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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

Bolton's Spot May Sit Empty for Months  —  It's beginning to look like the post of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is once again going to be vacant for several months.  John Bolton's recess appointment ended over the weekend — he's said to be heading back to his perch …

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 …

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.

What I've Learned  —  Nearly 50 years ago, when I arrived in Minnesota as a student fresh from Africa, I had much to learn — starting with the fact that there is nothing wimpish about wearing earmuffs when it is 15 degrees below zero.  All my life since has been a learning experience.

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 …

The Point of No Return  —  Last summer, Bolten began having Bush sit down with some of the harshest critics of the war.  —  An Earful: Bush flanked by Hamilton (left) and Baker  —  Gary Ackerman is the last man you'd expect George W. Bush to turn to for advice.

Exploratory Committees Build Buzz  —  It is the season of exploration.  —  Everywhere you look, prospective 2008 presidential candidates are forming exploratory committees.  Three leading Republicans and one prominent Democrat who have long been pursuing the presidency announced such committees …

The Fifth Annual Warblogger Awards (For 2006)  —  In order to recognize the excellent work some of our fellow bloggers have been doing, RWN has put together the "5th Annual Warblogger Awards".  More than 235 bloggers were invited to vote for their favorite blog in numerous categories and 41 responded.

Imams seek to settle with airline  —  A group of Muslim imams is seeking an out-of-court settlement with US Airways, saying they should not have been removed from a Minnesota-to-Phoenix flight last month and were not behaving suspiciously.  —  Five of the six Islamic religious leaders …