Former Key Aide Testifies Today on Gonzales's Statements  —  D. Kyle Sampson, point man for the removal of eight United States attorneys, has spent almost seven years at the right hand of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.  —  And over time, friends and former colleagues say …

Democrats Are Building on Unity Over Iraq Pullout  —  No one has seemed more surprised by the Democrats' success in pushing an exit strategy for Iraq than the Democrats.  —  Their aggressiveness and unity on a major foreign-policy challenge to the president is a striking change for a party that has …

A 'Law & Order' Presidential Candidate?  —  "Law & Order" star and former U.S. senator Fred Dalton Thompson is considering a bid for the White House that would test whether Hollywood can once again launch a Republican to the world's premier political stage.  —  His interest, confirmed …

Video: Rove raps at correspondents dinner.  —  At tonight's Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner, Karl Rove said he likes to "tear the tops off of small animals" in his spare time, then rapped about it as "MC Rove."  Watch it:  —  At the same event, President Bush said of the U.S. Attorney scandal …

The Myth Of Voter Fraud  —  As Congress probes the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, attention is centering on who knew what, and when.  It's just as important to focus on "why," such as the reason given for the firing of at least one of the U.S. attorneys, John McKay of Washington state …

Democrats say McCain nearly abandoned GOP  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was close to leaving the Republican Party in 2001, weeks before then-Sen. Jim Jeffords (Vt.) famously announced his decision to become an Independent, according to former Democratic lawmakers who say they were involved in the discussions.

Blogging with Bush  —  In trying to win support for his escalation in Iraq, President Bush was reduced to quoting two bloggers in Baghdad — who turned out to be brothers he had met here— and their postings were more than three weeks old.  Has it come to this?

US 'no longer technology king'  —  The US has lost its position as the world's primary engine of technology innovation, according to a report by the World Economic Forum.  —  The US is now ranked seventh in the body's league table measuring the impact of technology on the development of nations.

MCCAIN STANDS IN THE GAP  —  Let's put aside for a moment McCain/Feingold and the right's other grievances against John McCain.  When it comes to the war on terror, is he the Lincoln of our time?  McCain has now launched a petition drive, under the name Surrender Is Not an Option.  McCain says:

White House works behind the scenes for immigration reform  —  The administration has been meeting with key Republican senators to devise a consensus plan aimed at garnering wide GOP support.  —  WASHINGTON — With President Bush looking to counter a legacy increasingly marred by the war in Iraq …

As Forbes Endorses Giuliani, Giuliani Endorses a Flat Tax  —  Rudolph W. Giuliani accepted the endorsement of Steve Forbes yesterday and embraced Mr. Forbes's signature issue, saying he liked the idea of a flat tax — something Mr. Giuliani denounced when Mr. Forbes was running for president.

Iran's Latest Hostage Gamble  —  The sailors call them "RHIBs" — rigid hull inflatable boats.  Add powerful outboard motors, and the agile, shallow-draft RHIB becomes an ideal watercraft for scooting around the Tigris and Euphrates estuary or for slipping among suspicious dhows in Iraqi coastal waters.

Moderate American Muslim gives a challenging response to the six imams  —  Dr. Zuhdi Jasser of Phoenix was deeply troubled after 9/11.  A Muslim, he saw his faith threatened by extremists seeking to hijack it for political ends.  "Islam is a spiritual path," he says.