Facing Down Iran  —  Our lives depend on it.  —  Most Westerners read the map of the world like a Broadway marquee: north is top of the bill—America, Britain, Europe, Russia—and the rest dribbles away into a mass of supporting players punctuated by occasional Star Guests: India, China, Australia.

Believe it this time, buster  —  My friend Fred Kaplan can't bring himself to believe that the Cheney administration is, pick your adjective (sufficiently crazy, irresponsible, evil, uncaring about human life, happy to encourage terrorism against the United States, whatever) to launch a pre-emptive nuclear war against Iran.

Cheney booed loudly, throws out first pitch  —  Vice president throws out first pitch after visiting Mets, Nats locker rooms  —  WASHINGTON - Greeted with loud boos and some cheers, Vice President Dick Cheney threw out the ceremonial first pitch Tuesday at the Washington Nationals' home opener.

Six in Ten Americans Critical of Bush on Leaks  —  But Bush job approval holds steady at 37%  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The latest USA Today/Gallup poll finds more than 6 in 10 Americans critical of President George W. Bush on the leak controversy.  The more closely people are following the issue …

Rubber Stamp Republican Congress Video Goes Live  —  UPDATE: I'm pulling the video links up to the top so everyone can find them more easily:  —  **You can watch the video of our stamp delivery to Sen. Arlen Specter at Crooks and Liars and at PoliticsTV.  Our first Rubber Stamp Republican Congress stamp delivery went well.

Gingrich at USD: Pull out of Iraq (video)  —  Ex-House speaker says U.S. should scale back  —  VERMILLION - Newt Gingrich, the former Republican Speaker of the House, told students and faculty at the University of South Dakota Monday that the United States should pull out of Iraq and leave …

Liberty, Equality, Mediocrity  —  The strangest revolution the French have ever produced  —  The French are justly proud of their revolutionary tradition.  After all, 1789 begat 1848 and 1871 and indeed inspired just about every revolution for a century, up to and including the Russian Revolution of 1917.

London Bombers Tied to Internet, Not Al Qaeda, Newspaper Says  —  LONDON, April 10 — A forthcoming government report concludes that the July 7 bombings in London were a low-budget operation carried out by four men who had no connection to Al Qaeda and who obtained all the information they needed …

In Iraq, brave troops and a noble cause  —  I have seen many incredible sights living and flying in Iraq the last two months.  Two things, the bravery of our soldiers and the importance of completing our mission and building a free Iraq, prompt me to write today.

Security lapse reveals secrets of Air Force One  —  Air Force One, the presidential jet, is a near-mythical symbol of US power, shrouded in so much secrecy that even foreign leaders invited on board are forbidden from seeing every corner.  But the aircraft just became rather less mysterious …

US economy's latest output: better jobs  —  Newest job numbers show that businesses are expanding opportunities in high-wage fields.  —  The US economy isn't just producing jobs these days, it's also producing good jobs.  Alongside the ads for jobs handling a cash register or a spatula are these new opportunities:

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.

WE'RE HEARING... THAT "HARDBALL" HOST CHRIS MATTHEWS IS CONSIDERING A US SENATE RUN IN PENNSYLVANIA...  As a Republican, right?  —  Why not, it will make his poitical views officially Republican instead of sneakily so  —  Flag: [abusive] [best of]  —  Don't quit your day job Chris.

Back to Iraq Part II - The Anatolian Deathmarch  —  This is the second installment of a Back to Iraq series.  Read the first installment here.  —  ANATOLIA, TURKEY - Sean and I woke at first light and headed south from Canakkale toward the ancient ruins of Troy.

Google and the Problem with al-Manar  —  Last Thursday, my colleague Olivier Guitta noted that Google carries the Hizballah-run al-Manar as one of the sources in its news section.  (See this link, showing that al-Manar is still featured in Google News.)  Questions have been raised in the past …