Video: Rangel says men join the army only if they can't have "a decent career"  —  Hence his support for the draft.  If even our volunteers are there involuntarily, why shouldn't everyone be? … This won't get as much attention as what Lurch said (or was understood to have said) a few weeks ago.

Do we need another T.R.?  —  If John McCain gets his way, you'll have your faith in the country restored ... or else!  —  YOU CAN READ 1,000 profiles of GOP presidential front-runner John McCain without encountering a single paragraph examining his core ideological philosophy.

Quartet of ladies shows where we're headed  —  Have you seen a movie called ''Four Jills In A Jeep''?  Don't worry, it's not at the multiplex.  It came out in 1944.  A wartime movie, about the contribution of the gals to the big existential struggle.  Great title, and downhill after that.

No  —  Look, people who advocate adding "personal accounts" to Social Security are just stupid people.  Really, just morons.  There's no reason to do it.  There's no reason to take any part of Social Security contributions and put them in a little fund account with my name on it.

U.S. involved in Iraq longer than WWII  —  WASHINGTON - The war in Iraq has now lasted longer than the U.S. involvement in the war that President Bush's father fought in, World War II.  As of Sunday, the conflict in Iraq has raged for three years and just over eight months.

Obama talks with top advisers in Iowa  —  The Illinois senator gets filled in on the caucus leadoff state as he weighs a 2008 presidential bid.  —  Democrat Barack Obama has sought the advice of top campaign workers in Iowa and has established a seedling support network in this state …

Sword of the Shia  —  He can deal out death through his black-clad followers and roil the government any time he chooses.  Why Moqtada al-Sadr may end up deciding America's fate in Iraq.  —  Wathiq Khuzaie / Getty Images for Newsweek  —  Underestimated No More: Educated Shiites once dismissed …

Bookcase 'trap' killed US woman  —  The body of a missing US woman has been found by her family, wedged upside down behind a bookcase in her room.  —  Mariesa Weber, 38, is believed to have fallen over and become trapped as she tried to reach behind the bookcase to adjust the plug for a TV set.

In New Congress, Pork May Linger  —  Senators Ted Stevens of Alaska and Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii are the best of friends in the Senate, so close they call each other brother.  Both are decorated veterans of World War II.  They have worked together for nearly four decades as senators from the two youngest and farthest-flung states.

To be scorned and shunned  —  Michael Totten trembles as the New York Times threatens to unload its ultimate weapon.  Trembles in laughter, most probably.  The NYT warned Syria that it would pay a price for its aggression.  And what a price. … But it is Russell Berman who points …

Big People on Campus  —  ASK Sheana Director for a detailed description of herself, and chances are the word fat will come up.  It is not uttered with shame or ire or any sense of embarrassment; it's simply one of the things she is, fat.  —  "Why should I be ashamed?" said Ms. Director …

Lott Attacks Rove, Says 'I've Had Problems With Some Of His Conduct'  —  Earlier this month, rumors began swirling that Karl Rove may soon leave the White House, in part because he and incoming Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-MS) have failed to get along.

Officer in Bush Motorcade Accident Dies  —  A motorcycle officer injured last week while escorting President Bush in the islands died Sunday, police said.  —  Steve Favela, 30, and two other officers crashed their cycles as the presidential motorcade was traveling across Hickam Air Force Base …

Home Schoolers Content to Take Children's Lead  —  On weekdays, during what are normal school hours for most students, the Billings children do what they want.  One recent afternoon, time passed loudly, and without order or lessons, in their home in a North Side neighborhood here.

Weapon Of Mass Destruction  —  In the grand narrative of World War II, the Battle of Bryansk is a minor conflict, barely deserving of a footnote.  But Bryansk has another place in history.  It was there that a then-unknown tank commander named Mikhail Kalashnikov decided that his Russian comrades would never again be defeated.