THE REDIRECTION  —  A STRATEGIC SHIFT  —  In the past few months, as the situation in Iraq has deteriorated, the Bush Administration, in both its public diplomacy and its covert operations, has significantly shifted its Middle East strategy.  The "redirection," as some inside the White House …

Murtha Stumbles on Iraq Funding Curbs  —  Democrats Were Ill-Prepared for Unplanned Disclosure, Republican Attacks  —  The plan was bold: By tying President Bush's $100 billion war request to strict standards of troop safety and readiness, Democrats believed they could grab hold of Iraq war policy …

Should News Entertain Or Inform — Or Both?  —  INDIO, California — It is the buzz up here at the Riverside County Fair, where I have been performing three shows a day in my other incarnation since Feb. 16.  It's the subject of conversation among entertainers, some of the people who have booths …

'Commanders' Will Quit If We Attack Iran?  —  The Times of London set the blogosphere abuzz this morning, reporting that six senior commanders at the Pentagon will quit if the US attacks Iran.  The Pentagon, claims their source, has no stomach for a war with the Islamic Republic:

U.N. calls U.S. data on Iran's nuclear aims unreliable  —  Tips about supposed secret weapons sites and documents with missile designs haven't panned out, diplomats say.  —  VIENNA — Although international concern is growing about Iran's nuclear program and its regional ambitions …

Blast Kills 40 as Cleric Assails Baghdad Plan  —  A suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives and ball bearings blew himself up at a Baghdad university today, killing at least 40 people and strewing fingers, pens, purses and bloody textbooks all over the ground.

Al Gore, Rock Star  —  Oscar Hopeful May Be America's Coolest Ex-Vice President Ever  —  LOS ANGELES — In the annals of vice presidential history, tonight will be something different.  In his black tux, the man known to his most fervent fans as "The Goracle" will arrive by hybrid eco-limo and …

38 killed in attack near Baghdad college  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide bomber struck Sunday outside a college campus in Baghdad, killing at least 38 people and injuring dozens as a string of other blasts and rocket attacks left bloodshed around the city.  —  Most of the victims were students …

Reason #2,675,932 Why I Hate the Media  —  They make me defend Mitt Romney. … SO WHAT?  —  LeMew calls this "a bulls**t smear piece on Romney" and "straightforward religious bigotry," and I totally agree.  Romney doesn't practice polygamy, nor does he support it; that his ancestry …

The Full Bill  —  One of the motivations behind the Hillary Clinton campaign's reaction to David Geffen's barbs this week was to mark the boundaries for the debate in the primaries and general election.  Hillary has a better reason for that than most; she wants to avoid any debate or discussion of her husband's impeachment.

An Upside-Down World  —  The British far left makes common cause with Muslim reactionaries.  —  LONDON—The other day Ken Livingstone, the mayor of my hometown of London, organized a conference on Islam and the West.  It was a carefully rigged affair in which handpicked speaker …

In Big Buyout, Utility to Limit New Coal Plants  —  Under a proposed $45 billion buyout by a team of private equity firms, the TXU Corporation, a Texas utility that has long been the bane of environmental groups, will abandon plans to build 8 of 11 coal plants and commit to a broad menu …

A Tax-Cutting Democrat  —  Bill Richardson's New Mexico record.  —  In July 2006 the Wall Street Journal touted New Mexico's governor Bill Richardson as a man who "embraced tax cutting and benefited politically."  The Journal quoted Richardson approvingly for advising his party that …

A Secret History  —  For Muslims and non-Muslims alike, the stock image of an Islamic scholar is a gray-bearded man.  Women tend to be seen as the subjects of Islamic law rather than its shapers.  And while some opportunities for religious education do exist for women …