Zinni's Zinger?  —  Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:  —  Former Clinton CENTCOM commander, Anthony Zinni — the most prominent of the retired generals attacking Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld — now says that, in the run-up to the war in Iraq, "What bothered me ...

Two arrests made in Duke lacrosse case  —  Duke University lacrosse players Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty were charged today with first degree forcible rape, first degree sexual offense and kidnapping in connection with a reported rape at a Duke University lacrosse party, according to George Naylor, director of the jail.

Gimme a breatk!  A Pulitzer for Robin Givhan?!  —  In the past couple of years, I've bemusedly followed the fashion stylings of the Washington Post fashion writer, Robin Givhan, as she bashed the clothes that conservatives wore while going all tiddly for John Kerry's and John Edward's coiffures.

New Chief of Staff Sends Message: The White House Exits Are Open  —  WASHINGTON, April 17 — The new White House chief of staff put the West Wing and official Washington on notice on Monday about potentially substantial changes in the way the White House is staffed and operates.

Clinton Sets Bar for '08 Funds  —  Senator Has $20 Million for Reelection, Possible Presidential Bid  —  Candidates eyeing 2008 presidential bids collected millions for a variety of campaign committees over the first three months of the year, with New York Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton far ahead of the pack.

U.S. Envoy to Expose 4 Sudanese in U.N. Debate About Darfur  —  UNITED NATIONS, April 17 — John R. Bolton, the United States ambassador, said Monday that he intended to offer a Security Council resolution on Tuesday that would publicly identify four Sudanese individuals responsible for atrocities …

Rev. Moon's Conjugal Visitations  —  We all know the religious Right wants to tell us what we can't do in the bedroom, but no one asks what they want us to do instead.  —  Tools  —  Among the trendier gripes about why liberals lack power in American politics is that there isn't enough tolerance for America's faithful.

George Washington U. to Receive Jack Anderson's Papers — but FBI Wants to See Them First  —  During his life and career as a muckraking journalist in Washington, Jack Anderson cultivated secret sources throughout the halls of government — sources who passed on information that allowed Anderson …

A Very Brief History of Art, Featuring Mr. Potato Head  —  As part of my never-ending quest to make the Llamabutchers one day say, "Holy crap, that Sobek fellow is so geeky, he makes us look flat out hip!" as well as part of certain court-ordered community service (I was framed, BTW) …

Mississippi Senators' Rail Plan Challenged  —  War Bill Includes Millions to Move Just-Rebuilt Line  —  Mississippi's two U.S. senators included $700 million in an emergency war spending bill to relocate a Gulf Coast rail line that has already been rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina at a cost of at least $250 million.

Campus Lockdown Appalls Parents  —  Some students at an Inglewood elementary school were barred from using the restroom.  —  As students from neighboring secondary schools walked out of class recently to protest immigration legislation, one Inglewood elementary school imposed a lockdown …

Moussaoui's Childhood Is Presented as Mitigating Factor  —  ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 17 — Lawyers trying to persuade a jury to spare the life of Zacarias Moussaoui began presenting testimony about his childhood on Monday, to show that he grew up in a neglectful household in France where his father beat …

Saddam and Osama: The New Revelations  —  Frontpage Interview's guest today is Thomas Joscelyn, an expert on the international terrorist network.  Much of his research has focused on the role that nations such as Saddam's Iraq and the mullah's Iran have played in providing support …

DITHERING WON'T STOP IRAN'S NUKES  —  April 18, 2006 — 'UNHELPFUL": So British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw described Iran's announcement that it has now joined "the nuclear club.  " Straw's French and German colleagues did no better.  One saw Iran's provocative move as "regrettable the other preferred "disappointing."