The slow-motion trap  —  His presidency was built on secrecy and, we now know, on lies.  The more Bush struggles to free himself, the more his past deceptions bind him.  —  Print EmailFont: S / S+ / S++  —  At a press conference in the White House on Oct. 6, 2003, President Bush …

"DO THE RIGHT THING!  SHOW MOHAMMED"  —  ***Update: Stephen Spruiell reports at The Media Blog..."I just got off the phone with a Comedy Central spokesman.  I asked him about last night's episode of South Park in which, at a moment right before the prophet Mohammed was supposed to make a cameo …

Iran's Nuclear Progress  —  MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD continues to help the Bush administration's effort to convince the U.N. Security Council that more concerted action is needed to stop Iran's nuclear program.  His loud announcement yesterday that Iran had succeeded in enriching uranium confirmed recent warnings …

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.

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 …

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.

At the Immigration Rally  —  Having an open heart doesn't mean supporting open borders.  —  I love immigrants.  That's not important or relevant, but it's where I start.  I love them so much I often have the impulse to kiss their hands.  I am not kidding.  I love them because they are brave.

Poll: Sinking Perceptions Of Islam  —  (CBS) Although Americans believe they are better informed about Islam than they were five years ago, a new CBS News poll finds fewer than one in five say their impression of the religion is favorable.  —  Forty-five percent of respondents queried April 6 …

On Cheney, Rumsfeld order, US outsourcing special ops, intelligence to Iraq terror group, intelligence officials say  —  The Pentagon is bypassing official US intelligence channels and turning to a dangerous and unruly cast of characters in order to create strife in Iran in preparation …

White House Decries Report on Iraqi Trailers  —  The Bush administration yesterday denounced a Washington Post report that questioned the handling of postwar intelligence on alleged Iraqi biological weapons labs.  A White House spokesman acknowledged that President Bush's assertions …

Anger, apology over "Condoleezza" quiz  —  Bellevue Community College President Jean Floten apologized Wednesday at an emotional open-campus meeting called after students complained about what they said was a racially offensive math question used on a practice test.

Emergence of the Gospel of Judas Offers a Tangled Tale of Its Own  —  When the National Geographic Society announced to great fanfare last week that it had gained access to a 1,700-year-old document known as the Gospel of Judas, it described how a deteriorating manuscript …

Dead-end Debates  —  Currently, there are many retired generals appearing in frenetic fashion on television.  Sometimes they hype their recent books, or, as during the three-week war, offer sharp interviews about our supposed strategic and operational blunders in Iraq — imperial hubris …

Herceptin ruling will stop patients getting potentially lifesaving drugs  —  PATIENTS will be denied access to drugs at the forefront of medical research after a landmark judgment on the breast cancer treatment Herceptin.  —  The Court of Appeal ruled yesterday that it was illegal …

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.