Gonzales Crams for a Senate Grilling  —  Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has virtually wiped his public schedule clean to bone up for his long-awaited April 17 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee—a session widely seen as a crucial test as to whether he will survive the U.S. attorney mess.

Speaker Pelosi's adventure in Damascus has cost her a lot of political capital  —  Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria was the liveliest topic inside the Beltway last week.  Three points — one political, one constitutional and one relative to Mrs. Pelosi's job skills — are pertinent.

Another Enemy of the People?  —  I am posting the below with the permission of Professor Walter F. Murphy, emeritus of Princeton University.  For those who do not know, Professor Murphy is easily the most distinguished scholar of public law in political science.

Army Is Cracking Down on Deserters  —  Army prosecutions of desertion and other unauthorized absences have risen sharply in the last four years, resulting in thousands more negative discharges and prison time for both junior soldiers and combat-tested veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Army records show.

Why So Gloomy?  —  Judging from the media in recent months, the debate over global warming is now over.  There has been a net warming of the earth over the last century and a half, and our greenhouse gas emissions are contributing at some level.  Both of these statements are almost certainly true.

Sadr: It's On  —  Moqtada al-Sadr has decided to finally acknowledge that the surge strategy in Baghdad will undermine the basis of his power in Iraq, and has ordered the Mahdi Army to resist American and Iraqi forces trying to put him out of business.  In a missive to his forces today …

Hero's tale is 'too positive' for the BBC  —  Amid the deaths and the grim daily struggle bravely borne by Britain's forces in southern Iraq, one tale of heroism stands out.  —  Private Johnson Beharry's courage in rescuing an ambushed foot patrol then, in a second act …

'World News Tonight' Kicks off Global Warming Series as Record Cold Grips Nation  —  This is really hysterical, and requires all sharp objects, food and drinking vessels to be properly stowed before proceeding.  —  On Saturday evening, ABC's "World News Tonight" kicked off its series …

MTP Transcript for April 8, 2007  —  MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Easter Sunday: The president and congressional Democrats square off on Iraq.  —  The attorney general prepares to testify under oath about the eight dismissed U.S. attorneys.  —  And the presidential candidates raise big money for a very long campaign.

CNN LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER  —  Interview With Senators Lieberman, Spector; Interview With Cardinal Theodore McCarrick  —  THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.  THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.  —  WOLF BLITZER, HOST: This is "Late Edition," the last word in Sunday talk.

Levin: Senate Won't Withhold Iraq Funds  —  Senate Will Not Stop Paying for Iraq War, Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin Says  —  The Senate will not stop paying for the Iraq war nor relent from insisting that President Bush keep pressing the Baghdad government for a negotiated end to the violence …

Identity, Progressivism, and American Patriotism  —  Ever since I started working full-time in politics about three or four years ago, I noticed something about myself that had not always been clear when I was a younger man: I really, really love America.  I don't just mean this is the sense …

We threatened his mother with RAPE?!  —  So it appears.  From a Wall Street Journal article on Lt. Col. Stuart Couch, who refused to prosecute a significant al-Qaeda figure because his confession was tainted by his maltreatment at Guantanamo: … Don't worry, though: according …

McCain: It's 'Fun' When I 'Misspeak' About Progress In Iraq  —  In a recent TV interview, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) criticized CNN's Wolf Blitzer, saying he didn't know what was going on in Iraq.  As proof of progress, McCain claimed, "General Petraeus goes out there almost every day in an unarmed humvee."

April 8: Democrats back away from Iraq troops withdrawal demand  —  Also on the Sunday shows: Gingrich says it's best for Gonzales to Go; Huckabee says he's the man to take on Clinton; Thompson lists Iraq principles  —  For the second straight weekend, top Senate Democrats shrunk further away …