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.

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:

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.

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 …

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 …

Contextualizing the Fox News Fight  —  It looks like the Nevada Democratic Party's house of cards, and particularly Harry Reid's stonewalling, is collapsing.  Local Democrats are frustrated.  John Edwards stepped up big time, and made a choice of refusing to validate a right-wing institution …

They lost my confidence  —  Attorneys' dismissals were related to performance, not to politics.  —  As any employer or manager knows, the handling of personnel matters — especially the termination of employees — is one of the most challenging tasks in any business.

'Family Values' Chutzpah  —  As conservatives tell the tale, the decline of the American family, the rise in divorce rates, the number of children born out of wedlock all can be traced to the pernicious influence of one decade in American history: the '60s.  —  The conservatives are right …

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 …

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 …

Notes From Baghdad  —  Open liquor stores and other signs of the surge's success.  —  BAGHDAD—The new strategy to secure Baghdad has been dubbed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as "Operation Imposing the Law."  After weeks of waiting and anxiety it is finally under way, and early signs are encouraging.

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 …