We Must Defend.  —  It's true.  Ben Domenech is Augustine.  And I stand behind him 100%.  He has said nothing filled with racism or hate, or bigotry.  In fact, Ben has been a leader in keeping those he dubs the "evilcons" off RedState.  Unbeknownst to all of you, RedState continually self-polices …

Some Readers See Red Over Post.com's New Blogger  —  The Washington Post Co.'s Web operation has touched off an online furor by hiring as a blogger a 24-year-old former Bush administration aide who co-founded a conservative site and recently referred to Coretta Scott King as a "communist."

U.S. Hiring Hong Kong Co. to Scan Cargo  —  WASHINGTON - In the aftermath of the Dubai ports dispute, the Bush administration is hiring a Hong Kong conglomerate to help detect nuclear materials inside cargo passing through the Bahamas to the United States and elsewhere.

Bush Is Facing a Difficult Path on Immigration  —  WASHINGTON, March 23 — In the days before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, immigration policy was going to be President Bush's signature issue.  It was central to his thinking as the former governor of a border state, key to his relationship …

Afghan Judge in Convert Case Vows to Resist Foreign Pressure  —  KABUL, Afghanistan, March 23 — Despite growing international concern, the judge presiding over the prosecution of an Afghan man facing the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity said today that international pressure …

Belarusian police round up protesters  —  MINSK, Belarus - Police barged into the opposition tent camp in the Belarusian capital early Friday and rounded up hundreds of demonstrators who had spent a fourth night protesting President Alexander Lukashenko's victory in a disputed election.

Pundit In Chief: An Interview with Fred Barnes  —  Well I am a day late but here is "The big story" I was working on.  Yesterday I was very honored to have the opportunity to speak for a bout 45 minutes with Fred Barnes (whose notable work will be detailed in just a moment) about his new book Rebel in Chief.

Down with stability  —  Three years ago, in the weeks before the invasion of Iraq, it fell to the then prime minister of Canada to make the most witless public statement on the subject by any G7 leader.  —  "Your president has won," Jean Chretien told ABC News in early March 2003.

The widow's mite  —  All the remaining members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams held hostage in Iraq were rescued by multinational forces.  In a statement describing their release the organization said: … According to the BBC the three were rescued by … Comments

Muslims are Welcome: No Danish cartoons, please  —  At the very start of this campaign, we said this is a march in support of freedom of expression, not a march against Muslims.  We meant it.  But there has been a lot of mistrust about this from Muslims, and some disappointment …

Of Course It's a Civil War  —  Today's big debate over Iraq seems to be: Is there or is there not a civil war?  Yes, say the defeatists, citing former prime minister Ayad Allawi, a man with an ax to grind against the current (elected) government, which excluded him.

"Diversity," the ABA, and the law schools  —  The issue of faculty governance has been in the air lately, with even some liberal deans rebelling against excessive ABA/AALS interference in admissions and hiring policy, and a move to strip the relevant organizations of their accreditation power.

Backlash over new pensions legislation  —  Employers will be able to slash their contributions to underfunded pension schemes by tens of billions of dollars over the next five years under proposed legislation before Congress that was expected to have the opposite effect.

Breaking the Silence  —  A prominent former insider is criticizing the administration's handling of Iraq's reconstruction.  And there's more to come.  —  Marwan Naamani / AFP-Getty Images  —  Bremer reviews Iraqi troops in 2003  —  March 22, 2006 - Andrew Natsios has taken a lot of flak over his role in Iraq.

No dinners until the war is over  —  From GENE KRZYZYNSKI: Washington's annual Radio-Television Correspondents' Association dinner is Wednesday night, after which it might not be a bad idea to put the event on hiatus for a few years.  Along with the White House Correspondents' Association dinner and …