Americans offered 'aggressive patrols' in Iranian airspace  —  The US offered to take military action on behalf of the 15 British sailors and marines held by Iran, including buzzing Iranian Revolutionary Guard positions with warplanes, the Guardian has learned.

Gonzales aide who asserted Fifth resigns  —  WASHINGTON - A top aide to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales abruptly quit on Friday, almost two weeks after telling Congress she would not testify about her role in the firings of federal prosecutors.  —  There was no immediate reason given …

McCain to Stake Bid On Need to Win in Iraq  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will launch a high-profile effort next week to convince Americans that the Iraq war is winnable, embracing the unpopular conflict with renewed vigor as he attempts to reignite his stalling bid for the presidency.

When a dilettante takes on Hizbullah  —  We can thank the US speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, for having informed Syrian President Bashar Assad, from Beirut, that "the road to solving Lebanon's problems passes through Damascus."  Now, of course, all we need to do is remind Pelosi …

What was Charlie Crist thinking?  —  Why did a Republican governor just add tens of thousands of Democrats to the voter rolls in Florida?  —  Florida Gov. Charlie Crist talks to the media, April, 5, 2007, in Miami, about his felon rights plan.  —  During his campaign for the Florida governorship …

Blindfolded Britons tell of the moment the guards' guns clicked  —  * We were blindfolded and subjected to interrogation  —  * We were told we faced seven years in prison if we did not 'confess'  —  * Iranians entered Iraqi waters deliberately to detain us.  Fighting back was not an option

Democrats' Rise Has Pluses, Say G.O.P. Centrists  —  If the Democratic ascendance on Capitol Hill was supposed to usher in dark days for Republicans, it is hard to tell from talking to moderate ones like Mike Ferguson, who represents a suburban district in central New Jersey.

Oh, dear.  Guess who's taking the Washington Post's editorial board to task for its editorial stance against Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria?  One of the Post's own Op ed columnists, Eugene Robinson.  —  Check out this appearance by Robinson on Hardball.  Robinson defends Pelosi's trip to Syria …

FATHER'S COMPLAINT PROMPTS U.S. MILITARY TO CHANGE HOW IT BRINGS FALLEN SOLDIERS HOME  —  In an about-face by the U.S. government four years into the war in Iraq, America's fallen troops are being brought back to their families aboard charter jets instead of ordinary commercial flights …

Lawyer: Fire was a 'prank'  —  Attorney for three students says burning of flag was not politically motivated  —  Three Yale students arrested for burning an American flag attached to a house were not politically motivated, their lawyer said Thursday.  —  The attorney, William Dow …

Giuliani downplays abortion issue in S.C.  —  Republican for president Rudy Giuliani is betting S.C. primary voters are more interested in his national security credentials than his moderate views on abortion.  —  The former New York City mayor was in South Carolina Thursday …