Bush irked by 'mistakes' in attorney firings … WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush said Wednesday he is "not happy" about mistakes surrounding the decision to fire eight U.S. attorneys, but his faith in his attorney general is unwavering.  —  "I do have confidence in AG Al Gonzales," …

Clinton and Obama Court Jewish Vote  —  As Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama compete for Jewish donors and voters, Mrs. Clinton is following a tried-and-true rule of hers from New York — support Israel to the last — while Mr. Obama is trying a more delicate strategy that hit some bumps this week.

MIL-IRAQ-US SOLDIERS  —  Baghdad security crackdown seriously curbs killings of US soldiers  —  The rate of killings of US troops in Iraq has been on the decline, down by 60 percent, since the launch of the new security measures in Baghdad, according to statistics revealed …

No deal, Kerik says to plea offer & prison time  —  Disgraced former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik borrowed a line from a popular game show after federal prosecutors made him a plea offer that would have required him to do time:  —  No deal.  —  "He rejected the plea deal because he paid …

Fitzgerald: Rove tried to limit choice  —  WASHINGTON — Former Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-Ill.) said Tuesday that White House political adviser Karl Rove told him in the spring of 2001 that he should limit his choice for U.S. attorney in Chicago to someone from Illinois.

Bigotry That Hurts Our Military  —  As a lifelong Republican who served in the Army in Germany, I believe it is critical that we review — and overturn — the ban on gay service in the military.  I voted for "don't ask, don't tell."  But much has changed since 1993.

House presses on open government agenda  —  WASHINGTON - The House Wednesday pressed forward on bills to open government records to the public and protect whistleblowers, brushing aside White House warnings that the bills faced opposition and in some cases a veto.

London report: Senior Iranian officer 'disappears'  —  Tehran has lost contact with a senior Iranian officer serving in Iraq, according to London-based Arabic newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat.  Iranian source speculates that he may have been taken into custody by Americans  —  Roee Nahmias

Giuliani Law Firm Lobbies in Texas for Chavez-Controlled Citgo  —  Rudolph Giuliani's law firm lobbies for Citgo Petroleum Corp., a unit of the state-owned oil company controlled by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the U.S.'s chief antagonist in the Western Hemisphere.

Ire grows in Pakistan over judge's removal  —  ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's government, accused of using strongarm tactics and acting unconstitutionally over moves to sack the country's top judge, faces the prospect of growing opposition protests.  —  Lawyers in cities around the country kept …

BREAKING: CBC chooses CNN over Fox  —  Last week, the Prospect reported that the Congressional Black Caucus were close to nearing a deal to host two Democratic presidentialy primary debates in concert with Fox News: … Black online activists led by ColorOfChange.org partnered …

Pig Out  —  WITH some fanfare, the world's largest pork producer, Smithfield Foods, recently announced that it intended to phase out certain cages for its breeding females.  Called gestation crates, the cages virtually immobilize pigs during their pregnancies in metal stalls so narrow they are unable to turn around.