Hillary lashes out at Ann Coulter  —  WASHINGTON - New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton lashed out at Ann Coulter for a "vicious, mean-spirited attack" on a group of outspoken 9/11 widows, whom the right-wing television pundit described as "self-obsessed" and enjoying their husbands' deaths.

Narrow Victory by G.O.P. Signals Fall Problems  —  SAN DIEGO, June 7 — The victory that Republicans squeezed out in a high-profile race to fill a Congressional vacancy here eased party anxieties Wednesday but signaled future difficulties as they confront tougher Democratic challenges in increasingly contested districts this fall.

Supporters lose in gay marriage ban vote  —  WASHINGTON - The Senate on Wednesday rejected a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, dealing a defeat to President Bush and Republicans who hoped to use the measure to energize conservative voters on Election Day.

Official of U.N. Says Americans Undermine It With Criticism  —  UNITED NATIONS, June 6 — Secretary General Kofi Annan's deputy assailed the United States on Tuesday for withholding support from the United Nations, encouraging its harshest detractors and undermining an institution that he said Washington needed more than it would admit.

Self-Loathing and the Denial of Terrorism  —  You're an enlightened world citizen.  Your T-shirt says "9/11 was an inside job."  You're pretty sure we're living in a fascist state, that President Bush taps the Dixie Chicks' phones, Christian abortion clinic bombers outnumber jihadis …

Media Death Watch in action on purported kidnapped Canadian soldier  —  Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan: Earlier this week, Glenn Reynolds reproduced an informal email from Afghanistan, which included an anecdote about the Canadian media maintaining the "Death Watch" (their own words) at Kandahar Airfield.

Officer at Fort Lewis calls Iraq war illegal, refuses order to go  —  In a rare case of officer dissent, a Fort Lewis Army lieutenant has refused orders to head out to Iraq this month to lead troops in what he believes is an illegal war of occupation.  —  1st Lt. Ehren Watada's Stryker brigade …

DeLay's Parting Advice: Ignore the Press, Stand on Principle  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay urged colleagues Wednesday to "stand on principle" and ignore the media in a farewell speech to fellow House Republicans at their weekly private meeting.

Data Theft Affected Most in Military  —  Social Security numbers and other personal information for as many as 2.2 million U.S. military personnel — including nearly 80 percent of the active-duty force — were among the data stolen from the home of a Department of Veterans Affairs analyst last month …

S. J. Res. 1: Marriage Protection Amendment  —  AP reports: … Technically, the Senate didn't reject it.  All that happened was that a cloture motion failed.  Yet, setting aside that minor point, why should this vote - or even passage of the amendment - "energize conservative voters"?