Internal Affairs  —  Aborted DOJ Probe Probably Would Have Targeted Gonzales  —  Shortly before Attorney General Alberto Gonzales advised President Bush last year on whether to shut down a Justice Department inquiry regarding the administration's warrantless domestic eavesdropping program …

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: I beheaded American reporter … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Admitted 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed told a U.S. military tribunal he personally beheaded Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002, the Pentagon revealed Thursday.

Thinking Through Ending the War  —  Matthew Yglesias has an important post about Hillary Clinton's position on Iraq, essentially thanking her for being honest that a Clinton Presidency means continued war in Iraq in perpetuity.  I admire her for openly admitting that she believes …

"Liberal Idiots"  —  Reality Check for Iraq War Opponents  —  As the result of a concealed camera and the miracle of YouTube, my old boss, Dave Obey (D-WI), roiled the political waters last week by using the term "liberal idiots" during an argument with an Iraq War protestor.

2008 and counting: Using praise as a weapon on the trail  —  Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) slipped in a compliment — of sorts — about a fellow 2008 hopeful during his appearances on the Iowa stump last weekend.  —  "I want to wait and hear what John Edwards has to say, he's kind of good-looking …

Dozens in GOP Turn Against Bush's Prized 'No Child' Act  —  More than 50 GOP members of the House and Senate — including the House's second-ranking Republican — will introduce legislation today that could severely undercut President Bush's signature domestic achievement, the No Child Left Behind Act …

Emanuel tells freshmen to avoid Stephen Colbert  —  Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), the Democratic Caucus chairman, has told new Democratic members of Congress to steer clear of Stephen Colbert, or at least his satirical Comedy Central program, "The Colbert Report."

God's dupes  —  Moderate believers give cover to religious fanatics — and are every bit as delusional.  —  PETE STARK, a California Democrat, appears to be the first congressman in U.S. history to acknowledge that he doesn't believe in God.  In a country in which 83% of the population thinks …

As a child, Obama crossed a cultural divide in Indonesia  —  JAKARTA, INDONESIA — As a boy in Indonesia, Barack Obama crisscrossed the religious divide.  At the local primary school, he prayed in thanks to a Catholic saint.  In the neighborhood mosque, he bowed to Allah.

The real target of the 6 imams' 'discrimination' suit  —  The "flying imams' " federal lawsuit, filed this week in Minneapolis, has made headlines around the country.  The imams are demanding unspecified damages from US Airways and the Metropolitan Airports Commission, both with deep pockets.

Hugo Chávez Is Tied to Giuliani Firm  —  Rudolph W. Giuliani's law firm has lobbied for years on behalf of an oil company controlled by the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, a strident critic of President Bush and American-style capitalism.  —  Bracewell & Giuliani …

McCain Fighting to Recapture Maverick Spirit of 2000 Bid  —  In the seven years since John McCain and his "Straight Talk Express" nearly derailed George W. Bush's White House ambitions, the blunt-spoken senator from Arizona has become the very picture of the highly managed presidential candidate he once scorned.

TimesSelect Free for College Students — and Graduates?  —  The Loophole in an NYT Plan to Offer Access to the Enrolled  —  NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — The New York Times decided earlier this week to give free TimesSelect access to college students and faculty with ".edu" in their e-mail addresses …

Reports of the GOP's Death . . .  Months before the first votes are cast in the campaign of 2008, some in the media are conducting last rites for the Republicans.  The rush to bury the GOP is as hasty as it is premature.  —  The headline atop Page 1 of Tuesday's New York Times read, "GOP Voters Voice Anxieties on Party's Fate."