MTP Transcript for Mar. 18, 2007  —  MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday, the attorney general of the United States under fire.  Why were eight U.S. attorneys removed?  Did the Bush administration mislead Congress?  With us, from the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York.

Hume Launches New Smear: Plame Lied Under Oath  —  Today on Fox News Sunday, Brit Hume continued his campaign to smear Valerie Plame Wilson.  Previously, he had falsely said that it was "unlikely she was" covert.  —  Instead of apologizing this morning, he launched a new attack against Plame …

Gore on the Un-Campaign Trail  —  Since the documentary he starred in, "An Inconvenient Truth," won an Academy Award, speculation has only increased about Al Gore's potential entry into the presidential race.  He is not taking any overt steps toward running, and that may be the cleverest strategy of all.

WHITHER THE WEATHER  —  Jonathan Last takes a look at Al Gore's case on global warming.  He considers Gore's four core contentions: (1) earth's climate is getting warmer; (2) man is responsible in substantial part for this change; (3) this change will result in net harm; and (4) this change can be reversed by man.

Poll: Confidence in Iraq war down sharply … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Americans are starkly less confident and proud of their country's involvement in Iraq, according to poll results released Sunday.  —  However, the poll — results of which were released on the eve of the Iraq war's 4-year anniversary …

Unravelling the confessions of the 9/11 chief  —  Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is finally talking to his US captors.Yosri Fouda, the only journalist ever to interview him, knows why  —  In April 2002, as chief investigative reporter on Al-Jazeera, I was taken blindfolded to meet Khalid Sheikh Mohammed at a safe house in Karachi.

Congress, End the War  —  "War is over, if you want it," declared John Lennon in the thick of the Vietnam nightmare.  To the extent that Lennon's "you" referred to the US Congress, he was right, then and now.  The House and Senate have the authority to end the war in Iraq quickly, efficiently and honorably.

Signs of Life in the Second Amendment  —  For nearly 70 years, the Second Amendment has been the Jimmy Hoffa of constitutional provisions — missing, its whereabouts unknown, and presumed dead.  The right to keep and bear arms, though treasured by many Americans, was a complete stranger to the Supreme Court.

Lessons of War  —  TOMORROW MARKS the fourth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, as appropriate a moment as any to take stock.  What matters most is finding the best policy now — doing whatever can be done to help Iraq and safeguard U.S. interests in a vital region.

Saudi Arabia Routinely Frees Detainees  —  Release of Guantanamo Prisoners Undermines U.S. Claims of Threat, Analysis Says  —  In official documents, Detainee No. 266 was an accused al-Qaeda member who refused to speak to his captors, much less admit or deny terrorism links.

Report: France urged Israel to hit Syria  —  French President Jacques Chirac told Israel at the start of the war in Lebanon that France would support an Israeli assault on Syria, it was reported on Sunday.  —  Army Radio reported that in the message, which was delivered by Chirac to Israel via …

It's All Geek to Me  —  A WEEK ago Friday, moments before an opening-day showing of the movie "300" at Seattle's Cinerama, a 20-something moviegoer rushed to the front of the theater, dropped his shoulders, curled his arms into a mock-Schwarzenegger pose and bellowed out a timeless remark …

Make Way for Copyright Chaos  —  LAST week, Viacom asked a federal court to order the video-sharing service YouTube to pay it more than $1 billion in damages for some 150,000 videos that Viacom claims it owns and YouTube users have shared.  "YouTube," the complaint alleges …

VIDEO: Sestak, Andrews Dominate Debate With Tom DeLay and Richard Perle  —  Today, NBC's Meet the Press featured a panel with retired Navy Admiral Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) and Win Without War director Tom Andrews debating former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) and prominent neocon Richard Perle.

"The desire for freedom resides in every human heart."  —  U.S. soldier kicking open a cupboard in a building to search for suspicious items while on a joint patrol with Iraqi National police in a suburb of Baghdad March 7, 2007.  (Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)  —  For my "quote of the day" …