Pratfall in Damascus  —  Nancy Pelosi's foolish shuttle diplomacy  —  HOUSE SPEAKER Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered an excellent demonstration yesterday of why members of Congress should not attempt to supplant the secretary of state when traveling abroad.

They're free, but Britain has been humiliated  —  Relief at the freeing of the British sailors and Marines in Iran is tempered with dismay at the humiliation to which they and the country they serve have been subjected.  —  The 14 men and one woman are due to return to Britain today …

Money talks for Obama  —  $25 million haul shows just how powerful a candidate he really is  —  In a first test of political strength, Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama outraised chief rival Hillary Rodham Clinton during the first three months of the year for money to use …

Belgium to impose tax on barbequing to fight global warming  —  The government of Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia, which has a population of about 4 million, has approved a tax on barbequing, local media reported.  —  Experts said that between 50 and 100 grams of CO2 …

Gonzales Prepares to Fight for His Job in Testimony  —  Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales has retreated from public view this week in an intensive effort to save his job, spending hours practicing testimony and phoning lawmakers for support in preparation for pivotal appearances in the Senate this month …

Democrats Outraged Over Fox Recess Appointment  —  Senate Democrats are livid over what they view as President Bush's illegal maneuver to bypass the Senate confirmation process and appoint controversial nominee Sam Fox as ambassador to Belgium while Congress is away on recess.

Iraq's Real 'Civil War'  —  Sunni tribes battle al Qaeda terrorists in the insurgency's stronghold.  —  ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq—Last fall, President Bush, citing the violence in Baghdad, said that the U.S. strategy in Iraq was "slowly failing."  At that time, though, more Americans were dying …

The history at the end of history  —  Condoleezza Rice wants to bring democracy to the Middle East.  Ms. Rice, an expert on what is now an obsolete subject, the Soviet Union, believes this can be done the way the United States brought democracy to Chile or Iran or Afghanistan - that is, by violently overthrowing governments.

Thompson Bid May Fill a Void for the GOP Base  —  When George Allen fell to Jim Webb in the Virginia Senate race, it opened up a slot in the upcoming Republican presidential primary: the role of the reliable longtime lawmaker who has no serious disagreements with the conservatives who make up the party's base.

Zogby: Romney Rockets!  —  Latest New Hampshire telephone poll shows Romney's support nearly doubles to 25% to tie McCain; Giuliani trails at 19%  —  Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has rocketed to the top of the field of contenders for the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary crown …

Injured in Iraq, a Soldier Is Shattered at Home  —  DUNBAR, Pa. — Blinded and disabled on the 54th day of the war in Iraq, Sam Ross returned home to a rousing parade that outdid anything this small, depressed Appalachian town had ever seen.  "Sam's parade put Dunbar on the map," his grandfather said.