Powell endorses efforts to block Bush's terrorist plan  —  WASHINGTON - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday endorsed efforts by three Republican senators to block President Bush's plan to authorize harsh interrogations of terror suspects.  —  The latest sign of GOP division …

U.N. Inspectors Dispute Iran Report By House Panel  —  U.N. inspectors investigating Iran's nuclear program angrily complained to the Bush administration and to a Republican congressman yesterday about a recent House committee report on Iran's capabilities, calling parts of the document …

Ex-Texas Gov. Ann Richards dies  —  AUSTIN, Texas - Former Gov. Ann Richards, the witty and flamboyant Democrat who went from homemaker to national political celebrity, died Wednesday night after a battle with cancer, a family spokeswoman said.  She was 73.  —  She died at home surrounded by her family, the spokeswoman said.

Blair attacks Europe's "mad anti-Americans"  —  LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair launched a withering attack on Thursday on what he called "mad anti-Americanism" among European politicians.  —  Blair, U.S. President George W. Bush's closest ally in the so-called war on terror …

Liberalism as Condescension  —  EVERGREEN PARK, Ill. — This suburb, contiguous with Chicago's western edge, is 88 percent white.  A large majority of the customers of the Wal-Mart that sits here, less than a block outside Chicago, are from the city and more than 90 percent of the store's customers are African-American.

Lebanon - a reassessment  —  Anyone following the war in Lebanon in the Israeli media could not but come away engulfed in deep depression.  Israelis and their media tend to focus obsessively on themselves, their own losses and failings, remaining largely oblivious to what is happening on the other side of the divide.

Montreal Shooter a Columbine Freak  —  Not Islamic.  Goth. … Andy the Squirrel sends me a couple of sites on VampireFreaks.com to check out:  —  Still waiting for my sign-in name to be created.  Here's one quote Andy sent: … Apparently they're not going to be able to call …

Armitage's Leak  —  When Richard Armitage finally acknowledged last week that he was my source three years ago in revealing Valerie Plame Wilson as a CIA employee, the former deputy secretary of state's interviews obscured what he really did.  I want to set the record straight based on firsthand knowledge.

Hezbollah war crimes: Amnesty International cries  —  Heads up!  —  Amnesty International has introduced a comprehensive report accusing a terrorist group of war crimes.In utter defiance of the predominant American left, European and United Nations view that Israel engaged in gross war crimes …

Iraqi Official Testifies to Links Between Saddam and Al Qaeda  —  WASHINGTON — A deputy prime minister of Iraq yesterday offered a sharp contradiction of the conventional wisdom here that Saddam Hussein's Iraq and Al Qaeda had no connection before the 2003 war, flatly contradicting a recent report …

ABC's 'Path' Not Taken  —  Does it matter that ABC invented and distorted history in its "warning: this is not a documentary" docudrama, "The Path to 9/11"?  After all, the first night of the faux drama was trounced by the brother-against-brother actual drama of "Sunday Night Football."

Colombian gangsters face sex ban  —  Wives and girlfriends of gang members in one of Colombia's most violent cities have called a sex ban in a bid to get their men to give up the gun.  —  Dozens of women are said to be taking part in what is being called the "strike of crossed legs", a move backed by the mayor of Pereira.

I Love My Think Tank  —  For eight years after I got my P.h.D, I was a professor of linguistics.  I first found myself involved with the media in 1996 when the Ebonics controversy hit.  I happened to be the black linguist working closest to Oakland where the issue arose (I was at UC Berkeley), and so the media called me.

U.S. passes up chance to strike Taliban  —  Predator had suspected fighters in its sights, but military passed on shot  —  This undated photo obtained by NBC News, reportedly taken by an unmanned U.S. aircraft, shows a Taliban gathering in Afghanistan that the U.S. Army wanted to attack.  —  NBC VIDEO

Democrats Form New Group for Fund-Raising and Ads  —  Sensing both political danger and opportunity, a top Democratic operative and a group of major party donors have banded together to deliver a barrage of late advertising and on-the-ground action to secure Democratic victories in November.

In R.I., a Model for Voter Turnout  —  Employing Senate Primary Strategy May Give GOP an Edge  —  The turnout campaign that Republican operatives used to help pull Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee to victory in the Rhode Island primary was a potent demonstration of how money and manpower can transform …