Reclaiming the Democratic Agenda  —  Though you'd never know it from surfing the Internet, there exists in the Democratic Party a substantial body of politicians and policymakers who believe the U.S. mission in Iraq must be sustained until it succeeds; who want to intensify American attempts …

FBI Says Jefferson Was Filmed Taking Cash  —  Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.), the target of a 14-month public corruption probe, was videotaped accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from a Northern Virginia investor who was wearing an FBI wire, according to a search warrant affidavit released yesterday.

ANTI-WAR POSEUR FRONTED OUT AT HOT AIR  —  The mighty Allah at Hot Air asked if this anti-war video was fake, and the answer is OH YEAH!  —  This spindly little weasel wouldn't have made it through 10 seconds of RIP, let alone Ranger school or life in a Ranger Batt.

Whistle-Blower's Evidence, Uncut  —  Former AT&T technician Mark Klein is the key witness in the Electronic Frontier Foundation's class-action lawsuit against the telecommunications company, which alleges that AT&T cooperated in an illegal National Security Agency domestic surveillance program.

Iran denies 'mischievous' allegations on Jews  —  Iranian officials and politicians have strongly condemned a Canadian newspaper report alleging that Iran had passed a law requiring Jews to wear yellow badges on their clothes.  —  The story also claimed Christians and Zoroastrians …

Bush, Blair to announce 'phased withdrawal' from Iraq  —  Michael Smith, a reporter for the London Sunday Times, broke the Downing Street Minutes in 2004.  —  LONDON — Tony Blair and George Bush will announce that they are to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq at a summit in Washington as early as this week, RAW STORY has learned.

Elections Are Crux Of GOP's Strategy  —  Bush Aides Look to Midterm Vote as Way to Reverse Slide  —  Confronting the worst poll numbers seen in the West Wing since his father went down to defeat, President Bush and his team are focusing on the fall midterm elections as the best chance …

HILLARY IPODHAM CLINTON  —  POLITICAL PLAYER OFFERS PEEK AT HER SONG LIST  —  May 22, 2006 — WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton doesn't need "Respect" - she's already got it at the top of her iPod playlist.  —  The surprisingly tech-savvy Clinton mixes Aretha Franklin's 1967 landmark smash hit …

Rove Lawyer Has a Pet Peeve  —  Robert Luskin, Karl Rove's lawyer, says he spent most of the day on May 12 taking his cat to the veterinarian and having a technician fix his computer at home.  —  He was stunned, therefore, when journalists started calling to ask about an online report …

LISTENING IN  —  A few days before the start of the confirmation hearings for General Michael Hayden, who has been nominated by President Bush to be the head of the C.I.A., I spoke to an official of the National Security Agency who recently retired.  The official joined the N.S …

New Study of Levees Faults Design and Construction  —  NEW ORLEANS, May 21 — Most of the major breaches in the New Orleans levee system during Hurricane Katrina were caused by flaws in design, construction and maintenance — and parts of the system could still be dangerous even after the current round …

Graduates get an apology  —  NEW PALTZ - New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. told about 900 SUNY New Paltz graduates Sunday that he was sorry.  —  It wasn't an apology for anything Sulzberger, who first joined the Times in 1978 as a Washington correspondent, specifically did.

Justice prays for a Prez in 'real trouble'  —  Just how bad are things for President Bush?  —  Pretty bad, I'd say, if even Clarence Thomas is worried about him.  —  The other night at a Washington book party for the President's sister, Doro Bush Koch, the Supreme Court justice arrived with his wife …

CAIR Islamic Jihad  —  Last week, I attended the funeral for Daniel Wultz, the young boy from Weston, Florida, who was the unfortunate victim of a suicide bombing that took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, one month ago.  I stood there, amongst hundreds of people, to pay my respects to the friends and family of this beautiful boy.

Pressed by U.S., European Banks Limit Iran Deals  —  WASHINGTON, May 21 — Prodded by the United States with threats of fines and lost business, four of the biggest European banks have started curbing their activities in Iran, even in the absence of a Security Council resolution imposing economic sanctions …

Montenegro chooses independence  —  Montenegro has narrowly voted for independence from its union with Serbia, near-complete results say.  —  The head of the country's electoral commission said 55.4% of voters had voted to secede from Serbia, just above the 55% required for victory.

Response to McCain's Aide Mark Salter  —  At the risk of turning this into a battle between Mark Salter, Senator John McCain's staff-member, and myself, I'd like to comment briefly on his comment on the Huffington Post.  I'm sad to see that Mr. Salter intentionally misinterpreted my writing …

Coalition: Attacks Kill Up to 80 Taliban  —  KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A U.S.-led nighttime airstrike against a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan killed up to 80 suspected rebels, military officials said Monday.  The local governor and a doctor said 17 civilians also were killed.