Hussein's Prewar Ties To Al-Qaeda Discounted  —  Pentagon Report Says Contacts Were Limited  —  Captured Iraqi documents and intelligence interrogations of Saddam Hussein and two former aides "all confirmed" that Hussein's regime was not directly cooperating with al-Qaeda before the U.S. invasion of Iraq …

Bill O'Reilly Loses His Damn Mind  —  In the entire, dark, black history of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, this is probably the craziest clip ever.  A young girl was tragically killed by a drunk driver.  But this was not enough for O'Reilly.  Instead, because the criminal was an illegal alien …

Nancy Pelosi, Respectfully Maintaining Her Own Image  —  Over the past week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi toured the Middle East with a congressional entourage and a generous collection of scarves.  The scarves provided her with an additional bit of sartorial modesty when the situation required …

Britain's Humiliation — and Europe's  —  Iran has pulled off a tidy little success with its seizure and release of those 15 British sailors and marines: a pointed humiliation of Britain, with a bonus demonstration of Iran's intention to push back against coalition challenges to its assets in Iraq.

An Administration's Epic Collapse  —  The first three months of the new Democratic Congress have been neither terrible nor transcendent.  A Pew poll had it about right: a substantial majority of the public remains happy the Democrats won in 2006, but neither Nancy Pelosi nor Harry Reid …

Federal Official in Student Loans Held Loan Stock  —  A senior official at the federal Education Department sold more than $100,000 in shares in a student loan company even as he was helping oversee lenders in the federal student loan program.  —  The official, Matteo Fontana …

4 In U.S. Attorney's Office Resign In Protest  —  (WCCO) The four top administrators in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota have resigned their administrative positions.  According to highly placed sources, the administrators have quit in protest over the job being done by Rachel Paulose, the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota.

Guantánamo Follies  —  There has been much speculation about the Supreme Court's decision not to hear an appeal from a group of Guantánamo Bay inmates until they have exhausted their legal options.  Was the court signaling that the appeal had no merit?

Romney Used His Wealth to Enlist Richest Donors  —  Mitt Romney, the multimillionaire founder of a giant private equity firm, knew he did not need other people's money to mount a presidential campaign.  But as they began planning a campaign more than two years ago, Mr. Romney and his advisers wanted …

Oh, Harry.  —  You're not just a public figure now, Senator: you're a household name.  Well, at least in some households: the ones run by political obsessives.  And do you know what political obsessives do, Senator?  —  That's right, Senator: they watch for gaffes.  Like this one.

And Iraq's big oil contracts go to ...  Companies from China, India and other Asian nations are seen getting the first contracts.  But don't write off Big Oil just yet.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Despite claims by some critics that the Bush administration invaded Iraq to take control of its oil …

Dutch Soldiers Stress Restraint in Afghanistan  —  QALA-E-SURKH, Afghanistan — The Dutch infantrymen stood on a ridge near the Baluchi Valley, an area in south-central Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban and tribes opposed to the central government.  —  Whenever they push farther …

Justice Department In New Fight Over Papers on Firings  —  The Justice Department is refusing to release hundreds of pages of additional documents related to the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, setting up a fresh clash with Capitol Hill in a controversy that continues to threaten Attorney …