORQUIST'S AMERICANS FOR TAX REFORM  —  Washington, DC - Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today filed an Internal Revenue Services (IRS) complaint against Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), and American for Tax Reform Foundation …

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 …

Robertson Finds Radical Muslims 'Satanic'  —  NORFOLK, Va. - Television evangelist Pat Robertson said Monday on his live news-and-talk program "The 700 Club" that Islam is not a religion of peace, and that radical Muslims are "satanic."  —  Robertson's comments came after he watched …

US postwar Iraq strategy a mess, Blair was told  —  Senior British diplomatic and military staff gave Tony Blair explicit warnings three years ago that the US was disastrously mishandling the occupation of Iraq, according to leaked memos.  —  John Sawers, Mr Blair's envoy in Baghdad …

Magazine: Bradlee Knows Woodward's Source on Plame  —  Vanity Fair is reporting that former Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee says it is reasonable to assume former State Department official Richard L. Armitage is likely the source who revealed CIA operative Valerie Plame's name to Post Assistant Managing Editor Bob Woodward.

Drop Out of the College  —  The Electoral College is an antidemocratic relic.  Everyone who remembers 2000 knows that it can lead to the election of the candidate who loses the popular vote as president.  But the Electoral College's other serious flaws are perhaps even more debilitating for a democracy.

We were right to invade Iraq  —  The failures of occupation may be legion, but at least we confronted Saddam at a time of our choosing  —  With the advantage of three years of hindsight, politicians' failed predictions about Iraq make dispiriting reading.  "Any war will cause a refugee crisis …

Colleges Open Minority Aid to All Comers  —  Facing threats of litigation and pressure from Washington, colleges and universities nationwide are opening to white students hundreds of thousands of dollars in fellowships, scholarships and other programs previously created for minorities.

Judge Calls Halt to Penalty Phase of Terror Trial  —  ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 13 — An angry federal judge delayed the sentencing trial of Zacarias Moussaoui on Monday and said she was considering ending the prosecution's bid to have him executed after the disclosure that a government lawyer had improperly coached some witnesses.