"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 …

Breaking: Another General Calls For Rumsfeld's Resignation  —  CNN is reporting that a fifth retired general is calling for Rumsfeld's resignation. … Actually, this may be the sixth general.  Generals Newbold, Eaton, Zinni, and Batiste have gained prominent attention in calling for Rumsfeld's resignation.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

Caribbean oil, Caribbean drugs, and major players  —  Via Elephants in Academia, Castro Plans to Drill 45 Miles from US Shores, But We Can't The fact is, Castro could drill for oil 45 miles off the Florida coast … Babalu also posts about the Cuba/Venezuela plan to enlarge and update an old oil refinery in Cienfuegos, Cuba.

Pakistan Strikes at High Value Target  —  Yesterday's helicopter attack in North Waziristan is directed at Mohsin Matawalli Atwa, one of the architechs of the 1998 attacks on the U.S. Embassies in Eastern Africa  —  Yesterday's assault on a suspected Taliban/al-Qaeda position in North Waziristan …

Scalia Defends Involvement in Cheney Case  —  HARTFORD, Conn., April 12 — Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Wednesday called his 2004 decision not to recuse himself from a case involving Vice President Cheney, who is a friend of his, the "proudest thing" he has done on the court.

Spin.  Cut.  Run.  —  To hear Editor & Publisher tell it, you would think that Washington Post reporter Joby Warrick was standing firmly behind his page A1 story from yesterday, where his opening paragraphs strongly asserted that the Bush Administration ignored the "unanimous findings" …

America's Secret Police?  —  Intelligence experts warn that a proposal to merge two Pentagon intelligence units could create an ominous new agency.  —  April 12, 2006 - A threatened turf grab by a controversial Pentagon intelligence unit is causing concern among both privacy experts and some of the Defense Department's own personnel.

Librarians Win as U.S. Relents on Secrecy Law  —  After fighting ferociously for months, federal prosecutors relented yesterday and agreed to allow a Connecticut library group to identify itself as the recipient of a secret F.B.I. demand for records in a counterterrorism investigation.

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.

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.

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 …

Terrorists' Web Chatter Shows Concern About Internet Privacy  —  Groups Advise Members on Anonymity, Avoiding Intercepts  —  Terrorist groups, which for years have used the Internet and its various tools to organize and communicate, are paying more attention to addressing security …