France to replace youth job law  —  French President Jacques Chirac has announced that the new youth employment law that sparked weeks of sometimes violent protests will be scrapped.  —  He said it would be replaced by other measures to tackle youth unemployment.

Why Iraq Was a Mistake  —  A military insider sounds off against the war and the "zealots" who pushed it  —  Two senior military officers are known to have challenged Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on the planning of the Iraq war.  Army General Eric Shinseki publicly dissented and found himself marginalized.

Young Officers Leaving Army at a High Rate  —  WASHINGTON, April 9 — Young Army officers, including growing numbers of captains who leave as soon as their initial commitment is fulfilled, are bailing out of active-duty service at rates that have alarmed senior officers.

Bush's Job Approval Rating Continues to Swoon  —  Forty-Seven Percent of Americans 'Strongly' Disapprove of Handling of the Presidency  —  Political reversals at home and continued bad news from Iraq have dragged President Bush's standing with the public to a new low and boosted Democratic chances …

ILLEGAL ALIEN VOTER RECRUITMENT  —  Photographed at the Dallas illegal alien demonstration yesterday:  —  Kim Priestap at Wizbang: … Sen. Ted Kennedy is scheduled to address the crowd—future constituents—in Washington, D.C., today around 4:30pm EST.  —  As they say: "Today they march, tomorrow they vote."

Bush and Cheney Discussed Plame Prior to Leak  —  In early June 2003, Vice President Dick Cheney met with President Bush and told him that CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson was the wife of Iraq war critic Joseph Wilson and that she was responsible for sending him on a fact-finding mission …

Christian Coalition Shrinks as Debt Grows  —  In an era when conservative Christians enjoy access and influence throughout the federal government, the organization that fueled their rise has fallen on hard times.  —  The once-mighty Christian Coalition, founded 17 years ago by the Rev. Pat Robertson …

CEO pay soars in 2005 as a select group break the $100 million mark  —  Even after a decade of sharply rising CEO pay, 2005 proved a watershed for a select group of executives.  Their paydays — or potential paydays — broke $100 million.  —  Led by Capital One Financial's Richard Fairbank …

Real Or Fake? … Thanks to digital technology, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the most photographed in history.  Photographers with digital cameras have provided, almost instantaneously, an enormous flood of accurate, dramatic, and even shocking images to people around the world.

The Path Forward for Lieberman  —  Lieberman is considering running as an independent.  Because of CT election law, it will be very hard for Lieberman to compete in the primary and get on the ballot as an independent.  The likeliest path forward for him is to test his strength at the convention …

DeLay looks to worthy successor  —  Departing Rep. Tom DeLay, Texas Republican, says any of three colleagues could some day assume his role as leader of conservatives in the House.  —  Asked who might be the House's "next Tom DeLay," the former majority leader, once considered …

Goldilocks and Iran  —  I've been stewing over two articles this weekend that purport to be about U.S. government planning for a potential war with Iran, one a front page article in this newspaper yesterday and the other a long New Yorker piece by Seymour Hersh.

Polls: Berlusconi trailing challenger in Italy vote  —  Conservative premier is seeking third term; leftist Prodi is ex-ECU president  —  ROME - Center-left leader Romano Prodi looks set to beat Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Italy's general election, winning a majority in both houses of parliament …

Christians Sue for Right Not to Tolerate Policies  —  Many codes intended to protect gays from harassment are illegal, conservatives argue.  —  ATLANTA — Ruth Malhotra went to court last month for the right to be intolerant.  —  Malhotra says her Christian faith compels her to speak out against homosexuality.

Immigration Advocates Rally Around U.S.  —  ATLANTA - Thousands of demonstrators wearing white T-shirts and waving signs and American flags filled the streets of an immigrant neighborhood Monday for the first of dozens of marches planned in a national day of action billed as a "campaign for immigrants' dignity."