Largest Iraq Air Assault Since '03 Begins  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — U.S. forces, joined by Iraqi troops, on Thursday launched the largest airborne assault since the U.S.-led invasion, targeting insurgent strongholds north of the capital, the military said.  —  The military said the operation …

Clooney & Huffington's blog of war  —  George Clooney is spitting mad at Arianna Huffington - and the blogosphere is wobbling on its axis.  —  "She said some things that I won't share, but she did tell me that this could be bad for me - bad for my career.  Well, screw you!" …

Cornered rats  —  There is a palpable increase in the level of extremism and desperation among Bush followers as the Commander in Chief's approval ratings fall lower and lower and as the views which Americans have of both him and his party become more hostile.

House OKs birth control funding ban  —  JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri House voted Wednesday to ban state funding of contraceptives for low-income women and to prohibit state-funded programs from referring those women to other programs.  —  Critics jumped on the proposal …

Iran Willing to Talk With U.S. About Iraq  —  TEHRAN, March 16 — A ranking Iranian national security official said Thursday that Iran is willing to engage in direct talks with the United States about the political future of Iraq.  —  In Washington, the White House said it was prepared …

WHAT DID WE KNOW AND WHEN DID WE KNOW IT?  —  Peggy Noonan asks whether conservatives should have known in 2000 that Bush would be a big spender—whether, that is, spending was always integral to compassionate conservatism.  My answer to this question has been a qualified yes.

Lieberman Takes Issue With Lamont's Tone  —  U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman took issue Thursday with the tone of his Democratic opponent's campaign.  —  Ned Lamont formally announced Monday that he will oppose Lieberman for the party's nomination, becoming Lieberman's first Democratic challenger since …

Saddam Hussein maintained pretense of chemical arms to prevent Israeli attack  —  WASHINGTON - Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein pretended to have chemical weapons because, among other reasons, he feared that Israel might attack if it discovered he did not.

IN SADDAM'S ARCHIVES  —  As Scott noted below, the government has finally begun making available a few of the many thousands of documents captured from Iraqi intelligence during and after the 2003 war.  Only a handful are now available on the Foreign Military Studies Office web site …

Scalia Rails Against the 'Judge-Moralist'  —  BOSTON — Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia railed against the era of the "judge-moralist," saying judges are no better qualified than "Joe Sixpack" to decide moral questions such as abortion and gay marriage.

Rep. Harris Pledges Fortune to Revive Senate Race  —  MIAMI, March 15 — Representative Katherine Harris announced late Wednesday that she would not end her flagging campaign for the Senate, saying she would instead invest her $10 million fortune in the race.

Claude Allen's life sentence  —  Did the pressures of being a black conservative take a toll on the former Bush aide?  —  I WAS SHOCKED by the news about Claude A. Allen, the black former White House staffer whose rising star officially flamed out after he was arrested on charges of felony theft last week.

Once same-sex marriage is OK, polygamy's next  —  The Minnesota Legislature is considering proposing a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.  Many opponents claim that definition is antiquated and discriminatory.

Bush Restates Terror Strategy  —  2002 Doctrine of Preemptive War Reaffirmed  —  President Bush issued a new national security strategy today reaffirming his doctrine of preemptive war against terrorists and hostile states with chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, despite the troubled U.S. experience in Iraq.

Once More Unto the Breach  —  The Angry Left takes on a moderate Democrat—and loses.  —  SAN ANTONIO—More than one political venture has met an unseemly end in the hardscrabble landscape of South Texas.  It was here, in 1948, that Box 13 gave Lyndon Johnson a dubious 87-vote primary victory …

Companies Fear Spread of March Madness  —  Web-Broadcast Games Seen as Threat to Productivity, Computer Systems  —  The NCAA men's basketball tournament begins today, and for the first time, every game of the 19-day ritual known as March Madness will be available live — and free — over the Internet.

Senate Bill Would Override State Health Coverage Rules  —  GOP backers see the legislation as a way for insurers to offer more affordable plans.  Critics say it would undermine treatment protections.  —  WASHINGTON — The battle over healthcare moved to a new front Wednesday …