Why the Gore Story Matters  —  As the controversy over global warming doomsayer Al Gore's voracious energy-eater mansion rolls on, there's an angle I think merits deeper investigation than it is currently getting.  While much of the focus has been on whether or not Gore is an environmental hypocrite …

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.

Attorney Says He Was Pressured on Corruption Probe  —  The fired U.S. attorney in New Mexico says he was pressured by two members of Congress prior to the November elections about the pace of an ongoing public corruption probe that targets local Democrats.  —  David C. Iglesias …

Judge rules Padilla competent for trial  —  A federal judge ruled Wednesday that suspected al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla is competent to stand trial on terrorism support charges, rejecting arguments that he was severely damaged by 3 1/2 years of interrogation and isolation in a military brig. Padilla …

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.

Going it alone because we have to  —  Unless allies spend more on defense, the U.S. will continue to act unilaterally out of necessity.  —  TONY BLAIR'S decision to withdraw 1,600 troops from Iraq is understandable.  The prime minister had to make a difficult decision about where to allocate …

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 …

Military chiefs give US six months to win Iraq war  —  An elite team of officers advising US commander General David Petraeus in Baghdad has concluded the US has six months to win the war in Iraq - or face a Vietnam-style collapse in political and public support that could force the military into a hasty retreat.

If They Was Meant To Ride Around In Trucks, God Would Have Given 'Em John Deere Caps and Naked Lady Mudflaps  —  In an age where news stories routinely describe such and such a virus as "only a plane ride away," how can it be that honey bee colony losses of up to 70% in some areas of the US are treated as a complete mystery?

Top Ten Things To Do While We're Waiting For the Verdict  —  *UPDATE* — THE LIBBY JURY HAS LEFT THE BUILDING, THE JUDGE HAD A MEETING AND SENT THEM HOME.  SEE YOU TOMORROW....and I'll be on Rachel Maddow's show tonight on Air America at 6:30 PM ET -JH

Democratic Leaders Revamp Anti - War Plan  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democratic leaders are developing an anti-war proposal that wouldn't cut off money for U.S. troops in Iraq but would require President Bush to acknowledge problems with an overburdened military.

UFO science key to halting climate change: former Canadian defense minister  —  OTTAWA (AFP) - A former Canadian defense minister is demanding governments worldwide disclose and use secret alien technologies obtained in alleged UFO crashes to stem climate change, a local paper said Wednesday.

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 …

Iran to Take Part in Iraq Security Conference  —  The top Iranian national security official, Ali Larijani, indicated Wednesday that Iranian officials would probably take part in a regional security conference on Iraq next month, which would include the first high-level diplomatic contacts between American …

Giuliani-Appointed Judges Tend to Lean to the Left  —  When Rudy Giuliani faces Republicans concerned about his support of gay rights and legal abortion, he reassures them that he is a conservative on the decisions that matter most.  —  "I would want judges who are strict constructionists because I am …

Justice for Darfur  —  BAHAI, Chad — Here, at this refugee camp on the border of Sudan, nothing separates us from Darfur but a small stretch of desert and a line on a map.  All the same, it's a line I can't cross.  As a representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees …