Freedom Man  —  Milton Friedman had both genius and common sense.  —  PALO ALTO, Calif.—Milton Friedman was one of the very few intellectuals with both genius and common sense.  He could express himself at the highest analytical levels to his fellow economists in academic publications …

REPORT: Karl Rove May Be Leaving The White House In 'Weeks, Not Months'  —  The White House Bulletin, a service of Bulletin News, reports that White House senior political adviser Karl Rove — aka "Bush's Brain" — may soon be on his way out: … Early this year, Rove gave up his role …

Bringing the War to an End is my Highest Priority as Speaker  —  This morning, I visited our brave men and women at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center.  It is a place of prayers, of honor, of respect, and reflection.  And I left there more committed than ever to bringing the war to an end.

Iraq is a 'disaster' admits Blair  —  Tony Blair admitted that British intervention in Iraq has been a disaster last night - sending shockwaves through Westminster.  —  In his frankest admission about the war to date, Mr Blair admitted that Western forces have been powerless to stop the descent into violence.

Controversial Assignment Leads To Teacher's Resignation  —  SMITHFIELD, N.C. — A Spanish teacher at Smithfield-Selma Senior High School resigned this week after handing out an assignment that some students and parents said teaches hate.  —  Khalid Chahhou, who was in his first year of teaching …

A Second Pour of Good News About Substance in Red Wine  —  A component of red wine recently shown to help lab mice live longer also protects animals from obesity and diabetes and boosts their physical endurance, researchers reported yesterday.  —  The new research helps confirm and extend …

U.S. Searching for Americans Abducted in Southern Iraq  —  American and British military forces battled gunmen in southern Iraq today while searching for four American security guards and their Austrian colleague, who were abducted from a supply convoy Thursday afternoon at a checkpoint operated by men in Iraqi police uniforms.

Huckabee says campaign laws aid McCain  —  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Friday said potential 2008 presidential rival John McCain's campaign finance reforms gives the Republican senator an advantage over other candidates by allowing him to transfer money easily.

Turning A Corner On Iraq  —  Avoiding defeat in Iraq is an unavoidably critical national interest — for the United States as for Britain.  If potentially lethal enemies are strengthened and re-motivated, the consequences will haunt us long after the headlines about withdrawal have faded.

Pat Leahy wants to investigate Laura Ingraham  —  Now this would be just a little justice. via email: Pat Leahy at a hearing on voter fraud all but demanded that the Justice Department investigate and even prosecute Laura Ingraham for her election-day call to her listeners to jam …

The Friday Line: A Way Early Look at the '08 Senate Races  —  The Fix is nothing if not forward-looking.  With the 2006 election now 10 days past, it's time to begin handicapping the races to come in 2008.  —  We'll begin today by looking at the 10 most competitive Senate races, with a post next week on the 10 biggest House targets.

AMERICAN CULTURE HITS ITS LOWEST POINT EVER  —  Rock bottom has arrived as O.J. Simpson is being paid to speculate about the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman — murders a civil court ruled he committed.  —  As you may know, Simpson will reportedly receive $3.5 million to detail …

Man Acquitted in 9/11 Perjury Case  —  A jury in Federal District Court in Manhattan returned a verdict of not guilty in the second trial of a Jordanian immigrant who was accused of trying to mislead a grand jury investigating the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.  —  The jury of 9 women and 3 men found …

Santorum: No oval office run  —  Some backers sought an '08 campaign, but he said: "Absolutely, positively not."  —  Don't expect to see Sen. Rick Santorum's name on the 2008 presidential ballot.  —  "Absolutely, positively not.  Absolutely not," Santorum said yesterday on The Michael Smerconish Show on WPHT-AM (1210).

Houston Police Run Over Striking Janitors with Horses  —  Houston police trampled on striking janitors with horses last night.  The janitors make on average $20 a day with no health insurance.  The companies responsible?  Chevron.  And Hines Interest, the city's largest hometown building owner.