Analysts Say a Nuclear Iran Is Years Away  —  Western nuclear analysts said yesterday that Tehran lacked the skills, materials and equipment to make good on its immediate nuclear ambitions, even as a senior Iranian official said Iran would defy international pressure and rapidly expand its ability to enrich uranium for fuel.

Libby's Team Replies On Disclosure  —  Jeralyn Merritt has Team Libby's latest on the disclosure question (29 page .pdf or here) and has added some must-read UPDATES.  It's hard to believe this will make as many headlines as Fitzgerald's last filing, but dig in.

UPDATE: White House Seeks Apology, 'Post' Stands By Story  —  NEW YORK The White House on Wednesday hit back at The Washington Post for its front-page story this morning which suggested President Bush in 2003 cited the discovery of mobile biological weapons labs in Iraq as "weapons of mass destruction" …

The Euston Manifesto  —  It started with some like-minded progressives meeting in a London pub.  Disenchanted with what they saw as the wrong-headed thinking of the anti-war movement, they began to talk of a new left movement.  By Norman Geras and Nick Cohen

Rumsfeld Rebuked By Retired Generals  —  Ex-Iraq Commander Calls for Resignation  —  The retired commander of key forces in Iraq called yesterday for Donald H. Rumsfeld to step down, joining several other former top military commanders who have harshly criticized the defense secretary's authoritarian style …

At Trial, Flight 93 Myth Finally Becomes Reality  —  It began with a muted series of thumps from a sharp knife or maybe clenched fists.  The sounds were muffled but unmistakable, one body blow after another, ending with a squishy thud.  —  "No, no, no, no, no. No," came the high-pitched voice …

The Minority Maker  —  The clever GOP strategy for defeat in November.  —  If Republicans lose control of Congress in November, they might want to look back at last Thursday as the day it was lost.  That's when the big spenders among House Republicans blew up a deal between the leadership …

WHERE IS BILAL HUSSEIN?  —  Where is Bilal Hussein—and who is he working for?  —  A year ago, I blogged about a controversial, Pulitzer Prize-winning photo taken by an unidentified Associated Press stringer in Iraq.  More background from the blogosphere here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Congressman accused of using staff to baby-sit  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Two former staff members of U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Michigan, say the longtime Detroit congressman made them baby-sit his children, run errands and work on political campaigns while they were on his congressional payroll.

Democrats Face Uphill Battle to Retake House  —  An 18-month recruitment drive by the Democrats has produced nearly a dozen strong candidates with the potential for unseating House Republicans, but probably not enough to take back control of the House absent a massive anti-incumbent wave this fall, according to House political experts.

Troops in Support Of the War  —  Earlier this year there was a town hall meeting on the Iraq war, sponsored by Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), with the participation of such antiwar organizations as CodePink and MoveOn.org.  The event also featured Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), a former Marine who had become an outspoken critic of the war.

Ancient fossils fill gap in early human evolution  —  LONDON (Reuters) - An international team of scientists have discovered 4.1 million year old fossils in eastern Ethiopia that fill a missing gap in human evolution.  —  The teeth and bones belong to a primitive species of Australopithecus known …

Here is the Democratic message on Iran  —  George Bush has decided to use Iran as a foil to help his sagging poll numbers and to help Republicans in the fall congressional elections.  I'm going to discuss why this is true, and what the Dems should do about it.  —  Iran is ten years away from developing nukes.

Coalition Launches 'Operation Mountain Lion' in Afghanistan  —  WASHINGTON, April 12, 2006 - Coalition forces, in cooperation with the Afghan National Army, began "Operation Mountain Lion" yesterday to establish security, deter the re-emergence of terrorism, and enhance the sovereignty of Afghanistan, military officials reported today.

Protests backfire!  —  Zogby poll: National demonstrations by illegal aliens have negative impact  —  Recent images of seas of illegal aliens marching in cities across the U.S. are having a far greater negative than positive impact on the foreigners' cause, according to a new poll.

Doubts About Taking On Tehran  —  About half those polled support military action if Iran continues its nuclear activity but don't trust President Bush to make the call.  —  WASHINGTON — Americans are divided over the prospect of U.S. military action against Iran if the government …