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 ...

Hunting Slugs  —  I know I'm not supposed to, but I pity Michelle Malkin.  Really, I do.  Punditry is a game of incentives, encouragement, luck.  You write a hundred articles before striking paydirt with one.  That zeitgeisty dispatch activates an eruption of applause and adulation, so you try to repeat it.

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.

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.

Suicide Bombing in Israel Kills 9; Hamas Approves  —  TEL AVIV, April 17 — A Palestinian suicide bomber carried out the deadliest attack on Israel in almost two years on Monday when he detonated his explosives at a falafel restaurant in Tel Aviv — an act that Hamas, which leads the new Palestinian government, called legitimate.

Ruined Treasures in Babylon Await an Iraq Without Fighting  —  A Polish helicopter flies over excavated parts of Babylon.  Over the years, colonial powers took artifacts and Saddam Hussein built on Nebuchadnezzar's palace.  Then, the occupation.  —  BABYLON, Iraq — In this ancient city …

State Department Memo: '16 Words' Were False  —  Eleven days before President Bush's January 28, 2003, State of the Union address in which he said that the US learned from British intelligence that Iraq had attempted to acquire uranium from Africa - an explosive claim that helped pave the way to war …

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 …

At The Precipice  —  I find myself feeling a little bit depressed today.  It's not the spectre of war with Iran, although I admit that scares the hell out of me.  It's this: … I would say the US is at the precipice and the rule of law is breathing its last gasp.

Three Reasons Not to Bomb Iran—Yet  —  I know of no reputable expert in the United States or in Europe who trusts the constantly repeated promise of Iran's rulers that their nuclear program will be entirely peaceful and is meant only to produce electricity.  The question is what to do about this.

FREE SPEECH UPDATE: A reader sends an email to the campus from Northern Kentucky University President James Votruba, regarding the incident in which a professor destroyed a pro-life cross exhibit.  Whole thing's below the fold (click "read more" to read it) but here's an excerpt: … This seems right to me.

States Acting to Protect Private Property  —  Preserving homeowner rights has become a bipartisan goal since the Supreme Court ruled that governments can take land for developers.  —  LAWNSIDE, N.J. — The U.S. Supreme Court ruling that local governments could seize private property and hand …

Clueless Joe Wilson  —  How did the CIA's special envoy miss Zahawie's trip to Niger?  —  Nobody appears to dispute what I wrote in last week's Slate to the effect that in February 1999, Saddam Hussein dispatched his former envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency …