EXCLUSIVE: Cheney Says British Troop Withdrawal Is Positive Sign  —  Vice President Tells Soldiers in Tokyo the U.S. Will Not Withdraw Until the Job Is Done  —  British Prime Minister Tony Blair's announcement that British troops will begin withdrawing from Iraq would appear to be bad news for the Bush administration.

The Defense Rests, and Not a Minute Too Soon  —  For a brief moment yesterday, Scooter Libby was not a former White House aide on trial for perjury.  He was an orphan in need of a loving home.  —  "He's been under my protection for the last month; now I'm entrusting him to you," defense lawyer Ted Wells told the puzzled jurors.

Hillary Clinton Facing Hollywood Defections — And "Clinton Fatigue"?  (UPDATED)  —  Senator Hillary Clinton's camp can't be too happy over New York Times columnist Marueen Dowd's latest column, which has some peppery words about her candidacy and her husband from Hollywood bigwig David Geffen.

Berger Case Still Roils Archives, Justice Dept.  —  In a chandeliered room at the Justice Department, the longtime head of the counterespionage section, the chief of the public integrity unit, a deputy assistant attorney general, some trial lawyers and a few FBI agents all looked down at their pant legs and socks.

Fitting the Bill  —  Why isn't Bill Richardson's presidential candidacy taken seriously?  —  On Thursday, February 8, Bill Richardson delivered a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on "The New Realism and the Rebirth of American Leadership," laying out the foreign policy vision …

Swift Action Promised at Walter Reed  —  Investigations Urged as Army Moves to Make Repairs, Improve Staffing  —  The White House and congressional leaders called yesterday for swift investigation and repair of the problems plaguing outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center …

Joint force weighs move on Sadr City  —  The vast Baghdad slum harbors a key militia but a sweep could backfire.  —  BAGHDAD — U.S. and Iraqi forces have moved aggressively in the last week to combat Sunni Arab insurgents in neighborhoods across the capital and to establish a stronger presence …

Open Letter on Iranian Holocaust Denial Conference  —  [This has been sent to me by an Iranian reader, with with a request that I post it.]  —  An open letter by a group of Iranian academics, writers, and artists regarding the Tehran Conference on Holocaust Denial

Arguing from ignorance  —  Paul Campos has beclowned himself.  He did it in the usual way, by arguing loudly about things he does not understand.  —  Campos chose to devote an entire column ("The right's Ward Churchill," Feb. 20) to a blog entry of mine from last week …

The "fantastic job" Newsweek's Richard Wolffe claims he is doing  —  At the National Press Club last night, White House spokesman Tony Snow sat down for a chat with what appeared to be some of his best friends — our nation's elite "journalists" assigned to the White House …

Ex-GOP Rep. Kasich considers run for governor  —  COLUMBUS - Former U.S. Rep. John Kasich is contemplating a run for Ohio governor 2010, prompting him to begin speaking regularly at Republican functions around the state.  —  "I've made it clear to people that I'm going to look at the governor's office …

Where Tim Hardaway Was Right  —  Recent comments by retired basketball star Tim ("I hate gay people") Hardaway did serious damage to his image and career but also unwittingly raised serious cultural issues about sexuality and gender.  —  Hardaway appropriately apologized for his harsh remarks …

The Woman in the Middle  —  Moderate Democrat Is New Target of Liberal Bloggers  —  The Democratic majority was only three weeks old, but by Jan. 26, the grass-roots and Net-roots activists of the party's left wing had already settled on their new enemy: Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher (D-Calif.) …

Black President More Likely than Mormon or Atheist  —  A recent Gallup poll reveals that Americans are much more likely to elect a black man or a woman president than a Mormon or an old man.  More interestingly, they'd rather be governed by a homosexual than an atheist:  —  Now, these numbers are prospective.

The 'Crime' Of Blogging In Egypt  —  A former college student, Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman, is sitting in an Egyptian prison, awaiting sentencing tomorrow.  His alleged "crime": expressing his opinions on a blog.  His mistake: having the courage to do so under his own name.

AMERICA SAYS LET'S WIN WAR  —  POLL SUPPORTS KEEPING U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ  —  In a dramatic finding, a new poll shows a solid majority of Americans still wants to win the war in Iraq - and keep U.S. troops there until the Baghdad government can take over.  —  Strong majorities also say victory …

Father killed family for being too western  —  A father killed his wife and four daughters in their sleep because he could not bear them adopting a more westernised lifestyle, an inquest heard yesterday.  —  Mohammed Riaz, 49, found it abhorrent that his eldest daughter wanted to be a fashion designer …

NRCC to keep Alishtari money — for now  —  As we discussed yesterday, Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari (aka Michael Mixon) currently faces federal charges of providing material support to terrorists.  Alishtari is also a generous Republican donor contributing more than $15,000 in the '02 …

Those in power are right to see multiculturalism as a threat  —  Diversity isn't dangerous because it breeds suicide bombers, but because the state depends on a tight cultural consensus  —  There is an insuperable problem about introducing immigrants to British values.  There are no British values.

Some Employers Are Offering Free Drugs  —  For years, employers have been pushing their workers to pay more for health care, raising premiums and out-of-pocket medical expenses in an effort to save money for the company and force workers to seek only the most necessary care.

Dissecting Maureen Dowd's Obama hit piece  —  As a campaigner, Sen. Barack Obama is angry and overwhelmed.  —  That was the unflattering takeaway from Maureen Dowd's catty column (subscription required) last week about the Illinois senator's foray onto the presidential campaign trail …