HOSTAGE SAILORS — BRITAIN'S IMPOTENCE  —  IT'S been a tough month for the British Navy.  On March 7, it learned that Tony Blair's Labor government was going ahead with drastic cuts in its budget and number of ships.  By this time next year, the once-vaunted Royal Navy will be about the size …

Sweeps in Iraq Cram Two Jails With Detainees  —  Hundreds of Iraqis detained in the Baghdad security crackdown have been crammed into two detention centers run by the Defense Ministry that were designed to hold only dozens of people, a government monitoring group said Tuesday.

New Drive Afoot to Pass Equal Rights Amendment  —  Federal and state lawmakers have launched a new drive to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, reviving a feminist goal that faltered a quarter-century ago when the measure did not gain the approval of three-quarters of the state legislatures.

So Much to Learn  —  I sometimes think the blogosphere might be more influential if it had less indiosyncratic jargon.  See, e.g., Karen Tumulty's "please clue me: What is a 'concern troll'?"  Most people hearing similarly unfamiliar terminology flung at them in the course of a criticism …

Spring Break May Delay War Funds  —  Spring break checklist for Congress: A plane ticket back home, chocolate (or matzo) for the family and a war spending bill for the president.  —  The last item might need to wait.  —  Senate Democrats beat back Republican efforts Tuesday to strip …

Senate Supports a Pullout Date in Iraq War Bill  —  The Senate went on record for the first time on Tuesday in favor of a withdrawal date from Iraq, with Democrats marshaling the votes they needed to deliver a forceful rebuke to President Bush's war policy.  —  By a vote of 50 to 48 …

E-mail Controversy Prompts Many Aides To Stop Usage  —  This comes from Whispers editor Paul Bedard:  —  The growing controversy over the firing of federal prosecutors and what administration officials knew about it is renewing concerns among Bush aides over the less-than-secret aspect of E-emails.

Faced With Facts, McCain Denies His Own Straight Talk  —  Yesterday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told CNN that that President Bush's escalation in Iraq is going so well, "General Petraeus goes out there almost every day in an unarmed humvee."  On Monday, he told radio host Bill Bennett that there …

FBI didn't mean to break the law, Mueller says  —  WASHINGTON - The FBI didn't deliberately break the law by improperly obtaining thousands of Americans' phone, e-mail and financial records, Bureau Director Robert Mueller told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.  —  That was the good news.

On the Firing Line  —  D. Kyle Sampson was a team player.  Tomorrow, Alberto Gonzales's former chief of staff will tell a Senate panel who called the shots.  —  W alking into the FBI gym for a basketball game in 2003 or 2004 to play against John Ashcroft and his boys …

Bush's Royal Trouble  —  President Bush enjoys hosting formal state dinners about as much as having a root canal.  Or proposing tax increases.  So his decision to schedule a mid-April White House gala for Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah signified the president's high regard for an Arab monarch who is also a Bush family friend.

The Entourage Is Gone.  The Jet Is Gone.  But for the Ex-Speaker, the Work Goes On.  —  Former Speaker J. Dennis Hastert usually trundles through the Capitol's hallways alone these days, his head down, chin buried in his chest, without the coterie of aides who trailed him just a few months ago …

MoveOn Endorsement Fight to Begin  —  Amy Schatz reports on MoveOn.org's presidential endorsement effort.  —  Starting today, Democratic presidential hopefuls have a new contest to vie for: the endorsement of MoveOn.org.  The influential progressive interest group, which boosts …

Defender of the Second Amendment, if Not of His Aide  —  "Duck!"  —  The cry — from a member of the Capitol Hill press corps — rang out as Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) rounded a corner at high noon and strode toward reporters waiting outside the Senate chamber.

Obama's gaffes start to pile up  —  One stump line sounds similar to John Edwards'  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, 46 days old on Tuesday, has run into some speed bumps, created because of a series of missteps magnified because he is under microscopic scrutiny.

Hillary on Track for Nomination  —  With every passing week it becomes more likely that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic Party nominee for president.  This thought, alone, should provide the strongest possible motivation to the Bush administration and the Washington Republicans …