Bush Deflects Pressure To Give Libby a Pardon  —  Clemency Before 2008 Election Could Be Politically Risky  —  President Bush said yesterday that he is "pretty much going to stay out of" the case of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby until the legal process has run its course, deflecting pressure …

Former Iranian Defense Official Talks to Western Intelligence  —  A former Iranian deputy defense minister who once commanded the Revolutionary Guard has left his country and is cooperating with Western intelligence agencies, providing information on Hezbollah and Iran's ties to the organization, according to a senior U.S. official.

The Gonzales Eight  —  Americans often suspect that their political leaders are arrogant and out of touch.  But even then it is nearly impossible to fathom what self-delusion could have convinced Senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico that he had a right to call a federal prosecutor at home …

Porn free  —  Left-wing blogs gleefully outed my gay porn past after I criticized antiwar zealots.  But the truth has set me free.  —  Was I totally clueless?  When I stepped forward in late 2005 to talk about anti-military attitudes at New York's Columbia University, I knew my past might be put under the microscope.

Buildup in Iraq Needed Into '08, U.S. General Says  —  The day-to-day commander of American forces in Iraq has recommended that the heightened American troop levels there be maintained through February 2008, military officials said Wednesday.  —  The White House has never said exactly …

Former sailor arrested on terror charge  —  WASHINGTON - A former Navy sailor was arrested Wednesday for allegedly releasing classified information that ended up in the hands of a suspected terrorism financier.  —  Hassan Abujihaad, 31, of Phoenix, is accused in a case that began in Connecticut …

Report: Assad flips out at Ahmadinejad on phone  —  Syrian President Bashar Assad exchanged harsh words with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a phone conversation, the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Siyassah reported on Wednesday.  —  Sources close to the Syrian leader told the newspaper …

Under VA Chief, Effort to Aid Wounded Vets Stalled, Ex-Employee Charges  —  Brian Ross and Justin Rood Report:  —  A proposal to keep seriously wounded vets from falling through the cracks of the bureaucracy was shelved in 2005 when Jim Nicholson took over as the secretary …

Producer for Katie Couric Out at CBS News  —  The shake-ups at the evening newscasts continued last night.  —  In the latest disruption, CBS News replaced Rome Hartman, the executive producer of the "Evening News with Katie Couric," with the long-time TV news executive and producer Rick Kaplan …

Gates warns on US immigration curbs  —  Bill Gates, the chairman of Micro­soft, on Wednesday warned that restrictions on the number of skilled workers allowed to enter the US put the country's competitiveness at risk.  —  The comments marked the latest attack on restrictive US immigration policies …

As Iraq Exit Plan Arrives, Democrats' Rift Remains  —  Even in her conservative Kansas district, calls and letters to freshman House Democrat Nancy Boyda show a constituency overwhelmingly ready for U.S. troops to come home from Iraq.  —  Yet as the House nears a legislative showdown on the war …

Democrats Want Gitmo Prisoners Sent to U.S.  —  Key House Democrats plan to insist the Pentagon shut down the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and are contemplating the relocation of many of the 385 or so remaining terrorist suspects to military brigs along the East Coast — including Quantico, Va., and Charleston, S.C.