Stepping Into Iraq  —  Saudi Arabia Will Protect Sunnis if the U.S. Leaves  —  In February 2003, a month before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, warned President Bush that he would be "solving one problem and creating five more" if he removed Saddam Hussein by force.

Ahmadinejad's letter to Americans  —  [Editor's note: This is the full text of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's open letter to "the American People," as supplied to CNN.]  —  (CNN) — In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful  —  O, Almighty God, bestow upon humanity …

Frist will not seek presidency in 2008  —  WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Wednesday he will not run for president in 2008, a high-profile campaign dropout more than a year before the first convention delegates are chosen.  —  "In the Bible, God tells us for everything there is a season …

AP Defies Military, Bloggers on Story of 6 Iraqis Set on Fire  —  NEW YORK The U.S. military and conservative bloggers, such as Michelle Malkin, lined up on one site, The Associated Press on the other.  Now the AP has taken a stronger stand and charged its critics with making "ludicrous" claims.

Pro-Peace Symbol Forces Win Battle in Colorado Town  —  Peace is fighting back in Pagosa Springs.  —  Last week, a couple were threatened with fines of $25 a day by their homeowners' association unless they removed a four-foot wreath shaped like a peace symbol from the front of their house.

HANK'S NEW LADY  —  GREENBERG PUTS SQUEEZE ON PINCH'S PAPER  —  Billionaire insurance titan Maurice "Hank" Greenberg has begun buying huge blocks of New York Times stock to break the Sulzberger family's stranglehold on the media empire, The Post has learned.

Baker Panel Aide Expects Israel Will Be Pressed  —  WASHINGTON — An expert adviser to the Baker-Hamilton commission expects the 10-person panel to recommend that the Bush administration pressure Israel to make concessions in a gambit to entice Syria and Iran to a regional conference on Iraq.

U.S. Bans Sale of IPods to North Korea  —  WASHINGTON — The Bush administration wants North Korea's attention, so like a scolding parent it's trying to make it tougher for that country's eccentric leader to buy iPods, plasma televisions and Segway electric scooters.

The N-Word  —  UNMENTIONABLE LESSONS OF THE MIDTERM AFTERMATH.  —  There's been something weird about the denouement of the midterm elections, starting with the pronounced absence of Democratic triumphalism.  The prevailing mood has been stunned relief rather than glee …

Radioactive traces on BA planes  —  Traces of a radioactive substance have been found on two British Airways planes at Heathrow Airport, says BA.  —  The planes, plus a third in Moscow, are being tested as part of the probe into the death from radiation poisoning of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko.

Freshly Baked Handouts Forbidden in Fairfax  —  County Says Health Of Homeless Is at Issue  —  The casserole has been canned.  —  Under a tough new Fairfax County policy, residents can no longer donate food prepared in their homes or a church kitchen — be it a tuna casserole …