Shiite Militia Clashes With Iraqi Forces, Killing 15  —  Members of a Shiite militia killed at least 15 Iraqi soldiers in fierce fighting today in the southern city of Diwaniya, Iraqi officials said.  —  Some of the soldiers were executed in a public square after they ran out of ammunition …

Sources: Karr's DNA not a match, charges won't be filed  —  KUSA - 9NEWS has confirmed from two sources that the DNA taken from John Mark Karr does not match the DNA samples taken from the crime scene in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case.  —  9NEWS has also confirmed from different sources …

Year After Katrina, Bush Still Fights for 9/11 Image  —  When the nation records the legacy of George W. Bush, 43rd president and self-described compassionate conservative, two competing images will help tell the tale.  —  The first is of Mr. Bush after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks …

Shopping for Support Down the Wrong Aisle  —  Once upon a time, smart Democrats defended globalization, open trade and the companies that thrive within this system.  They were wary of tethering themselves to an anti-trade labor movement that represents a dwindling fraction of the electorate.

Life and Death  —  Western guilt blinds us to the nature of Islamic extremism.  —  The simple back-and-forth of war can create the illusion that both sides have a legitimate point to make even when this is not so, and it is clear that Hezbollah's cause has greatly benefited from war's "equalizing" effect.

Eyeless in Gaza  —  The engine of a Qassam rocket fired from Gaza into Israel by Palestinian terrorists  —  SOUTHERN ISRAEL, NEAR GAZA - All eyes turned from Gaza to Lebanon as Israel fought a hot war with Hezbollah across its northern border.  Before the Lebanon war broke out …

Why we don't believe you  —  Does the mainstream press ever wonder why conservatives distrust them so much?  —  If so, they need look no further than the "fauxtography" scandals of the last couple of weeks.  Conservative bloggers have been hard at work sniffing out suspected fakery and staging …

FauxPhotography: The NYT cheesecake shot isn't photoshopped  —  Four different people have sent me this alleging that the mike cord has been photoshopped out:  —  Yeah, it looks weird, but there's an innocent explanation.  And the site we owe our thanks to for getting to the bottom of it is ... no, I can't say it.

Securing Future Fiscal Health  —  The economic and moral case for long-term reform of fiscal policy is clear.  Yet politicians refuse to act.  If this stalemate persists, it could end in catastrophe.  —  Over the next 30 years, spending on federal programs is on track to go up by 50 percent as a share of the economy.

Blogosphere Unites in Pursuit of Masked Senator  —  Who's trying to stop the government from telling its citizens where their tax dollars are being spent?  Help find out.  —  Just before the August recess, the Senate was set to vote on a bill co-sponsored by Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL) …

Election In The Streets  —  How The Broadcast Networks Promote Illegal Immigration  —  Executive Summary  —  Spurred by a passionate public outcry against the tide of illegal immigration, on December 16, 2005, the House of Representatives passed a bill to curb the flow of illegal aliens …

Cheney Chooses Chief Propagator of False Iraq-9/11 Link To Be Official Biographer  —  Vice President Cheney — "the man running the country" — is now working on an official biography.  —  But don't hold out any hope that the biography will offer any revealing insight into "Dick Cheney's dark, secretive mind-set."

Headteacher who never taught again after daring to criticise multiculturalism  —  Early yesterday afternoon, Ray Honeyford was listening with unconcealed delight to the radio commentary from the C&G Cup final at Lord's cricket ground as the Sussex batsmen, already 68 for 5, battled to find some form.

Israeli general plots war with Iran  —  JERUSALEM — Israel has appointed a top general to oversee a war against Iran, prompting speculation that it is preparing for possible military action against Tehran's nuclear program.  —  Maj. Gen. Elyezer Shkedy, Israel's air force chief …

'Chris Matthews' Turns 5  —  Chris Matthews' syndicated political talk show has its fifth anniversary next month.  His MSNBC program Hardball may get more buzz, but The Chris Matthews Show, from NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution, is a force as well.

Ohio Governor: Strickland Lead Widens to 25 Points  —  Blackwell (R) 32% Strickland (D) 57%  —  During the past several months, Democratic Congressman Ted Strickland's edge over Republican Secretary of State Ken Blackwell has ranged from four to seventeen percentage points.

Washington hit by curse of the kid bloggers  —  AS the leader of the Republican party in the US Senate and a possible presidential candidate, Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee has a reputation for sober rectitude.  The same cannot be said of his son Jonathan, a Vanderbilt University student …

America: More Like Sweden Than You Thought  —  One of the joys of my working life is that I get to read papers like "The State of Working America" from the Economic Policy Institute.  They are, as you may know, the people who urge that the USA become more like the European countries, most especially the Scandinavian ones.

Sir Alfred Sherman  —  Sir Alfred Sherman, who died on Saturday aged 86, was the former Communist who became one of Margaret Thatcher's earliest intellectual soulmates when she succeeded Edward Heath as Opposition leader.  —  In 1974 he co-founded, with Sir Keith Joseph and Mrs Thatcher …