Colbert's White House Correspondent Dinner Performance Underscores Irony's Power And Delicacy  —  The scene: The White House Correspondent Dinner.  The time: right after President George W. Bush put in a boffo performance next to a top-notch Bush impersonator.  It was a hard act to follow.

Bush challenges hundreds of laws  —  President cites powers of his office  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts …

Economist John Kenneth Galbraith Dies at 97  —  John Kenneth Galbraith, the author, scholar, diplomat and presidential adviser, who was a preeminent symbol and source of liberal political thought, died last night in Cambridge, Mass. He was 97.  —  His son Alan said his father died …

Where's the dissent about source of quote?  —  John Kerry announced this week's John Kerry Iraq Policy of the Week the other day: "Iraqi politicians should be told that they have until May 15 to deal with these intransigent issues and at last put together an effective unity government or we will immediately withdraw our military."

Al-Qaeda leader plans an Iraq army  —  THE leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is attempting to set up his own mini-army and move away from individual suicide attacks to a more organised resistance movement, according to US intelligence sources.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali Loses Her Home  —  Via Peaktalk, the story of Ayaan Hirsi Ali just gets worse.  Hirsi Ali is the Somali-born Dutch parliamentarian whose outspokenness on the rights of women under Islam has made her a marked woman.  Islamists have issued a fatwa calling for her death.

U.S. Reacts Cautiously As Mexico Softens Its Drug Laws  —  Mexico's Congress has softened its laws to allow possession of small amounts of drugs including cocaine and heroine for personal use— raising questions about how U.S.-Mexico drug operations will proceed.