LURID AP REPORT ON IRAQ OUTRAGE DOESN'T CHECK OUT  —  WELL, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior says disputed Associated Press source Jamil Hussein does exist.  But at least one story he told the AP just doesn't check out: The Sunni mosques that as Hussein claimed and AP reported as "destroyed …

EXCLUSIVE: Richardson Enters 2008 Presidential Race  —  New Mexico Governor Would Be Nation's First Hispanic President  —  The field for the Democratic presidential nomination got still more crowded this morning, with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson announcing he will take the first step …

Kurdish Iraqi soldiers are deserting to avoid the conflict in Baghdad  —  SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq - As the Iraqi government attempts to secure a capital city ravaged by conflict between Sunni and Shiite Muslim Arabs, its decision to bring a third party into the mix may cause more problems than peace.

None (but Me) Dare Call It Treason  —  At first Dinesh D'Souza considered him "a dark-eyed fanatic, a gun-toting extremist, a monster who laughs at the deaths of 3,000 innocent civilians."  But once he learned how Osama bin Laden was viewed in the Muslim world, D'Souza changed his mind.

Kristol On War Critics: 'It's So Irresponsible That They Can't Be Quiet For Six Or Nine Months'  —  This morning on Fox News, Weekly Standard editor William Kristol said that opponents of escalation in Congress are "leap-frogging each other in the degrees of irresponsibility they're willing to advocate."

Colombian Government Is Ensnared in a Paramilitary Scandal  —  The government of President Álvaro Uribe, the largest recipient of American aid outside the Middle East, has found itself ensnared in a widening scandal as revelations surface of a secret alliance between some of the president's …

Embattled, Bush Held To Plan to Salvage Iraq  —  Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had a surprise for President Bush when they sat down with their aides in the Four Seasons Hotel in Amman, Jordan.  Firing up a PowerPoint presentation, Maliki and his national security adviser proposed …

Don't you know your left from your right?  —  As a child of politicised parents, Observer columnist Nick Cohen followed in their tradition and became a trenchant voice on the liberal-left in the 1980s and 90s.  But the Iraq War changed all that and forced him to rethink.

Hands up if you've lost the plot  —  First, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad alienated the rest of the world with his religious extremism, nuclear ambitions and global grandstanding.  Now, due to domestic failures and economic incompetence, he is doing the same to ordinary Iranians  —  Imagine you are the president of Iran.

Calif. Lawmaker Seeks Ban on Spanking  —  Calif. Lawmaker to Introduce Bill That Would Ban the Spanking of Children Under 4 Years Old  —  SACRAMENTO, Calif. Jan 20, 2007 (AP)— California parents could face jail and a fine for spanking their young children under legislation a state lawmaker has promised to introduce next week.

Iran Plans to Conduct Missile War Games  —  TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran plans three days of military maneuvers, including short-range missile tests, beginning Sunday - its first since the U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions against it in late December, state-run television said.

Insurance that lets you decide your own rates  —  The governor's healthcare plan puts a premium on personal responsibility.  —  Should smokers, brie eaters and bungee jumpers bear the higher health insurance costs they inflict on others through their risky behavior?

Windows Vista Content Protection - Twenty Questions (and Answers)  —  A conversation has cropped up since the recent publication of a paper scrutinizing how Windows handles digital rights management, especially for HD video.  I've since looped back with Dave Marsh, a Lead Program Manager responsible …

Nearly 40 illegal immigrants arrested at military bases  —  ATLANTA: Nearly 40 illegal immigrants hired by contractors working on three military bases in Georgia, Virginia and Nevada were arrested over the last three days by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the agency said Friday.