Iraqi: U.S. Bodies Showed Signs of Torture  —  An Iraqi military official said Tuesday that the bodies of two missing U.S. soldiers showed signs of torture, and that men appeared to have been killed "in a barbaric way."  Also, the umbrella group for Iraqi insurgents claimed responsibility for the soldiers' deaths.

Star Wars: The Sequel  —  Quietly, almost imperceptibly, outside the glare of the Beltway and beyond the daily chaos of the war on terror, the US military is continuing to piece together an international missile defense system (IMD).  Indeed, spring 2006 has brought with it new support …

The Shadow War, In a Surprising New Light  —  a Washington Post staff writer who reports on intelligence and national security … Simon & Schuster.  368 pp.  $27  —  This is an important book, filled with the surest sign of great reporting: the unexpected.

THE SAUDI 9/11 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM  —  This is not a joke: Saudis Offered Scholarships for Aviation Courses in US. … Do they get summer internships with the Air Marshals program, too?  —  Flashback from March 2006...Thank President Bush: … And don't forget The Diversity, The Diversity!

Revived Taliban waging 'full-blown insurgency'  —  PANJWAI DISTRICT, Afghanistan — In their biggest show of strength in nearly five years, pro-Taliban fighters are terrorizing southern Afghanistan — ambushing military patrols, assassinating opponents and even enforcing the law in remote villages where they operate with near impunity.

New Details on Al Masri  —  Guest post by Alexis Debat, terrorism consultant for ABC News, a senior fellow at The Nixon Center and a contributing editor to The National Interest  —  The mystery man named again today by US authorities as a successor to Abu Musab al Zarqawi is an Egyptian …

GOP leaders: No immigration bill this year  —  WASHINGTON - In a defeat for President Bush, Republican congressional leaders said Tuesday that broad immigration legislation is all but doomed for the year, a victim of election-year concerns in the House and conservatives' implacable opposition …

AQI Top 5 Terrorist Killed (Update: Confirmed, Perhaps Plus Another AQI Leader Captured)  —  CENTCOM announced minutes ago that one of the men expected to take the place of the now-room temperature Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has also reached thermal equilibrium near Baghdad.

The 20th Of The Month = $$ Time For Parties  —  It's the 20th of the month, which means it's time for a check-up of national campaign committee finances.  —  The National Republican Senatorial Committee raised $4.3 million and spent nearly the same, ending the month with $18 million on hand.

High Infidelity  —  What if three admitted adulterers run for president and no one cares?  —  Last month, The New York Times published a 2,000-word, front-page dissection of Bill and Hillary Clinton's marriage.  It contained no real news, few named sources, and plenty of gossip masquerading as political coverage.

Kerry extends troop withdrawal date  —  Pushes 2007 deadline in proposal to remove US soldiers from Iraq  —  WASHINGTON — Senator John F. Kerry is pushing back by six months the deadline he wants to set for removing combat troops from Iraq, as he seeks to build support in the Senate for his plan for troop withdrawal.

The Way Out of Iraq: A Road Map  —  There has been much talk about a withdrawal of U.S. and coalition troops from Iraq, but no defined timeline has yet been set.  There is, however, an unofficial "road map" to foreign troop reductions that will eventually lead to total withdrawal of U.S. troops.

TruthNot Explains All  —  TruthNot, having promised "a more comprehensive accounting" of their "Rove Indicted" debacle from last May 13, delivers a compelling graphic explaining why Special Counsel Fitzgerald can't be stopped in his pursuit of the Evildoers.

Jesus Is Not a Republican  —  In November 2002, 30 years after my previous visit to Wheaton College to hear George McGovern, I approached the podium in Edman Chapel to address the student body.  At evangelical colleges like Wheaton, in Illinois, there are two kinds of required gatherings: chapel and convocation.

Dan Rather Signs Off  —  Veteran Newsman Exits CBS After 44 Years With Tiffany Network  —  (CBS) Dan Rather is leaving CBS after 44 years with the Tiffany Network.  —  Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports, made the announcement.  —  "Of all the famous names associated with CBS News …

Remarks by the President at the 2006 President's Dinner  —  Washington, D.C.  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much.  (Applause.)  Thank you, please be seated.  Thanks for the warm welcome.  (Applause.)  —  Jim, thanks very much for your introduction.  Thanks for your leadership for this incredibly successful dinner.

The Race for Iran  —  AS the world watches the political maneuvering over restarting nuclear talks with Iran — this time with American participation — few are paying attention to a broader strategic competition that has started between the United States, Russia and China.