Privately Funded Trips Add Up on Capitol Hill  —  Over 5 1/2 years, Republican and Democratic lawmakers accepted nearly $50 million in trips, often to resorts and exclusive locales, from corporations and groups seeking legislative favors, according to the most comprehensive study to date on the subject of congressional travel.

Fitzgerald, Scooter and Us  —  The special prosecutor wants to use our editorial as evidence.  Sorry. … Those words appeared in this column on July 17, 2003, under the headline "Yellowcake Remix."  Three years later they show we were right about Joe Wilson and his false allegation …

The Real Iraq  —  Spending time in the United States after a tour of Iraq can be a disorienting experience these days.  Within hours of arriving here, as I can attest from a recent visit, one is confronted with an image of Iraq that is unrecognizable.  It is created in several overlapping ways …

Clinton Is the Life of the Democratic Party  —  WASHINGTON, June 5 — In what promises to be his most intensive campaign season since he left office, former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to appear at more than two dozen fund-raisers for Democrats around the country …

AP: U.S. to Give Iran Nuclear Technology  —  A package of incentives presented Tuesday to Iran includes a provision for the United States to supply Tehran with some nuclear technology if it stops enriching uranium _ a major concession by Washington, diplomats said.

Peruvians elect Garcia president  —  With most of the votes counted in the second round of Peru's election, it has become clear that ex-president Alan Garcia has won a convincing victory.  —  Mr Garcia polled 53.1% of ballots to 46.9 % for nationalist rival Ollanta Humala, with 93% of votes counted.

Base Assumptions  —  This month's offensive by President Bush and his allies in Congress against gay marriage and flag burning proves one thing: The Republican Party thinks its base of social conservatives is a nest of dummies who have no memories and respond like bulls whenever red flags are waved in their faces.

Inside the Cult of Kos  —  What makes the political blogger so mesmerizing to his followers?  —  "If I cared what commenters said, I'd kill myself."  In the high-octane non-stop flame war that is the political blogosphere, Markos Moulitsas Zuniga knows how to get attention.  He's kidding, of course.

Court to Weigh Race as Factor in School Rolls  —  WASHINGTON, June 5 — The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to rule on what measures, if any, public school systems may use to maintain racial balance in individual schools.  —  The eventual decision on whether they can take race into account …

And the Band Played On...  When I was in junior high and high school, my hairdresser was a flaming queen of a man named Rick.  It was the 80s, so he can be forgiven for the bright red jumpsuit and matching cowboy boots ensemble, but for a gay man who lived in West Virginia …

Special forces to use strap-on 'stealth wings'  —  Elite special forces troops being dropped behind enemy lines on covert missions are to ditch their traditional parachutes in favour of strap-on stealth wings.  —  The lightweight carbon fibre mono-wings will allow them to jump from high altitudes …

The wrong target  —  Terrorism, not America, is a real and present threat to our freedoms  —  Al-Haditha, a town on the Euphrates northwest of Baghdad, is still a place where fighters blend into the populace and literally use civilians as cover.  Coalition forces may shoot only when threatened …

In close SoCal race, Democrat's immigration remarks draw fire  —  CARLSBAD, Calif. - Republicans seized on Democrat Francine Busby's comments that sounded like encouragement for illegal aliens to help her campaign as the GOP sought an edge in the final hours of a surprisingly close House race.

Another Terrorist Attack Coming Soon?  —  CBS News: U.S. Officials Believe Recent Incidents Point To An Imminent Threat  —  (CBS) U.S. officials believe Canadian arrests over the weekend and three recent domestic incidents in the United States are evidence the U.S. will soon be hit again by a terrorist attack.

Chill out over global warming  —  You'll often hear the left lecture about the importance of dissent in a free society.  —  Why not give it a whirl?  —  Start by challenging global warming hysteria next time you're at a LoDo cocktail party and see what happens.  —  Admittedly, I possess virtually no expertise in science.

Debate Over Wind Power Creates Environmental Rift  —  The 44 wind turbines near Thomas, W.Va., have been lethal to bats.  The turbines are owned FPL Energy, the wind industry's dominant player.  —  OAKLAND, Md. — Dan Boone has no doubt that his crusade against wind energy is the right way to protect the Allegheny highlands he loves.

No Escaping Iraq Violence  —  Gunmen abduct more than 50 at a bus zone in Baghdad, where daily life can be torn apart without warning.  —  BAGHDAD — Clad in camouflage uniforms, the gunmen came peeling through the thick morning heat in police trucks.  They stopped at a downtown strip …

Legal Overkill  —  It is the duty of a lawyer to be zealous in defending the interests of a client or in advancing a particular legal or policy agenda.  But unbounded zealotry not only fails to take into account facts that must be dealt with in good faith, it also serves at times to generate …

Unblinking Observer  —  Photographs Show a War Beyond Investigations  —  The Iraq war is the first major conflict fought in what might be called the age of the new Panopticon.  The English philosopher Jeremy Bentham coined the term in the late 18th century to describe a prison …