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 …

Can Democrats Play This Game?  —  Russ Feingold tossed a political grenade at President Bush this week, but it fell into the middle of the Senate Democratic Caucus.  Many Democratic senators ran away.  —  The grenade was the Wisconsin senator's proposal to censure the president for violating …

U.S. Begins Big Assault in Iraq; New Parliament Convenes  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 16 — The American military announced today that it had begun its largest air assault since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, while Iraqi legislators convened the long-awaited first session of the new Parliament in the capital …

For a crazy idea, it sure has a lot of support  —  When Republicans began criticizing Sen. Russ Feingold's censure resolution, one of their principal talking points was the notion that a formal rebuke for Bush over wireless searches was, well, nuts.  Common descriptions included words like "extreme" and "over the top."

Senate Votes to Raise U.S. Debt Limit to Nearly $9 Trillion  —  WASHINGTON, March 16 — The Senate voted narrowly today to raise the national debt limit to nearly $9 trillion, averting what would have been the first default ever on United States Treasury notes and giving Democrats an opportunity …

Right-Wing Blocks Funding For Port Security, Disaster Preparedness  —  Moments ago, the House of Representatives narrowly defeated an amendment proposed by Rep. Martin Sabo (D-MN) that would have provided $1.25 billion in desperately needed funding for port security and disaster preparedness.

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 …

Airline screeners fail government bomb tests  —  21 airports nationwide don't detect bomb-making materials … WASHINGTON -  —  Lisa Myers  —  Imagine an explosion strong enough to blow a car's trunk apart, caused by a bomb inside a passenger plane.  Government sources tell NBC News …

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.

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 …

GOP Irritation At Bush Was Long Brewing  —  President Bush's troubles with congressional Republicans, which erupted during the backlash to the Dubai seaport deal, are rooted in policy frustrations and personal resentments that GOP lawmakers say stretch back to the opening days of the administration.

Gay-vs.-Muslim Soccer Set in Netherlands  —  A Dutch multicultural group is organizing a soccer tournament between gays and Muslims, hoping to counter what a study published on Thursday said was a rising tide of fear among gays.  —  A nationwide survey by the Police Research Academy …

AFA's Wildmon proposed a hypothetical tour of gay bathhouses, repeated misinformation on average gay incomes … On the March 8 edition of the AFA Report, Donald E. Wildmon, founder and chairman of the American Family Association (AFA), responded to the Equality Ride, a seven-week bus tour …

THE FALLACI CODE  —  Oriana Fallaci asks: Is Muslim immigration to Europe a conspiracy?  —  In The Force of Reason, the controversial Italian journalist and novelist Oriana Fallaci illuminates one of the central enigmas of our time.  How did Europe become home to an estimated 20 million Muslims in a mere three decades?

The Cut-and-paste Post  —  I don't know George Clooney's personal publicist and had never spoken to him until Monday when he and George called.  Hollywood is not my beat, but once we had the approval, that's what we ran: George Clooney's words put into blog form.  His statements are in the public domain.

Philly Locals Want Green Bay Packers-Style Ownership For 2 Papers  —  CHICAGO A former high-powered Philadelphia advertising executive has received commitments "well in excess of $100 million" to buy The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News in an ownership structure similar …

2008: The Case Against Rudy Giuliani  —  The Fix made the case for a 2008 presidential run by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) in a posting yesterday.  Today, we make the case against a Hizzoner '08 campaign.  —  Giuliani has great tough-on-crime credentials.