Blowback  —  Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from our readers.  Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand.  A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

As Trial Begins, Cheney's Ex-Aide Is Still a Puzzle  —  Paradox seems to define I. Lewis Libby Jr., who remains a bit mysterious even to close colleagues.  He is the White House policy enforcer who also wrote a literary novel; a buttoned-down Washington lawyer who likes knocking back tequila shots …

An Apology to Detainees' Attorneys  —  During a radio interview last week, I brought up the topic of pro bono work and habeas corpus representation of detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  Regrettably, my comments left the impression that I question the integrity of those engaged in the zealous defense of detainees in Guantanamo.

President Bush Defends Decision to Send Additional Troops to Iraq  —  JIM LEHRER: Mr. President, welcome.  —  PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Thank you, sir.  —  MR. LEHRER: How do you feel about the way the Iraqi government handled the hangings of Saddam Hussein, and now more recently, two of his top aides?

Saudis consider sending troops to Iraq  —  Government 'deeply skeptical' al-Maliki can make Bush surge plan work  —  Saudi Arabia believes the Iraqi government is not up to the challenge and has told the United States that it is prepared to move its own forces into Iraq should the violence …

The big question about Barack Obama  —  CHICAGO — Two years in the U.S. Senate.  Seven years in the Illinois Senate.  One loss in a primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives.  One stirring keynote address at a Democratic National Convention.  Two best-selling books.

Frist looking at governor run in 2010  —  Former Majority Leader Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) is seriously considering a gubernatorial run in Tennessee in 2010, possibly setting up a White House bid further down the road.  —  Sources in Washington and Tennessee say Frist, who will turn 55 next month …

CONFLICT IN IRAQ  —  Iraq refugee crisis exploding  —  40% of middle class believed to have fled crumbling nation  —  (01-16) 04:00 PST Washington — Iraq is in the throes of the largest refugee crisis in the Middle East since the Palestinian exodus from Israel in 1948 …

What $1.2 Trillion Can Buy  —  The human mind isn't very well equipped to make sense of a figure like $1.2 trillion.  We don't deal with a trillion of anything in our daily lives, and so when we come across such a big number, it is hard to distinguish it from any other big number.

Three Time [Loser] Winner  —  There just didn't seem to be any other way to explain why I'm not going to be present for the first two weeks of the Libby trial so I decided to resort to the truth.  —  As someone who has devoted years to building this blog around coverage of the CIA leak investigation …

Anti-Buildup Measure to Have Bipartisan Stamp  —  Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, an outspoken Republican critic of the administration's Iraq policy, will join two leading Democrats in introducing a resolution opposing President Bush's buildup of troops in Iraq, putting a bipartisan stamp …

Philippines says Abu Sayyaf leader killed in clash  —  MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines said on Wednesday that troops had killed the top planner of the country's most deadly Islamic militant group in a clash at a rebel jungle camp in the southwest.  —  Abu Sulaiman, one of the top five leaders …

Castro surgery seems to have been botched: experts  —  MIAMI (Reuters) - Cuban leader Fidel Castro has long prided himself on Cuba's doctors and free public health care system, but that system seems to have let him down after he fell ill in July , U.S.-based doctors said on Tuesday.

Iran shoots down U.S. spy drone amid growing military pressure  —  TEHRAN, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) — Iranian troops have shot down a U.S. pilotless spy plane recently, an Iranian lawmaker announced on Tuesday as the Islamic Republic was facing increasing military pressure from its arch rival — the United States.