POWER VACUUM IN ISRAEL [JPod]  —  So the polls are closed, and the story is: Oy.  Exit polls say the new party founded by Ariel Sharon did the best, winning around 30 seats.  But since last week it was projected to win 40 seats or more, the results have to be a huge disappointment for the party, Kadima, and its head, Ehud Olmert.

Judges on Secretive Panel Speak Out on Spy Program  —  WASHINGTON, March 28 — Five former judges on the nation's most secretive court, including one who resigned in apparent protest over President Bush's domestic eavesdropping, urged Congress on Tuesday to give the court a formal role in overseeing the surveillance program.

Democrats Pledge to 'Eliminate' Osama  —  WASHINGTON - Congressional Democrats promise to "eliminate" Osama bin Laden and ensure a "responsible redeployment of U.S. forces" from Iraq in 2006 in an election-year national security policy statement.  —  In the position paper to be announced Wednesday …

Afghan convert given Italy asylum  —  The Italian cabinet has approved a request for asylum from an Afghan who escaped a possible death sentence for converting from Islam to Christianity.  —  Welfare Minister Roberto Maroni said the case of Abdul Rahman, 41, was now in the hands of the interior ministry.

Crunch time again  —  Here are a couple of disturbing reports from Baghdad.  Alaa the Mesopotamian says that its unclear which security forces are to be trusted. … Baghdad Burning reports a somewhat similar picture.  She was watching television when a strange message was broadcast.

THE AMERICAN FLAG COMES SECOND  —  ***scroll for updates***  —  You will not see this heart-stopping photo on the front page of the NY Times or on the lead story of the major news networks.  You should (hat tip: Mika and F/R): … More:  —  Meanwhile: Mexico Cheers Passage of Immigration Bill

Card's Departure Seen as a Sign President Hears Words of Critics  —  A few weeks ago, President Bush's spokesman dismissed talk of an impending staff change as "inside Washington babble."  —  White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr.'s resignation yesterday suggests that Bush was listening.

'The Last Helicopter'  —  Mideast dictators try to "wait Bush out."  They may be miscalculating.  —  Hassan Abbasi has a dream—a helicopter doing an arabesque in cloudy skies to avoid being shot at from the ground.  On board are the last of the "fleeing Americans," forced out of the Dar al-Islam …

Can you spot the mistakes in this photo?  —  This is a picture that Howard Kaloogian, a conservative Republican candidate in San Diego's upcoming congressional special election to replace disgraced GOPer Duke Cunningham, has placed on his Web site.  It is billed as a photo that Kaloogian and his party took on a recent trip to Iraq.

Redemption Among the Faithful  —  There are those who would say Tom DeLay lost his job as House majority leader because he was indicted by a Texas grand jury on charges of money laundering and conspiracy, or because of his extensive ties to lawbreaking lobbyist Jack Abramoff.  But they would be wrong.

PARTY OF HUH?  This is a small thing, but a week ago, National Review writer Ramesh Ponnuru criticized me on The Corner for trusting Amazon.com's description that his forthcoming book, The Party of Death, was about the Democratic Party.  According to Amazon, "The Party of Death is the first book …

Senate to Weigh Guest-Worker Proposal  —  With the Republican Party deeply divided, the Senate will take up a broad revision of the nation's immigration laws today amid signs that conservatives are ready to compromise on efforts to offer illegal immigrants new avenues to lawful employment.

Jack Abramoff Sentencing Wednesday: Lawyers Say He's Broke  —  Jack Abramoff faces sentencing tomorrow in federal court in Miami for his admitted fraud in the purchase of the Sun Cruz Casinos.  260 letters, some from prominent persons, including Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, have written letters on his behalf.

New Orleans to Sell Flooded Buses on EBay  —  Starved for cash, the New Orleans school district is taking a long shot and hoping to sell its flooded, unsalvageable school buses on eBay.  —  Some submerged to their roofs in the black flood waters, the yellow school buses were widely photographed …

Q1 '06: MSNBC's Olbermann Beats CNN's Zahn & HLN's Grace In The Demo  —  In the first quarter of 2006, MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann beat CNN's Paula Zahn Now in the 25-54 demographic.  "This marks MSNBC's first quarterly primetime victory over CNN in the demo in almost five years …

FBI AS GESTAPO: OPPRESSING THE KURDS OF HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA  —  The following is something that has not hit the media at all, other than a story in the Harrisonburg Daily News-Record that simply repeated FBI propaganda about this awful case.  Harrisonburg, Virginia happens …

Roosevelt Democrats  —  In a couple of days, it will be exactly a quarter of a century, nearly half my lifetime, since my mother died.  She would have been eighty next month.  —  I started thinking of her this morning while reading Mark Graber's loving tribute to his recently deceased aunt:

Attempt to revive gay marriage ban fails in Senate … An attempt to revive a constitutional amendment that would prohibit same-sex marriage failed in the Maryland Senate today, apparently leaving no further options this year for opponents of gay marriage.  —  With a proposal to amend …