An Iraq Success Story's Sad New Chapter  —  Bush's Struggle in Reassuring U.S. Is Illustrated by City's Renewed Strife  —  CLEVELAND, March 20 — As President Bush tells the tale, the battle for Tall Afar offers a case study in how U.S. and Iraqi forces working together can root out insurgents and restore stability.

The Stone Face of Zarqawi  —  Iraq is no "distraction" from al Qaeda.  —  In February 2004, our Kurdish comrades in northern Iraq intercepted a courier who was bearing a long message from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to his religious guru Osama bin Laden.  The letter contained a deranged analysis …

FBI Was Warned About Moussaoui  —  Agent Tells Court Of Repeated Efforts Before 9/11 Attacks  —  An FBI agent who interrogated Zacarias Moussaoui before Sept. 11, 2001, warned his supervisors more than 70 times that Moussaoui was a terrorist and spelled out his suspicions that the al-Qaeda operative …

Bush Falsely Claims He Never Linked Hussein To September 11 … Olbermann: … Bush [from SOTU]: … Olbermann: … Comment by scarlett — March 21, 2006 @ 2:50 am  —  Red and Karly Pyoub,  —  You sound like a whacko tarot card reader.  Where did you learn to 'speculate', the tinfoil hat convention?

Cheney at Fund-Raiser, but Not With the Candidate  —  NEWARK, March 20 — In the biggest campaign fund-raiser yet on behalf of State Senator Thomas H. Kean Jr., Vice President Dick Cheney traveled to New Jersey on Monday and praised Mr. Kean as someone with "the experience …

I'm boss, Hil tells Bill  —  Senator's word is now 'final,' says the ex-Prez  —  WASHINGTON - After being surprised by her husband's role in the Dubai ports deal, Sen. Hillary Clinton has insisted that Bill Clinton give her "final say" over what he says and does, well-placed sources said.

2 Years After Soldier's Death, Family's Battle Is With Army  —  SAN JOSE, Calif. — Patrick K. Tillman stood outside his law office here, staring intently at a yellow house across the street, just over 70 yards away.  That, he recalled, is how far away his eldest son, Pat …

THE UNITED NATIONS SMEARS LEGO  —  ***scroll for updates***  —  Today is The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.  The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is celebrating the day with this vile poster portraying Denmark's most famous company as racist:

Poll: Burns struggling in race  —  HELENA - If U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns drops out of the race, either Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg or former Gov. Marc Racicot would instantly hold big leads over the top two Democrats against whom Burns is struggling, a poll released Monday shows.

New Business Blooms in Iraq: Terror Insurance  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq — Twice in the past year, Muhammad Said has survived assassination attempts that left his car riddled with bullets.  He works part time as a bodyguard for his father, a Baghdad city councilman, and helps a friend who has contracts with the American military.

Pastors' Get-Out-the-Vote Training Could Test Tax Rules  —  WASHINGTON, March 20 — Weeks after the Internal Revenue Service announced a crackdown on political activities by churches and other tax-exempt organizations, a coalition of nonprofit conservative groups is holding training sessions …

The Cheney-led Civil War-Deniers  —  (Markos Moulitsas Zuniga when in US Army, 1989-1992)  —  Former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft said on January 6, 2005 that we may be seeing "incipient civil war" in Iraq.  —  David Frum misquotes Scowcroft and wrestles with TWN …

Some U.S. Officials Fear Iran Is Helping Al Qaeda  —  They say intelligence suggests that the regime lets key figures plot.  But the picture is cloudy.  —  WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence officials, already focused on Iran's potential for building nuclear weapons, are struggling to solve …

WOMEN AND ISLAM  —  One of the things that probably get lost in all the demographic projections for Europe - which by the way are subject to some credible criticisms - is the fact that they most likely do not take account of native Europeans becoming Muslim.

What I'd Cut  —  Kevin Drum has challenged me to detail how I'd balance budgets while keeping Bush's tax cuts.  (A small clarification: I'd keep the estate tax as it once was; and I'd add a buck to the gas tax pronto.)  I'd prefer experts like Brian Riedl or Veronique de Rugy to propose detailed cuts.

2005 Koufax Awards —  Final Voting Now Open  —  Below are the list of semi-finalists in the fifteen categories of the 2005 Koufax Awards.  While every nominated blog is to be congratulated, the ones listed in the posts below are due special recognition.  They have been selected by their readers and peers as the best of the best.

A Possible Clue On NSA Spying  —  Did President Bush mention the government's secret warrantless surveillance program to the president of Pakistan more than four years ago?  A brief passage of a 2002 book seems to raise that possibility.  —  In "Bush at War," Bob Woodward recounts …

FBI, you've got mail — NOT!  —  FBI official says budget doesn't cover accounts for all agents  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Budget constraints are forcing some FBI agents to operate without e-mail accounts, according to the agency's top official in New York.  —  "As ridiculous as this might sound …