Phony Fraud Charges  —  In its fumbling attempts to explain the purge of United States attorneys, the Bush administration has argued that the fired prosecutors were not aggressive enough about addressing voter fraud.  It is a phony argument; there is no evidence that any of them ignored real instances of voter fraud.

Confession at Guantánamo by 9/11 Mastermind May Aid Other Qaeda Defendants  —  The admissions made by the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks illuminated and transformed the cases against him and the 13 other Qaeda leaders transferred last year from C.I.A. prisons to the Navy base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

Senate Rejects Democrats' Call to Pull Troops  —  The Senate on Thursday rejected a Democratic resolution to withdraw most American combat troops from Iraq in 2008, but a similar measure advanced in the House, and Democratic leaders vowed to keep challenging President Bush to change course in Iraq.

Valerie Plame, the Spy Who's Ready to Speak for Herself  —  Years of Silence Will End Today With Capitol Hill Testimony  —  She has been silent nearly four years.  Today, the CIA officer whose unmasking fueled a political uproar and criminal probe that reached into the White House is poised …

Danish scientist: Global warming is a myth  —  A Danish scientist said the idea of a "global temperature" and global warming is more political than scientific.  —  University of Copenhagen Professor Bjarne Andresen has analyzed the topic in collaboration with Canadian Professors Christopher Essex …

Diagnosis: Cheney  —  "What is wrong with Dick Cheney?" asks Michelle Cottle in the inaugural issue of the newly relaunched New Republic.  She then spends the next 1,900 words marshaling evidence suggesting that his cardiac disease has left him demented and mentally disordered.

The Reliable Source  —  The Education of a Senator, Day Two: Yesterday we told you about Chuck Schumer's early years on the "It's Academic" team in high school.  Now we've learned that the brainy New Yorker (high school valedictorian, 1600 SAT score) is still steamed about the grade he got on his college thesis.

China Approves Property Law, Strengthening Its Middle Class  —  After more than a quarter-century of market-oriented economic policies and record-setting growth, China on Friday enacted its first law to protect private property explicitly.  —  The measure, which was delayed …

Great capital city.  Shame about the awful BBC  —  For someone who has not lived in the city for more than a decade, the occasional trip to London is a reminder of how richly it deserves its new reputation as the world's capital.  —  As my colleague James Harding wrote in times2 this week …

A New Face of Jihad Vows Attacks on U.S.  —  TRIPOLI, Lebanon — Deep in a violent and lawless slum just north of this coastal city, 12 men whose faces were shrouded by scarves drilled with Kalashnikovs.  —  In unison, they lunged in one direction, turned and lunged in another.