The Libby Verdict  —  The serious consequences of a pointless Washington scandal  —  THE CONVICTION of I. Lewis Libby on charges of perjury, making false statements and obstruction of justice was grounded in strong evidence and what appeared to be careful deliberation by a jury.

Evangelical leader says Giuliani's divorce a problem … NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — A Southern Baptist leader said Tuesday that evangelical voters might tolerate a divorced presidential candidate, but they have deep doubts about GOP hopeful Rudy Giuliani, who has been married three times.

Domenici Lawyers Up  —  What a small world.  Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) has nabbed Lee Blalack, best known as Duke Cunningham's lawyer, to represent him in the Senate ethics investigation, The Washington Post reports.  —  And they note the obvious irony:

How my eyes were opened to the barbarity of Islam  —  Is it racist to condemn fanaticism?  —  Once I was held captive in Kabul.  I was the bride of a charming, seductive and Westernised Afghan Muslim whom I met at an American college.  The purdah I experienced was relatively posh …

Iranian general 'seeking asylum in US'  —  A RETIRED Iranian general who went missing in Turkey last month has defected and sought asylum in the US, according to a well-connected Arabic newspaper published in London.  —  The newspaper, al-Shark al-Awsat, cited "high-profile" …

Soviet-era compound in northern Poland was site of secret CIA interrogation, detentions  —  US, Britain asked Poland to join clandestine program  —  POLAND — The CIA operated an interrogation and short-term detention facility for suspected terrorists within a Polish intelligence training school …

More Opaque Arrogance from Harry Reid and Tom Collins  —  Last week, Moveon offered the Nevada Democratic Party a compromise on the debate - the debate would be co-hosted and co-branded by Air America.  This would have addressed our concern that Fox News was being validated as a neutral news outlet.

Harsh Words Die Hard on the Web  —  Law Students Feel Lasting Effects of Anonymous Attacks  —  She graduated Phi Beta Kappa, has published in top legal journals and completed internships at leading institutions in her field.  So when the Yale law student interviewed with 16 firms for a job this summer …

McKay goes down fighting  —  WASHINGTON — John McKay insists he did not want to talk publicly about his abrupt dismissal as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington in December.  —  But when he testified before two congressional committees on Tuesday, McKay delivered …

Conservative Democrats Assert Power  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi faced scorn from fellow Democrats during a recent closed-door meeting for not moving more aggressively on Iraq, it was conservative Blue Dogs _ her ideological opposites _ who rose to defend her.

Borat seen as human rights victim by U.S. government  —  ALMATY (Reuters) - Fictional Kazakh TV reporter Borat has made an unexpected cameo appearance as a victim of censorship in a heavyweight annual human rights report issued by the State Department.  —  The 2006 report …

Boston woman sues for child-rearing costs after failed abortion  —  BOSTON —A Boston woman who gave birth after a failed abortion has filed a lawsuit against two doctors and Planned Parenthood seeking the costs of raising her child.  —  The complaint was filed by Jennifer Raper, 45 …

LET'S TONE IT DOWN, PEOPLE  —  Iowahawk Online Community Issues Forum Special  —  by Ann Coulter and Bill Maher  —  ANN: Hello, I'm syndicated columnist and best-selling author Ann Coulter.  —  BILL: And I'm Bill Maher, host of HBO's "Real Time."  —  ANN: Today we want to talk …