China and Its President Greeted by a Host of Indignities  —  Chinese President Hu Jintao got almost everything he wanted out of yesterday's visit to the White House.  —  He got the 21-gun salute, the review of the troops and the Colonial fife-and-drum corps.

Democrats Eager to Exploit Anger Over Gas Prices  —  WASHINGTON, April 20 — Democrats running for Congress are moving quickly to use the most recent surge in oil and gasoline prices to bash Republicans over energy policy, and more broadly, the direction of the country.

Bush Counsel May Be Next in White House Shake-Up  —  WASHINGTON, April 20 — Joshua B. Bolten, the new White House chief of staff, has raised the possibility of moving Harriet E. Miers from her job as President Bush's counsel as part of a continuing shake-up of the West Wing …

SORRY, YOUR VIEWPOINT IS EXCLUDED FROM FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTION: That's what the Ninth Circuit holds today, as to student speech in K-12 schools, in a remarkable — and in my view deeply unsound — decision (Harper v. Poway Unified School Dist.).  —  Tyler Harper wore an anti-homosexuality T-shirt …

F.D.A. Dismisses Medical Benefit From Marijuana  —  WASHINGTON, April 20 — The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that "no sound scientific studies" supported the medical use of marijuana, contradicting a 1999 review by a panel of highly regarded scientists.

A MSM Meltdown?  / Pulling a Hitlzik  —  You all remember when Larry O'Donnell melted down on Hardball calling John O'Neil of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth a "creepy liar" over and over again?  —  Well this latest incident by Michael Hiltzik may top it.  —  It appears Hiltzik has been using …

U.S. Crackdown Set Over Hiring of Immigrants  —  WASHINGTON, April 20 — The apprehension on Wednesday of more than 1,100 illegal immigrants employed by a pallet supply company based in Houston, as well as the arrest of seven of its managers, represented the start of a more aggressive federal crackdown …

Fitting the pieces together  —  In February 2001, the Sunday Times ran the article Was this Saddam's Bomb by Gwynne Roberts.  I couldn't find the original but it is also on Globalsecurity.org .  —  I only recently read this article and found it interesting but very hard to believe.

Have you ever considered the peculiar yet convenient amnesia that regularly strikes members of the drive-by media when it fits their political agenda?  Given the development of the Internet, the accuracy and ease of search engines, and the ready access of more detailed media devices …

Seeing red over 'green scare'  —  MEET AL GORE, scaremonger.  In 2004, Gore denounced President Bush for "playing on our fears."  Today, he is at the forefront of a "green scare" about global warming intended to terrify Americans into submitting to his environmental policies.

Shiite Drops Bid to Keep His Post as Iraqi Premier  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 20 — Under intense domestic and American pressure, Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari dropped his bid to retain his job on Thursday, removing a major obstacle to forming a new government during a time of rising sectarian violence.

The Generals' Dangerous Whispers  —  Last time around, the antiwar left did not have a very high opinion of generals.  A popular slogan in the 1960s was "war is too important to be left to the generals."  It was the generals who had advocated attacking Cuba during the missile crisis of October 1962 …

As Iran Presses Its Ambitions, Its Young See Theirs Denied  —  Lack of Economic Opportunity Leads Many to Drugs  —  SHAFT, Iran — The question that preoccupies most of Iran lay coiled in the sullen stare of Abbas Kayhan, 25 years old and stuck behind the counter of his father's corner store.