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.

Anti-war video bogus?  —  I can't get this to load, but I'm putting the link out there anyway because someone sent me a long message this morning questioning its veracity.  Not just the claims that are made, either; I'm talking about mistakes in his uniform, etc.

Thieves Steal Personal Data of 26.5M Vets  —  WASHINGTON - Thieves took sensitive personal information on 26.5 million U.S. veterans, including Social Security numbers and birth dates, after a Veterans Affairs employee improperly brought the material home, the government said Monday.

Cheney's Guy  —  He's barely known outside Washington's corridors of power, but David Addington is the most powerful man you've never heard of.  Here's why:  —  One week after the September 11 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush briefly turned his gaze away from the unfolding crisis …

Something frighteningly ominous has been happening on the Internet lately: Google, without any prior explanation or notice, has been terminating its News relationship with conservative e-zines and web journals.  —  At first blush, one can easily ignore such business decisions by the most powerful company …

MSNBC: Rove's legal team expects decision 'at any time'  —  MSNBC's David Shuster declared Monday evening that Karl Rove's legal team expects Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald to announce a decision "at any time" in the ongoing CIA leak investigation and that new documents put Cheney's former chief of staff in the hot seat.

Dodd Poised For Possible '08 Presidential Run  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Christopher J. Dodd said today he has "decided to do all the things that are necessary to prepare to seek the presidency in 2008."  —  The Connecticut Democrat will hire staff, raise money and travel around the country …

Bush's faith worries Albright  —  LONDON, England (Reuters) — U.S. President George W. Bush has alienated Muslims around the world by using absolutist Christian rhetoric to discuss foreign policy issues, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright says.  —  "I worked for two presidents …

DaVinci Code as Parable of American Modernity  —  Despite the scowls and titters of the critics, the DaVinci Code did $77 million at the box office in the US, better than Tom Cruise pulled in MI3.  And the world-wide gross is already $224 million.  —  What in the world accounts for the popularity …

MCGREEVEY'S GAY ROAD THRILL  —  MEMOIR BARES HIGHWAY HOOKUPS  —  May 22, 2006 — Jim McGreevey shockingly admits that before he became governor of New Jersey, he'd have anonymous gay sex at Garden State highway rest stops.  —  "All I knew was that my behavior was getting crazier and crazier …

PRESS RELEASE: AMIR TAHERI ADDRESSES QUERIES ABOUT DRESS CODE STORY  —  Regarding the dress code story it seems that my column was used as the basis for a number of reports that somehow jumped the gun.  —  As far as my article is concerned I stand by it.  —  The law has been passed …

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 …

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 …

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.

Drudge 'retracts' story on Howard Dean after receiving letter from DNC lawyer  —  Drudge story includes Raw Story quote  —  Conservative heavyweight Matt Drudge has all but retracted a story about Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean after receiving a letter from the DNC's lawyers, RAW STORY can report.

Protests, Applause Greet Rice at BC  —  A few students turned their backs but more stood to applaud as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice received an honorary degree and addressed graduates at Boston College on Monday.  —  After weeks of turmoil and anti-war protests over Rice's invitation …

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 …

How $45m secretly bought freedom of foreign hostages  —  Documents seen by The Times show three countries paid ransoms in spite of denying it in public  —  FRANCE, Italy and Germany sanctioned the payment of $45 million in deals to free nine hostages abducted in Iraq, according to documents seen by The Times.