Does AP Iraqi writer Qais al-Bashir have super powers?  —  It's looking like AP Baghdad correspondent Qais al-Bashir is the only one who can see this mysterious, non-existent "Captain Jamil Hussein".  Well, it's not for certain yet, but al Bashir is the common element in four stories involving Captain Snuffleupagus.

The media's sudden intense interest in the House Intelligence Committee  —  The New Republic's Michael Crowley last night noticed something about Jane Harman that has evaded most Beltway commentators, including those who have suddenly developed such a bizarre and uncharacteristic interest …

NBC Declares 'Civil War' In Iraq, McCaffrey: WH Rejection of Term 'Nonsense'  —  My antenna went up when Matt Lauer opened this morning's "Today" with these words: "Good morning.  Civil war.  A bloody weekend of sectarian clashes in Iraq and no sign it's letting up."  —  "Civil war"?

U.S. Embassy Asks Bush Twins to Leave Country  —  Joe Goldman and Rhonda Schwartz Report:  —  Amid a growing barrage of front-page headlines, U.S. embassy officials "strongly suggested" President Bush's twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara Bush, cut short their trip to Buenos Aires because of security issues …

Anbar Picture Grows Clearer, and Bleaker  —  The U.S. military is no longer able to defeat a bloody insurgency in western Iraq or counter al-Qaeda's rising popularity there, according to newly disclosed details from a classified Marine Corps intelligence report that set off debate in recent months …

Lure of Great Wealth Affects Career Choices  —  A decade into the practice of medicine, still striving to become "a well regarded physician-scientist," Robert H. Glassman concluded that he was not making enough money.  So he answered an ad in the New England Journal of Medicine from a business consulting firm hiring doctors.

Drugs are Bad...  Apparently, even nominal quantities of over-the-counter cold medications can cause you to see the most interesting things.  —  I know this, because this Reuters picture has all the earmarks of a crudely-edited PhotoShop, from the rather odd smudges and apparent artifacts around …

Is Putin Being Set Up?  —  PARIS—Whoever poisoned Alexander Litvinenko had two goals: a long and lingering death for the KGB defector and pointing a finger of accusation for his killing right in the face of Vladimir Putin.  —  Which leads me to believe Putin had nothing to do with it.

Informant in shooting says he never bought drugs at house  —  Says he was asked to lie  —  The confidential informant on whose word Atlanta police raided the house of an 88-year-old woman is now saying he never purchased drugs from her house and was told by police to lie and say he did.

Rough days...  The past four days during which we were under siege were long and rough for Baghdadis.  Anxiety and fear haunted us at our homes and a flow of horrible news made the prison feel even tighter...it was a material and psychological siege that will not be easy to forget.

Straw Strongmen  —  When I read Jonathan Chait's piece in the LA Times from yesterday, I assumed he was making a Swiftian modest proposal.  I read his piece to be a satirical left hook to the notion that the Baker Commission was going to find some magical solution to the Iraq quagmire …

In Class Warfare, Guess Which Class Is Winning  —  NOT long ago, I had the pleasure of a lengthy meeting with one of the smartest men on the planet, Warren E. Buffett, the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, in his unpretentious offices in Omaha.  We talked of many things that, I hope, will inspire me for years to come.

A Fix for Social Security?  —  How Personal Accounts Could Please Both Sides  —  The next six months could be a productive time for economic policy.  After a wasted 2005-06 cycle, in which the Bush administration approached entitlement reform too confidently and Democrats refused to talk, both sides may return to the table.

CENTRISM....Yes, centrism can be a tic.  Yes, it's often favored by DC pundits who automatically assume that bipartisanship is an inherent good regardless of its outcome.  Yes, it can sometimes be a substitute for real thought.  —  That said, I hope the liberal blogosphere doesn't get into the habit …

MAD AS HELL  —  Regular viewers of "Lou Dobbs Tonight," on CNN, might be surprised at the venue that Dobbs chose for lunch not long ago: the Grill Room of the Four Seasons, a midtown bastion of the very same political and business "élites" that he denounces daily on his television program.

Motorcycle officer dies of injuries  —  Steve Favela was badly hurt in a crash while escorting Bush's motorcade  —  Alexandre Da Silva and Rosemarie Bernardo adasilva@starbulletin.com  —  Honolulu motorcycle police officer Steve Favela died yesterday, five days after he was critically injured …