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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Forgotten Heroes  —  A Long Recovery: Gunnery Sgt. Kenneth Sargent with his wife Tonia and daughter Alishia at camp Pendleton, Calif. Sargent was shot in the head by a sniper in Najaf in 2004.  The family often walks on the beach, where they pass Marines training.

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 …

Obama on Iraq in 2002  —  He was right.  I was wrong.  This clip is impressive.

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 …

'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:

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 …

Clinton-Obama Spat 'Sad,' Edwards Tells ABC  —  Former Vice Presidential Candidate Tells 'Nightline' He's Confident He Can Compete with Rivals for Funds  —  Last week, while the 2008 presidential campaigns of frontrunners Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. …

Report: 3 Gulf states agree to IAF overflights en route to Iran  —  Three Arab states in the Persian Gulf would be willing to allow the Israel Air force to enter their airspace in order to reach Iran in case of an attack on its nuclear facilities, the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Siyasa reported on Sunday.

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 …

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 …