Walter Reed patients told to keep quiet  —  Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Medical Hold Unit say they have been told they will wake up at 6 a.m. every morning and have their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m., and that they must not speak to the media.

For Want of a Dentist  —  George's Boy Dies After Bacteria From Tooth Spread to Brain  —  Twelve-year-old Deamonte Driver died of a toothache Sunday.  —  A routine, $80 tooth extraction might have saved him.  —  If his mother had been insured.  —  If his family had not lost its Medicaid.

U.S. Set to Join Iran and Syria in Talks on Iraq  —  American officials said Tuesday that they had agreed to hold the highest-level contact with the Iranian authorities in more than two years as part of an international meeting on Iraq.  —  The discussions, scheduled for the next two months …

Olbermann on Gore's Energy Use: Setting the Record Straight  —  You knew after his big night at the Oscars Sunday, the far right would come out in full force against former Vice President Gore.  Since these single-minded sensationalists never let those pesky "facts" get in the way, Keith breaks down the utility bill.

Republicans Set to Block Jefferson's Appointment to Homeland Security Panel  —  Republicans plan to force a floor vote on Rep. William Jefferson's move to the Homeland Security Committee in an unprecedented maneuver to force Democrats to go on the record supporting their embattled colleague …

Defending His Country, but Not Its 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy  —  Once a Marine, always a Marine.  That pretty much sums up the life of retired Sgt. Eric Alva, who was sworn into the Marine Corps at 19, stationed in Somalia and Japan and lost his right leg when he stepped on a land mine on March 21 …

Bill would mandate nicer term for illegals  —  TALLAHASSEE — A state legislator whose district is home to thousands of Caribbean immigrants wants to ban the term "illegal alien" from the state's official documents.  —  "I personally find the word 'alien' offensive when applied to individuals …

Political interference alleged in sacking of a U.S. attorney  —  WASHINGTON - The U.S. attorney from New Mexico who was recently fired by the Bush administration said Wednesday that he believes he was forced out because he refused to rush an indictment in an ongoing probe of local Democrats …

Interview of a Senior Administration Official by the Traveling Press  —  SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: The reason the President wanted me to come, obviously, is because of the continuing threat that exists in this part of the world on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border …

An Editor's Confession: I'm the Source of 'Slow Bleed'  —  With a mixture of pride and remorse, I have a confession: I am the author of the Democratic Party's "slow-bleed strategy" for ending the war in Iraq.  —  I had nothing to do with the details of the plan that Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) floated two weeks ago.

Immigrants boost pay, not prison populations, new studies show  —  Immigrants are less likely to go to prison than U.S.-born residents of the same ethnic group and they boost pay for natives, research says.  —  Two new studies by California researchers counter negative perceptions …

Some push for Huckabee to run for Senate, not president  —  Though his long-shot presidential campaign is still in its early stages, some wish former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee would drop his national aspirations and return home to wage what they see as a vital campaign against Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) in 2008 instead.

Academic Freedom?  —  Writing at Townhall, Mike Adams, a professor of criminology at UNC-Wilmington, reports on an associate professor at Kent State who is admittedly—and actively — supporting the jihadi movement: … Well.  I don't think that last bit will go over well with many people …

Divided Congress Prepares to Debate Financing and Strategy for Iraq War  —  The Democratic-controlled Congress began a five-week struggle on Tuesday over the financing of the war in Iraq and the overall mission there.  Though the Democrats are divided over strategy and stymied by ideological divisions …

Dan Gerstein has responded to my post below.  He says there's no problem at all with the fact that The Politico published a piece by him attacking some of Joe Lieberman's high-profile foes at the same time that he was collecting money from Lieberman: … What would have been the point?

Dominion of Canada: Marty Peretz Sells Last New Republic Share  —  It feels like a burden has been lifted from me," Martin Peretz said on Feb. 27.  —  It feels like a burden has been lifted from me," Martin Peretz said on Feb. 27.  —  For the first time in three decades, Mr. Peretz, 68, no longer owns a stake in The New Republic.

U.S. Sanctions With Teeth  —  Everybody knows that economic sanctions don't work.  Just look at the decades of fruitless pressure on Cuba.  But guess what?  In the recent cases of North Korea and Iran, a new variety of U.S. Treasury sanctions is having a potent effect, suggesting that the conventional wisdom may be wrong.

Interview with Harm de Blij - Part 1  —  EDITOR'S NOTE: This was run earlier but since it is an original interview conducted for this site we will leave it at the top for several hours.  NEWER posts are BELOW so keep scrolling.  —  A reader, Stuart, sent me a great present a couple of months ago …

CHARLES: BAN THE BIG MAC  —  Prince Charles today said banning McDonald's fast food was the key to a healthy lifestyle.  —  His comments came as he attended the launch of a public health awareness campaign.  —  Charles, a strong advocate of organic food, was touring the Imperial College London