Bush: 'I'm the decider' on Rumsfeld  —  Defense chief set to meet with so-called 'TV generals'  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush sharply defended Donald Rumsfeld on Tuesday, saying the embattled Pentagon chief is doing a "fine job" despite calls for his resignation from six retired military generals.

President Bush Nominates Rob Portman as OMB Director and Susan Schwab for USTR  —  THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.  Today I'm announcing my nomination of two outstanding individuals to serve in my Cabinet and on my economic team.  —  First, I will nominate Rob Portman to be the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

A "Pulitzer Prize for Treason"  —  (updated below with transcript of Bill Bennett's comments)  —  Several weeks ago, The Washington Post published an Op-Ed jointly written by Bill Bennett and his neoconservative comrade Alan Dershowitz, in which Bennett — of all people …

Ignore bloggers at your peril, say researchers  —  Bloggers and internet pundits are exerting a "disproportionately large influence" on society, according to a report by a technology research company.  Its study suggests that although "active" web users make up only a small proportion …

Two Duke Lacrosse Players Are Arrested and Charged  —  DURHAM, N.C., April 18 — Two Duke University men's lacrosse players were arrested today and charged with rape and kidnapping in a case involving a woman who has accused three team members of attacking her at a party last month.

Qatar Pledges $50 Million to Palestinians  —  Qatar Pledges $50 Million to Palestinian Government to Help Make Up for a Shortfall  —  DOHA, Qatar Apr 17, 2006 (AP)— Qatar said Monday it would give the Palestinian government $50 million in aid to help make up for a shortfall after the United States …

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 …

Lieberman: US could attack Iran's nukes  —  The US is probably incapable of completely destroying the Iranian nuclear program, but as a last resort it could attempt to knock out "some of the components" in order to "delay and deter it," Senator Joe Lieberman, the former Democratic vice presidential candidate …

Yale's Next Tenured Radical?  —  Yale University is on the verge of offering a faculty appointment to the University of Michigan Professor Juan Cole.  That is the word around the campus here in New Haven.  If Yale proceeds with the appointment, it will bring in one of the few professors …

A Modest Proposal: The "No Death Threat" Litmus Test For Bloggers  —  Since I know that the WaPo is hot in search of a new conservative blogger in order to balance out original commentary and / or reporting with plagiarism, I would like to propose a simple "no death threat" litmus test for them as they conduct their search.

Black business owners on rise  —  Black Americans are becoming entrepreneurs at a rapidly increasing rate and Pittsburgh is following the trend, a new report issued by the Census Bureau suggests.  —  The report, "Survey of Business Owners: Black-Owned Firms: 2002," says that between 1997 and 2002 …

A Campaign Gore Can't Lose  —  Boring Al Gore has made a movie.  It is on the most boring of all subjects — global warming.  It is more than 80 minutes long, and the first two or three go by slowly enough that you can notice that Gore has gained weight and that his speech still seems oddly out of sync.

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) …

More Purity Ball  —  Responding to the odd, disturbing nature of the Father-Daughter Purity Ball, about which I posted below, PZ Myers says: … That sounds like common sense to me.  Girls pledging to their dads to stay virginal in ritualistic ceremonies just doesn't seem like a healthy thing to do.

You Wanna Talk?  Let's Talk  —  The case for negotiating with Iran.  —  The Iranians' call for more nuclear talks is probably a snare, designed to knot up the West in fruitless diplomacy while they accelerate their drive to build atomic bombs.  Yet President Bush should take them up on their offer …

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 ...

Limbs Lost to Enemy Fire, Women Forge a New Reality  —  Her body had been maimed by war.  Dawn Halfaker lay unconscious at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, her parents at her bedside and her future suddenly unsure.  A rocket-propelled grenade had exploded in her Humvee, ravaging her arm and shoulder.

Baghdad street battle smacks of open civil war  —  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Snipers held rooftop positions as masked Sunni Arab insurgents said they were gearing up for another open street battle with pro-government Shi'ite militiamen in Baghdad's Adhamiya district on Tuesday.

IRAQ PERCEPTIONS  —  Jonah, I agree with you that Iraq is no longer having any deterrent effect.  My point (a variant of your own) is that Iraq does have a deterrent effect as long as the American public sees the venture as worthwhile.  I agree that the key is for America to perceive Iraq as a success.