White House Security Chief Reveals — No Probe of Plame Leak There  —  NEW YORK Dr. James Knodell, director of the Office of Security at the White House, told a congressional committee today that he was aware of no internal investigation or report into the leak of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame.

Will Gonzales Fall For Attorney Firings?  —  Sources: AG's Ouster Is Inevitable; Fired Attorney Blames Partisan Politics  —  (CBS/AP) One of the eight recently fired U.S. attorneys at the center of a growing political scandal tells CBS News that he lost his job because he "did not play ball" with powerful Republicans.

FBI: Extremists Driving School Buses  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Suspected members of extremist groups have signed up as school bus drivers in the United States, counterterror officials said Friday, in a cautionary bulletin to police.  An FBI spokesman said, "Parents and children have nothing to fear."

Dance, Foxholes, Dance!  —  In the light of Fox News scrambling to maintain the thinnest veneer of "balance" after Democrats refused to lend them respectability, I thought it might be time to point out something I witnessed first hand as a public affairs sergeant in Afghanistan.  I call it the "Fox News Two Step."

McCain Stumbles on H.I.V. Prevention  —  SOMEWHERE in NORTHERN IOWA — The unthinkable has happened.  Senator John McCain met a question, while sitting with reporters on his bus as it rumbled through Iowa today, that he couldn't - or perhaps wouldn't - answer.

BILL RIPS TIMES' HILL BASHING  —  THE long love affair between Bill and Hillary Clinton and The New York Times seems to be over.  —  At a fund-raiser Tuesday night at the Trump World Tower apartment of mortgage mogul Keith Kantrowitz, the former president spoke for two hours to a select group …

General seeks another brigade in Iraq  —  WASHINGTON — The top US commander in Iraq has requested another Army brigade, in addition to five already on the way, as part of the controversial "surge" of American troops designed to clamp down on sectarian violence and insurgent groups, senior Pentagon officials said yesterday.

McCain regrets use of term 'tar baby'  —  CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Republican presidential contender John McCain (news, bio, voting record) on Friday used the term "tar baby," considered by some a racial epithet, and later said he regretted it.  —  Answering questions at a town hall meeting …

When The Hobby Becomes The Profession  —  Just a little over three and a half years ago, I began this blog as a creative writing outlet and a chance to hone my skills.  When I launched Captain's Quarters, I had no idea how it would grow, that it would attract this wonderful community of readers …