CIA Officer's Job Made Any Leaks More Delicate  —  The rare firing last week of a CIA officer accused of leaking information to the news media stems both from the sensitivity of the subjects she allegedly discussed and the Bush administration's forceful efforts to block national security disclosures …

Young Officers Join the Debate Over Rumsfeld  —  WASHINGTON, April 22 — The revolt by retired generals who publicly criticized Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has opened an extraordinary debate among younger officers, in military academies, in the armed services' staff colleges and even in command posts and mess halls in Iraq.

Dump Cheney for Condi, Bush urged  —  REPUBLICANS are urging President George W Bush to dump Dick Cheney as vice-president and replace him with Condoleezza Rice if he is serious about presenting a new face to the jaded American public.  —  They believe that only the sacrifice …

Iraqi Lawmakers End Months of Deadlock  —  BAGHDAD, April 22 — Four months of political paralysis lifted on Saturday when a newly convened parliament chose seven top officials to run Iraq's first long-term government since the fall of Saddam Hussein.  —  In a largely ceremonial meeting …

Why the Euston group offers a new direction for the left  —  A disparate set of left-wing thinkers meeting in a London pub has reopened an essential debate on the nature of democracy  —  To be on the left is to be both temperamentally inclined to dissent and to be passionate about your own utopia, which can never be achieved.

President's Radio Address  —  THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.  This weekend I am traveling in California, where I'm focusing on important issues for our Nation's future, including our economy, energy prices, the war on terror, and immigration reform.  —  America's economy is strong …

New Plans Foresee Fighting Terrorism Beyond War Zones  —  Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has approved the military's most ambitious plan yet to fight terrorism around the world and retaliate more rapidly and decisively in the case of another major terrorist attack on the United States, according to defense officials.

OOPS!  NEVER MIND  —  The reporters and editors who produce the New York Times seem pretty clearly to be word people, not numbers people.  Of course, they often get the words wrong too.  But their problems with numbers are hard to understand or excuse.  —  On April 20, the Times ran …

White House knew there were no WMD: CIA  —  The CIA had evidence Iraq possessed no weapons of mass destruction six months before the 2003 US-led invasion but was ignored by a White House intent on ousting Saddam Hussein, a former senior CIA official said, according to CBS.

Big or Me  —  What Big Love teaches about marriage and jealousy.  —  In the final scene of the latest episode of Big Love, high-schooler Ben Henrickson wonders whether to become a polygamist like his dad.  His father, Bill Henrickson, tells the young man that it's a big responsibility, but that he's up to it.

MCCARTHY: SECOND DAY - FIRST THOUGHTS  —  1. Maybe the war would be over by now if half the CIA wasnt more interested in "getting Bush" than it is with "getting Osama".  —  2. The WAPO and the New York Times are saying that McCarthys efforts are not just legitimate, but actually required for the safe running of a government.

Back to the Border  —  Democrat obstruction torpedoed comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate earlier this month.  At the same time, concerns about getting our border under control came into clear relief with news this week of the Department of Homeland Security's effort to crack down on egregious violations of immigration law.