"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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

Despite Denials, U.S. Plans for Iran War  —  The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has been conducting theater campaign analysis for a full scale war with Iran since at least May 2003, responding to Pentagon directions to prepare for potential operations in the "near term."

DEMS ARE EITHER PHONIES OR THEY'RE RADICALS.  One of the more devious verbal tricks commentators use on Democrats is to rhetorically box them in: Either Dems are too cautious and scripted, or they're too radical and hate America.  Atrios is right when he says of Joe Klein's new book:

Lenient Rule Set for Rebuilding in New Orleans  —  NEW ORLEANS, April 12 — Federal officials issued unexpectedly lenient guidelines on Wednesday for rebuilding the flood-damaged homes of New Orleans, potentially allowing tens of thousands of homeowners to return to their neighborhoods at costs far less than they had feared.