CIA boss Goss is cooked  —  Tied to contractor's poker parties - hints of bribes & women  —  WASHINGTON - CIA Director Porter Goss abruptly resigned yesterday amid allegations that he and a top aide may have attended Watergate poker parties where bribes and prostitutes were provided to a corrupt congressman.

Not All See Video Mockery of Zarqawi as Good Strategy  —  An effort by the American military to discredit the terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi by showing video outtakes of him fumbling with a machine gun — suggesting that he lacks real fighting skill — was questioned yesterday by retired and active American military officers.

Iraqis, British Troops Spar After Crash  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq — A British military helicopter apparently was hit by a missile Saturday and crashed in Basra, triggering a confrontation in which jubilant Iraqis pelted British troops with stones, hurled firebombs and shouted slogans in support of a radical Shiite Muslim cleric.

Crazed Lefty vs Rumsfeld  —  Many of you have pointed out that Ray McGovern, the man who challenged Rumsfeld in public, holds some wacko views, and has made some arguably anti-Semitic statements.  It seems my description of him as not being a "crazed lefty" was wrong on at least one count.

U.S. Explains Itself to U.N. on Torture Charges  —  GENEVA, May 5 — A delegation of American officials came before a United Nations panel on torture today to account for the conduct of the United States in the fight against terrorism since Sept. 11, 2001.  —  The American officials …

"LOS RANGERS"  —  I'm not a baseball fan, but several readers wrote in about the Yankees-Rangers game last night.  A sample:  —  Reader K...  Reader Steve...  The Mexican consul approved of the jerseys: … I understand the Rangers wanted to do something innocuous to recognize a holiday celebrating historical and cultural pride.

HILLARY CLINTON: TOO MUCH OF A CLINTON DEMOCRAT?  —  Hillary Clinton has a few problems if she wants to secure the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.  She is a leader who fails to lead.  She does not appear "electable."  But most of all, Hillary has a Bill Clinton problem.

You Just Flunked Out Of Feminism 101.  Wait, Stupid Also Just Failed Out Of Moron.  —  Now, I post this with a heavy heart, because the truth is, that despite any previous complaints about puppies, I actually regard Eugene Volokh as an intelligent, thoughtful person with whom I would love to have a beer or two.

Hope for reforming Islam?  —  I have written a great deal about Islamic reform, Islamic moderation, various self-proclaimed and actual Islamic moderates, and the prospects for a large-scale renunciation of the Islamic theological and legal principles that fuel the global jihad.

Where's Our Fox News?  —  I don't watch Fox News.  In fact, upon having cable installed a couple of months ago I put a parental block on the channel so that I need to punch in a security code if I ever want to turn on the channel — a trick I learned from my brother-in-law …

Book Deal for Ex-C.I.A. Officer  —  Valerie Wilson, the former Central Intelligence Agency officer whose identity was publicly disclosed three years ago, has agreed to sell her memoir for a little more than $2.5 million, according to people involved in the bidding process for the book.

Limousine Firm Denies Allegations  —  Cunningham Was Not Provided With Prostitutes, Official Says  —  The president of a limousine company questioned in a congressional bribery investigation has denied accusations that he or his company provided prostitutes to convicted former congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham or anyone else.

'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for Jan. 24th  —  KEITH OLBERMANN, HOST: Which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow?  —  The CIA leak indictment.  It not only says Libby on the label, it also says top secret.  Why Scooter wants to keep part of the trial out of the public eye.

The Great Republican Rebranding  —  Sen. Rick Santorum wanted to talk.  —  His purpose, he said over breakfast earlier this week in the Senate dining room, was to "tell the other side of the story" about his record, which his foes use to cast him as — these are his words — "a mean-spirited, hard-right country club Republican."

Mandate for ID Meets Resistance From States  —  Reacting to the Sept. 11 attacks, Congress passed the Real ID law last year, intending to make it tougher for terrorists to obtain driver's licenses and for people without proper identification to board planes or enter federal buildings.