Dispatches From the Scooter Libby Trial  —  I wanted to raise my hand and ask, "Your Honor, may I approach the bench?"  —  I was at the Scooter Libby trial to cover it, and all of a sudden, I found myself in the middle of the case.  In his testimony today, former White House press secretary …

With Iran Ascendant, U.S. Is Seen at Fault  —  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Kuwait rarely rebuffs its ally, the United States, partly out of gratitude for the 1991 Persian Gulf War.  But in October it reneged on a pledge to send three military observers to an American-led naval exercise in the Gulf …

Bush Directive Increases Sway on Regulation  —  President Bush has signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.

Only the US hawks can save the Iranian president now  —  Ahmadinejad is failing to deliver for the poor and losing support, but he could yet survive because of the international threat  —  The honeymoon is over.  Iran's controversial president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has finally come unstuck.

Missteps by Iraqi Forces in Battle Raise Questions  —  Iraqi forces were surprised and nearly overwhelmed by the ferocity of an obscure renegade militia in a weekend battle near the holy city of Najaf and needed far more help from American forces than previously disclosed, American and Iraqi officials said Monday.

Cease-fire starts taking hold in Gaza  —  GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - A cease-fire started taking hold in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, after five days of intense Hamas- Fatah fighting that left 34 people dead.  —  However, previous truce deals struck in recent weeks of factional clashes quickly collapsed …

KLEIN, MAN OF SUBSTANCE, DEFENDS BRODER'S SUBSTANCE-FREE ATTACK ON HILLARY.  —  Over at Swampland, Joe Klein responds to Atrios and Matthew Yglesias by defending David Broder's silly column attacking Hillary Clinton for not asking questions at the Senate hearing on General Petraeus.  Klein writes:

What the President Got Right  —  GIVE BUSH CREDIT FOR HIS ENERGY PROPOSAL.  —  It "fell far short" (Washington Post editorial) and offers only "marginal" gains (New York Times editorial) and is "nonsense" (Charles Krauthammer) and "isn't much" (Thomas Friedman).

All the Old Dudes  —  "A man could make a fortune selling Geritol to these people."  —  Capitalist stooge that I am, that was my first reaction upon reaching the Washington Mall last Saturday to observe tens of thousands of demonstrators rally against the war in Iraq.

Priest who served in Congress dies at 86  —  WASHINGTON - The Rev. Robert Drinan, a Jesuit priest elected to Congress on an anti-war platform during the height of the Vietnam War, has died.  A staunch human rights advocate, he also worked for desegregation, impeachment of a president and abolishment of the draft.