UPDATE: Maureen Dowd Column Incites Hillary-Obama War of Words  —  NEW YORK Maureen Dowd's column in The New York Times today, in which she quoted former Bill Clinton supporter David Geffen offering a few caustic comments, has incited a strong Hillary Clinton campaign attack on Geffen …

Militants Using Chemical Bombs in Iraq  —  For the third time in a month, insurgents deployed a new and deadly tactic against Iraqi civilians today: A chemical bomb combining explosives with poisonous chlorine gas.  —  A pickup truck carrying canisters of the gas, which burns the skin …

PELOSI CALLS BUSH TO COMPLAIN OF CHENEY'S COMMENTS ON DEMOCRATS' IRAQ STRATEGY  —  WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday phoned President Bush to air her complaints over Vice President Dick Cheney's comments that the Congressional Democrats' plan for Iraq would "validate the Al Qaeda strategy."

Tell Democrats to Freeze Out Fox News  —  The Nevada Democratic Party is working with Fox News Channel to host a debate with all the Democratic Party presidential candidates in August.  This is, to put it mildly, insane.  Fox News is a partisan Republican propaganda outlet, not a news station …

Iranian official offers glimpse from within: A desire for U.S. ally … TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) — As I sat down recently with a senior Iranian government official, he urgently waved a column by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times in my face, one about how the United States and Iran need to engage each other.

Romney running as turnaround expert  —  epublican Mitt Romney will get an early start on the 2008 presidential race today when he rolls out television ads in New Hampshire and several other key states.  —  According to a transcript, the 60-second ad presents Romney as a masterly businessman who …

National Guard May Undertake Iraq Duty Early  —  The Pentagon is planning to send more than 14,000 National Guard troops back to Iraq next year, shortening their time between deployments to meet the demands of President Bush's buildup, Defense Department officials said Wednesday.

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 …

Bread Scarce in Zimbabwe as Mugabe Holds Party  —  President Robert G. Mugabe of Zimbabwe turned 83 on Wednesday to the strains of the song "God Bless President Mugabe" on state-controlled radio, along with an interview on state television, a 16-page paean to his rule in Harare's daily newspaper …

Liveblogging the Carson City AFSCME Forum  —  In the interest of as clear disclosure as possible, my trip to Nevada has been sponsored by AFSCME.  —  I'm now in the Carson City Community Center for the first Democratic presidential forum ahead of the Nevada caucuses.

The Life and Times of Milton Friedman  —  Remembering the 20th century's most influential libertarian.  —  When Milton Friedman stepped forward on December 10, 1976, to receive the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences from the King of Sweden, he needed bodyguards.

Say What?  —  FOUR BEWILDERING REMARKS FROM THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION.  —  The world might be less stressful if the president of the most powerful nation didn't so frequently convey the impression that he has no idea what's going on.  —  Here are three recent examples of his bewildering remarks, plus one from his secretary of state.

Tougher Tactics Deter Migrants at U.S. Border  —  SAN LUIS RÍO COLORADO, Mexico — For 10 years, Eduardo Valenzuela has been crossing the border illegally near Yuma, Ariz., trekking over desert scrub and hopping a freight train to get back to his job with a construction company in Phoenix.