GOP Struggles To Define Its Message for 2006 Elections  —  Republican efforts to craft a policy and political agenda to carry the party into the midterm elections have stumbled repeatedly as GOP leaders face widespread disaffection and disagreement within the ranks.

Deaths fall for U.S., rise for Iraqis  —  BAGHDAD — U.S. military deaths during the past month have dropped to an average of about one a day, approaching the lowest level since the insurgency began two years ago, according to a USA TODAY analysis of U.S. military data.

How to spot a baby conservative  —  Remember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints?  Chances are he grew up to be a conservative.  —  At least, he did if he was one of 95 kids …

The third anniversary...sacrifice, fear and hope.  —  It has been three years since 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' began and for three years we debated whether the decision was right or wrong and until this moment we have different feelings and opinions about where this operation brought us and where its aftermaths are going to lead us.

David Duke Claims to Be Vindicated By a Harvard Dean  —  A paper recently co-authored by the academic dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government about the allegedly far-reaching influence of an "Israel lobby" is winning praise from white supremacist David Duke.

EU denounces Lukashenko's poll victory  —  By Neil Buckley and Stefan Wagstyl in Minsk and Daniel Dombey in Brussels  —  Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus' authoritarian president, declared on Monday that foreign-backed attempts to overthrow him had failed, claiming a crushing victory in elections …

Global Warming is a Terrible Danger for Humanity  —  James Hansen is the country's premier Global Climate change scientist.  Since the 1970s he has been at the forefront of the studying global climate change and has provided his expert opinion to every administration since then.

LET'S FINISH IT AND WIN  —  I think Ann Althouse has the answer to why Bush's low poll numbers don't translate to anything particularly positive for the Democrats: … As most of my readers are aware, I am a staunch supporter of the Iraq war.  If I have any dissatisfaction at all it is precisely …

Plight Deepens for Black Men, Studies Warn  —  BALTIMORE — Black men in the United States face a far more dire situation than is portrayed by common employment and education statistics, a flurry of new scholarly studies warn, and it has worsened in recent years even as an economic boom …

Iraq Update  —  The Iraq operation follows a sadly predictable pattern.  We endure months of non-stop negative press caused by one thing and one thing only: horrible fascist murderers set off bombs in a few of Iraq's provinces, and some street thugs murder each other in reprisal.

The Lebanese Example  —  March 19, 2006: With American troops moving out of the urban areas, there are fewer U.S. convoys for roadside bombs to attack.  It's Iraqi convoys rolling through populated areas now, and, although there are far fewer IEDs going off, they are increasingly hitting Iraqi troops.

Spinning Operation Swarmer  — Email to a friend - Print this page - Text size: A A  —  The latest criticism of the war in Iraq has become so politically manipulative, so disingenuous, so over-the-top that it is undermining a critical cause that we cannot, for a variety of global security reasons, afford to lose.

The Volokh Conspiracy  —  About UsSubscribeFeaturesStuffBlogrollArchive sSearch  —  COURT ACCEPTING A SLIPPERY SLOPE ARGUMENT: There's an interesting example in the recent Google subpoena ruling.  The issue in this part of the opinion was whether the subpoena was likely to jeopardize Google's trade secrets …

Bush warns Iran on Israel  —  US President George W. Bush said he hoped to resolve the nuclear dispute with Iran with diplomacy, but warned Tehran he would "use military might" if necessary to defend Israel.  —  "The threat from Iran is, of course, their stated objective to destroy our strong ally Israel.

The New New Gore  —  Five years ago, Al Gore was the much-mocked pol who blew a gimme with his stiff demeanor and know-it-all style.  Today?  C'mon, admit it: You like him again.  —  The most important speech of Al Gore's post-non-presidency was neither well-covered nor particularly dramatic.

FEAR FACTOR  —  Bill O'Reilly's baroque period.  —  During what you could call Bill O'Reilly's classical period, the first few years of "The O'Reilly Factor"—which débuted in 1996, at the same time as Fox News—O'Reilly seemed to be a recognizable member of the conservative-talk-show-host species …

Bush: More to Iraq story than violence  —  CLEVELAND, Ohio (CNN) — In the face of flagging support for the Iraq war, President Bush said Monday that while Americans might be dismayed by events in Iraq, he sees signs of progress.  —  "The situation on the ground remains tense," Bush told an audience at the City Club of Cleveland.

Best job market in 5 years for grads: report  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. college graduates are facing the best job market since 2001, with business, computer, engineering, education and health care grads in highest demand, a report by an employment consulting firm showed on Monday.

DISARRAY THIS  —  The Democrats are in disarray.  Everybody says so.  In the Times, Adam Nagourney, the paper's chief political correspondent, indicts them for sending "scattershot messages," having no "overarching theme," and lacking "a strategy for governing."