Gonzales Draws Strong Criticism of Prosecutors  —  Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales endured blunt criticism Tuesday from federal prosecutors who questioned the firings of eight United States attorneys, complained that the dismissals had undermined morale and expressed broader grievances …

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.

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 …

U.N. Human Rights Council is now officially a joke  —  In Geneva this week, any pretense of utility or fairness that clung to the United Nations Human Rights Council finally evaporated.  By a decisive margin, the Council voted to end its examination of Iran and Uzbekistan despite worsening human rights records in both countries.

Iranians parade captured navy woman in a hijab  —  Kidnapped British servicewoman Faye Turney was forced to cover her head with an Islamic hijab in the first video released by Iran since she and 14 comrades were seized last week.  —  Hours after Tony Blair vowed to 'ratchet up' the pressure …

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 …

Purged: A Q&A with Former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias  —  Last December, U.S. Attorney David Iglesias, along with seven of his colleagues, was "asked" to resign.  The move was a head-scratcher: Only ten US Attorneys had been fired mid-term since 1982—and of those ten, eight were for completely justifiable reasons.

Culture of Corruption: Dianne Feinstein Edition?  —  HELLO, MSM?  Echooooo...  According to MetroActive, she resigned quietly (where was the MSM?) in January from a Military Construction Appropriations committee over a conflict of interest involving her husband, tens of millions of dollars in defense and construction contracts, etc.

Saudi King Condemns U.S. Occupation of Iraq  —  The king of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah, condemned the presence of American forces in Iraq as an "illegitimate foreign occupation" in a speech today, and said the withholding of aid to Palestinians should end.  —  The king's speech …

I'm in tune with the 'I can' generation  —  Politics requires many virtues - organisation, ideas, resolution, luck.  —  But chief among them is the hardest to define: that elusive sense of being in tune with the times.  Political parties succeed when they join their values to deep economic, social and cultural trends.

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.

Senate's Bold Proposal for Iraq: Sugar Beets and Rural Schools — in the U.S.  —  Midway through the Senate debate yesterday over the "emergency" spending bill for Iraq, Barbara Boxer rose to speak in favor — of strawberries.  —  "There's a song called 'Strawberry Fields Forever,' " …