A Good Leak  —  President Bush declassified some of the intelligence he used to decide on war in Iraq.  Is that a scandal?  —  PRESIDENT BUSH was right to approve the declassification of parts of a National Intelligence Estimate about Iraq three years ago in order to make clear why he had believed …

U.S. Is Studying Military Strike Options on Iran  —  Any Mix of Tact, Threats Alarms Critics  —  The Bush administration is studying options for military strikes against Iran as part of a broader strategy of coercive diplomacy to pressure Tehran to abandon its alleged nuclear development program …

The rise of the Islamist axis  —  On Monday, Russia's Novaya Gazeta newspaper reported that part of Ukraine's Soviet-era nuclear arsenal may well have found its way to Iran.  With the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Ukrainians agreed to transfer the Soviet nuclear arsenal that remained in Ukraine after its independence to Russia.

Pro-Life Nation  —  It was a sunny midafternoon in a shiny new global-economy mall in San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador, and a young woman I was hoping to meet appeared to be getting cold feet.  She had agreed to rendezvous with a go-between not far from the Payless shoe store and then come to a nearby hotel to talk to me.

Condoleezza Rice on Piano  —  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, center, with her chamber group; from left, Soye Kim, Joshua Klein, Robert Battey and Lawrence Wallace.  The group plays as often as every other week.  —  WASHINGTON — Two weeks ago on Sunday, Condoleezza Rice got up at 4 …

CALL TO DUTY  —  In a Community Where Many Roads Lead to the Military, Deciding Whether to Enlist Becomes a Turning Point  —  Blake Johnson is almost 18.  Tan and muscular, he plays third base for the Clarkdale High School Bulldogs.  He is a B student who says "Yes, sir" when his coach corrects his batting stance.

DOES IRAN WANT WAR  —  April 9, 2006 — THE most dangerous error we could make in our sharpening confronta tion with Iran is to con vince ourselves that its leaders will act rationally.  Few wars are rooted in dispassionate analysis.  Self-delusion sparks most such catastrophes.

Slacker Friday  —  I've got a new Think Again column here.  It's called: "Deconstructing the Attack on Jill Carroll."  —  From the Benton Foundation: … Christianity Today publishes a long, scholarly article on the "incoherence" of Hannah Arendt?  I dunno.  Someone read this and tell us if we need to pay attention.

Iraq update - April 9 - April 16  —  U.S. Study Paints Somber Portrait of Iraqi Discord  —  NYT - An internal staff report by the United States Embassy and the military command in Baghdad provides a sobering province-by-province snapshot of Iraq's political, economic and security situation …

Christ Among the Partisans  —  THERE is no such thing as a "Christian politics."  If it is a politics, it cannot be Christian.  Jesus told Pilate: "My reign is not of this present order.  If my reign were of this present order, my supporters would have fought against my being turned over to the Jews.

Universities, for those of us who lecture on campuses, are the battleground for the heart and soul of the next generation of leaders.  They are the battleground where we must fight to win back the opinions and allegiance of American college students.  This is made harder when Islamists …

Berlusconi in re-election battle  —  Italians are voting in general elections, with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi facing a strong challenge from centre-left leader Romano Prodi.  —  The polls remain open all day on Sunday and close at 1500 (1300 GMT) on Monday.