U.S. and Iranians Agree to Discuss Violence in Iraq  —  TEHRAN, March 16 — Iran and the United States agreed Thursday to hold direct talks on how to halt sectarian violence and restore calm in Iraq, offering the first face-to-face conversation between the sides after months of confrontation over Iran's nuclear program.

Congress Raises Ceiling for Borrowing  —  $100 Billion Is Spent Without Offsetting Cuts  —  Congress raised the limit on the federal government's borrowing by $781 billion yesterday, and then lawmakers voted to spend well over $100 billion on the war in Iraq, hurricane relief, education …

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."

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

Democracy Push by Bush Attracts Doubters in Party  —  Even as it presents an updated national security strategy, the Bush administration is facing fresh doubts from some Republicans who say its emphasis on promoting democracy around the world has come at the expense of protecting other American interests.

Police Memos Say Arrest Tactics Calmed Protest  —  In five internal reports made public yesterday as part of a lawsuit, New York City police commanders candidly discuss how they had successfully used "proactive arrests," covert surveillance and psychological tactics at political demonstrations in 2002 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

KNEE-JERK REACTIONS....I'm on deadline, so don't have time to respond in full to the feverish debate that has been taking place over the past few weeks about religion and politics.  But since my name has been invoked/cursed in many of those conversations, I do want to address the reaction …