Rapturous reception for Obama  —  Americans want new kind of leadership, Illinois senator says during visit  —  llinois Sen. Barack Obama made his first visit to New Hampshire yesterday, drawing the kinds of crowds and news media attention usually reserved for a sitting president or a presidential nominee.

Holocaust conference begins in Teheran  —  Iran opened a conference on the Holocaust on Monday, saying it would not be an attempt to deny the World War II genocide but merely to discuss it in an unrestricted atmosphere.  —  However, the conference was initiated by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad …

Suspicion about imams grows as terror links pile up  —  The grounded imams incident at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has been a public relations coup for the imams, their supporters and their claims that the group's only suspicious activity was saying evening prayers.

Iraq Is Failing to Spend Billions in Oil Revenues  —  Iraq is failing to spend billions of dollars of oil revenues that have been set aside to rebuild its damaged roads, schools and power stations and to repair refineries and pipelines.  —  Iraqi ministries are spending as little as 15 percent …

The Best of Both Dictators  —  The parallels are striking: Two ruthless dictators who sacrificed human rights for political aims.  Two men idolized by their followers and despised by the exiles they drove away.  Two archetypes of the Latin American strongman, one in dark sunglasses, the other with that ever-present cigar.

Jefferson Win Poses Dilemma for Party  —  His Return After Scandal Could Be Awkward for Democrats and New Orleans  —  Rep. William J. Jefferson may be a pariah in some Washington political circles, but voters in this storm-battered city weighed in over the weekend with their own verdict regarding …

Talks under way to replace Iraq PM  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Major partners in Iraq's governing coalition are in behind-the-scenes talks to oust Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki amid discontent over his failure to quell raging violence, according to lawmakers involved.

Lebanon deal in works after mass Beirut rally  —  Arab League envoy due in Beirut Monday after announcing he received positive response from Hizbullah-led pro-Syrian opposition to proposals aimed at ending political crisis which paralyzed government and raised fears of return to civil strife

Cow 'emissions' more damaging to planet than CO2 from cars  —  Meet the world's top destroyer of the environment.  It is not the car, or the plane,or even George Bush: it is the cow.  —  A United Nations report has identified the world's rapidly growing herds of cattle as the greatest threat to the climate, forests and wildlife.

Taliban and Allies Tighten Grip in North of Pakistan  —  PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Islamic militants are using a recent peace deal with the government to consolidate their hold in northern Pakistan, vastly expanding their training of suicide bombers and other recruits and fortifying alliances …

Arab states study shared nuclear program  —  RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - The oil-rich Arab states on the Persian Gulf said Sunday that they will consider starting a joint nuclear program for peaceful purposes.  —  The announcement comes as the U.S. and its allies allege Iran is developing atomic weapons …

Talk Radio, Rush Limbaugh's Personal Life  —  DEHUMANIZING RUSH  —  Even His Cat Generates Controversy  —  In the twisted world of partisan politics, how could Rush Limbaugh's cat manage to become an issue?  —  The answer is that when it comes to dehumanizing a key conservative enemy, nothing is sacred in this stage of the game.