Clinton Administration Officials Assail ABC's 'The Path to 9/11'  —  Top officials of the Clinton administration have launched a preemptive strike against an ABC-TV "docudrama," slated to air Sunday and Monday, that they say includes made-up scenes depicting them as undermining attempts to kill Osama bin Laden.

U.S. Senate panel postpones vote on Bolton nomination as U.N. ambassador  —  WASHINGTON A U.S. Senate panel postponed a vote scheduled for Thursday on the nomination of John Bolton as U.N. ambassador.  —  Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, a Republican …

President Shifts Argument, Catches Critics Off Guard  —  With a series of forceful speeches on terrorism and a dramatic announcement that he has sent top-tier terrorism suspects to the Guantanamo Bay prison, President Bush this week has demonstrated anew the power of even a weakened commander …

Blair confirms plan to stand down  —  Tony Blair has confirmed he will be stepping down as prime minister within the next 12 months.  —  Mr Blair said the Labour conference in two weeks' time would be his last.  —  He did not set a precise date but said he would do so in the future - when it was in the best interests of the country.

Divides  —  Kevin Drum was making the argument the other day that Democrats aren't really divided about national security issues.  There's something to what he's saying, but I also think it's problematic in a variety of ways.  I guess I'll try to do an opus on this subject at some point …

UPDATED: Did Scholastic Yank 'Path to 9/11' Propaganda?  —  Two days ago, I wrote about Scholastic Books catapulting the "Path to 9/11" propaganda.  More than 400 comments were made at a crossposting that I did on Daily Kos, the vast majority of the comments containing excellent suggestions for action …

Iran's Ahmadinejad Coming to New York … UNITED NATIONS — U.N. officials tell NewsMax.com "they expect" Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to travel to New York City to attend the 2006 General Assembly.  —  The controversial Iranian leader attended the 2005 GA and held several "colorful" news conferences during that visit.

Iraq takes control of military from U.S.  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Coalition forces handed over control of Iraq's armed forces command to the government Thursday, a move that U.S. officials have hailed as a crucial milestone on the country's difficult road to independence.

War turns southern women away from GOP  —  MACON, Ga. - President Bush's once-solid relationship with Southern women is on the rocks.  "I think history will show him to be the worst president since Ulysses S. Grant," said Barbara Knight, a self-described Republican since birth and the mother of three.

Poll: Many Americans Feel Less Safe  —  Five Years After 9/11, Many Feel Terror Threat Has Grown  —  (CBS) Do Americans feel safer now than before 9/11?  For many, the answer is no, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll.  —  Fifty-four percent of Americans say they generally feel safe …

One Leak and a Flood of Silliness  —  Conspiracy theories flourish in politics, and most of them have no more basis than spring training hopes for the Chicago Cubs.  —  Whenever things turn dicey for Republicans, they complain about the "liberal media" sabotaging them.

The Islamic Emirate of Waziristan and Greater Talibanistan  —  North Waziristan is not al-Qaeda's endgame, the entire border region is the target  —  References: Dawn provides an overview of the North Waziristan Truce.  Compare this to my report from Tuesday night.

Bush and Lincoln  —  Echoes of the past in today's strategic mistakes. … WASHINGTON—Five years have passed since the horrific attack on our American homeland, and, still, there is one serious, undeniable fact we have yet to confront: We are, today, not where we wanted to be and nowhere near where we need to be.

Oil Slick of Corruption Spreads South  —  DUBLIN, CA - The FBI brought in agents from all over the country, including Sacramento, to raid the offices of six Alaska legislators last week.  They were looking for illegal dealings with an Alaska-based oil firm VECO that has long been a top Republican donor.

On Austrian TV, a True Story of Captivity  —  She did not answer all the questions, let alone dispel all the mysteries.  But Natascha Kampusch, the Austrian schoolgirl held captive in a windowless cellar for eight years before she escaped two weeks ago, went public on Wednesday with a revealing, often harrowing account of her ordeal.