Politics of the Altar  —  GOP leaders are putting gay marriage back on the agenda.  Will voters respond?  —  June 12, 2006 issue - Back in 2004, suburban Seattle pastor Alec Rowlands watched with dismay as gay couples in Massachusetts flocked to courthouses and churches, exchanged vows and walked away legally wed.

In Bomb Plot News Coverage, a Toronto Newspaper Shines  —  TORONTO, June 4 — The competition between Toronto's four major daily newspapers is often intense, particularly over crime news.  But its results are rarely as one-sided as the coverage that followed the arrests of 17 Ontario residents …

Army Manual to Skip Geneva Detainee Rule  —  The Pentagon's move to omit a ban on prisoner humiliation from the basic guide to soldier conduct faces strong State Dept. opposition.  —  WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has decided to omit from new detainee policies a key tenet of the Geneva Convention …

Reward for the Hereditary Elite . . .  It doesn't matter if you are liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican.  There is no possible excuse for doing what Congress is poised to do this week: Abolish the estate tax.  —  The federal government faces a future of expanding deficits.

Uncovering Iraq's Horrors in Desert Graves  —  ON THE EDGE OF THE ASH SHAM DESERT, Iraq, June 3 — Among experts on the American-led team investigating Iraq's mass graves, the skeletal remains lying face-up at the rear of the tangled grave here have been given a name — the Blue Man …

The Truth, John Kerry, and The New York Times  —  Kate Zernike's story on the front page of the Memorial Day Sunday New York Times, "Kerry Pressing Swift Boat Case Long After Loss," is an unfortunate reminder of the Times's embarrassingly poor coverage of Kerry in the face of the Swift Boat Veterans …

Bar group will review Bush's legal challenges  —  WASHINGTON — The board of governors of the American Bar Association voted unanimously yesterday to investigate whether President Bush has exceeded his constitutional authority in reserving the right to ignore more than 750 laws that have been enacted since he took office.

Medical Privacy Law Nets No Fines  —  Lax Enforcement Puts Patients' Files At Risk, Critics Say  —  In the three years since Americans gained federal protection for their private medical information, the Bush administration has received thousands of complaints alleging violations …

Bush Knows His History  —  Two weeks ago, I pointed out that we live in something close to the best of times, with record worldwide economic growth and at a low point in armed conflict in the world.  Yet Americans are in a sour mood, a mood that may be explained by the lack of a sense of history.

Pluribus Sine Unum  —  Will the Senate impose race-based government on Hawaii?  —  America's motto is "E pluribus unum," Latin for "Out of many, one."  Some U.S. senators seem to be reading it backward.  This week the Senate will consider legislation that would create an independent, race-based government for Native Hawaiians.

McKinney probe enters 3rd month  —  Police unions criticize U.S. attorney  —  Washington - The grand jury investigation of 4th District Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney enters its third month today with no hint from the federal prosecutor about how much longer it will take to settle a case …

In State Races, Tough Questions About Abortion  —  IOWA CITY, June 2 — Even in a room of sixth graders sitting cross-legged on the floor, usually the safest of venues for political candidates, the question emerged from one sweet face: What is your position on abortion?