Republicans and U.S. attorneys — then and now  —  The fundamental difference between (a) a new administration replacing all U.S. attorneys (as multiple Presidents have done — including Clinton, Reagan and even Bush 41) and (b) cherry-picking ones for firing in the middle of an administration, has been amply documented.

Voices From Iraq 2007: Ebbing Hope in a Landscape of Loss  —  National Survey of Iraq  —  A new national survey paints a devastating portrait of life in Iraq: widespread violence, torn lives, displaced families, emotional damage, collapsing services, an ever starker sectarian chasm …

News media and politics: an uneasy union  —  Some prominent journalists have mates who work for a presidential candidate.  They approach this potential conflict in different ways.  —  Some of America's most prominent political journalists are, quite literally, wedded to the 2008 presidential race …

Military Is Ill-Prepared For Other Conflicts  —  Four years after the invasion of Iraq, the high and growing demand for U.S. troops there and in Afghanistan has left ground forces in the United States short of the training, personnel and equipment that would be vital to fight …

Obama the 'Magic Negro'  —  The Illinois senator lends himself to white America's idealized, less-than-real black man.  —  AS EVERY CARBON-BASED life form on this planet surely knows, Barack Obama, the junior Democratic senator from Illinois, is running for president.

BETRAYED  —  The Iraqis who trusted America the most.  —  Text Size: … On a cold, wet night in January, I met two young Iraqi men in the lobby of the Palestine Hotel, in central Baghdad.  A few Arabic television studios had rooms on the upper floors of the building, but the hotel was otherwise vacant.

The Blame-America-First Crowd  —  "They always blame America first."  That was Jeane Kirkpatrick, describing the "San Francisco Democrats" in 1984.  But it could be said about a lot of Americans, especially highly educated Americans, today.  —  In their assessment of what is going on in the world …

Tony Snow 'Defensive' On Iraq Anniversary, Tells CNN's Ed Henry To 'Zip It'  —  President Bush will address the fourth anniversary of the Iraq invasion in a speech today at the White House.  —  During this morning's press gaggle, Tony Snow told reporters that Bush will use the speech to attack …

The Case For Fred Thompson  —  It's been only a week since former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) acknowledged that he is considering a run for president in 2008.  —  But in that short time he has managed to generate considerable interest among grassroots activists and the national media alike.

John McCain Rips the Club For Growth  —  John McCain has taken some hits for not attending certain conservative events.  With CPAC, he says it was a simple schedueling conflict.  But he will not be speaking at the upcoming conservative Club For Growth meeting either.  Why not?

All the World's a Story  —  Journalism has always been a product of networks.  A reporter receives an assignment, begins calling "sources" — people he or she knows or can find.  More calls follow and, with luck and a deadline looming, the reporter will gain enough mastery of the topic …

Whose Ox Is Gored?  —  The media discover the former vice president's environmental exaggerations and hypocrisy.  —  The media are finally catching up with Al Gore.  Criticism of his anti-global-warming franchise and his personal environmental record has gone beyond ankle-biting bloggers.

In '08 Race, Web Tactics Are Even More Integral  —  Handicapping Field  —  Is a Bigger Chore  —  As Goals Diverge  —  WASHINGTON — John Edwards topped the field of Democratic presidential contenders in the liberal blog DailyKos's latest straw poll.  But Barack Obama has the most "friends" on MySpace.

Guest Post: Rep. Duncan Hunter  —  For this extended primary season, we have an extraordinary opportunity to get acquainted with the men and women who want to run for the Presidency.  I have extended invitations to all campaigns to have their candidates post their messages to CQ readers.

Smithsonian Documents Detail Chief's Expenses  —  Invoices Include Work on Home of Secretary Small  —  Internal Smithsonian documents offer a glimpse into what one senator called the "Dom Perignon" lifestyle of the taxpayer-supported institution's chief official, who turned in a $15,000 receipt …