Senators Snatch Defeat From Jaws of Victory: U.S. to be First Nation to Authorize Violations of Geneva  —  I hope that that headline is a gross exaggeration, but based on a few quick seconds purusing the "compromise," I'm afraid it's not.  [The Administration appears to agree.

Leading Bush critic at home calls Chavez a "thug"  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One of President George W. Bush's fiercest political opponents at home took his side on Thursday, calling Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez a "thug" for his remark that Bush is like the devil.

Iraq torture 'worse after Saddam'  —  Torture may be worse now in Iraq than under former leader Saddam Hussein, the UN's chief anti-torture expert says.  —  Manfred Nowak said the situation in Iraq was "out of control", with abuses being committed by security forces, militia groups and anti-US insurgents.

Fauxtography at the United Nations  —  Salam Daher, also known as "Green Helmet Guy," the corpse-posing ghoul from Qana photographed by discredited Reuters propagandist Adnan Hajj, makes it to the podium of the UN General Assembly via Hizballah's poodle, Emile Lahoud: … UPDATE at 9/21/06 11:05:53 am:

Lawyers call for science to clear AIDS nurses in Libya  —  Lawyers defending six medical workers who risk execution by firing squad in Libya have called for the international scientific community to support a bid to prove the medics' innocence.  The six are charged with deliberately infecting …

Pakistani clerics demand pope's removal  —  LAHORE, Pakistan - About 1,000 Muslim clerics and religious scholars meeting Thursday in eastern Pakistan demanded the removal of Pope Benedict XVI for making what they called "insulting remarks" against Islam.  —  Benedict "should be removed …

Why We Need a National School Test  —  We need to find better and more efficient ways to produce an educated population and close the achievement gaps in our education system.  Americans do ultimately get themselves educated — at work, after school, online, in adulthood — but a lot of time and money are wasted in the process.

U.S. threatened to bomb Pakistan after 9/1: Musharraf  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan said that after the September 11 attacks the United States threatened to bomb his country if it did not cooperate with America's campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Mahmoun's Style  —  I keep talking about this with people in real life, but it deserves a blog mention as well — Mahmoun Ahmadinejad has a pretty sweet hipster style.  It all starts with a beard not unlike the one I and many of my twentysomething male friends sport.  But it goes deeper.

Judge Hands Libby Defense Initial Win  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge handed a victory to the defense Thursday in the Valerie Plame case, siding with Vice President Dick Cheney's indicted former chief of staff in a fight over release of classified information.

Bush and GOP Making Gains Among Voters  —  The turnaround is a sign that the election battle in November could be fierce.  But history shows Democrats remain poised to claim seats.  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush's approval rating has reached its highest level since January …