White House Drops a Condition on Interrogation Bill  —  Seeking a deal with Senate Republicans on the rules governing the interrogation of terrorism suspects, the White House has dropped its insistence on redefining the obligations of the United States under the Geneva Conventions, members of Congress and aides said Tuesday.

Doubts Increase About Strength of Iraq's Premier  —  Senior Iraqi and American officials are beginning to question whether Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has the political muscle and decisiveness to hold Iraq together as it hovers on the edge of a full civil war.

Mahmoud Goes Conspiratorial While Bush Tries Warmth  —  George Bush and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tried two completely different tactics yesterday at the UN, with both confounding expectations.  Instead of attacking the United Nations as many of his supporters would have predicted …

Carey backs Pope and issues warning on 'violent' Islam  —  THE former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey of Clifton has issued his own challenge to "violent" Islam in a lecture in which he defends the Pope's "extraordinarily effective and lucid" speech.  —  Lord Carey said that Muslims must address …

Allen Says He Embraces His Jewish Ancestry  —  Virginia Sen. George Allen (R) said for the first time publicly yesterday that he has Jewish ancestry, a day after responding angrily to an exchange that included questions about his mother's racial sensitivity and whether his family has Jewish roots.

Another fifth anniversary  —  Today is the fifth anniversary of President George W. Bush's great speech before a Joint Session of the United States Congress following the attacks of September 11, 2001.  The speech (transcript and links to video) names the enemy and declares the tactics that will be used against it.

Deval Patrick wins easily  —  Deval L. Patrick, who rose from poverty on the South Side of Chicago to corporate boardrooms and a top position in President Clinton's administration, won the Democratic Party's nomination for governor tonight, becoming the first African American to win …

H.P. Said to Have Studied Infiltrating Newsrooms  —  Hewlett-Packard conducted feasibility studies on planting spies in news bureaus of two major publications as part of an investigation of leaks from its board, an individual briefed on the company's review of the operation said yesterday.

Mubarak's Son Proposes Nuclear Program  —  Gamal Mubarak, the son of Egypt's president, proposed Tuesday that his country pursue nuclear energy, drawing strong applause from the nation's political elite, while raising expectations that Mr. Mubarak is being positioned to replace his father as president.

Well beyond satire  —  Michelle Malkin is extremely upset because three convicted Christian terrorists in Indonesia are going to be executed despite — in Michelle's words — "grave doubts raised over the fairness of the trial."  The title of her post is "Muslims will execute Christians" …

WHO WAS THE "EDUCATED PERSIAN?"  —  Since the Papal Brouhaha erupted I have been very interested in identifying the "Educated Persian" with whom Manuel II Palaiologos carried on his famous religious debates.  The answer is fascinating.  —  First, it is important to note …

Connecticut Governor: Rell Continues Romp to Reelection  —  Rell (R) 60%, DeStefano 32%  —  As political observers dissect every jolt and twitch of Connecticut's competitive U.S. Senate race, Republican Governor Jodi Rell continues to enjoy an enviable lead in the state's relatively uneventful and unremarked gubernatorial contest.

Oprah Seeks To Avoid 2008 Draft  —  Talk show host threatens legal action over fan's campaign  —  If nominated, Oprah Winfrey will serve...a cease and desist letter.  Lawyers for the talk show host are threatening legal action against a retired Kansas City teacher who has mounted …