Countless White House E-Mails Deleted  —  Countless e-mails to and from many key White House staffers have been deleted — lost to history and placed out of reach of congressional subpoenas — due to a brazen violation of internal White House policy that was allowed to continue for more than six years …

Bombing Inside Green Zone Kills Iraqi Lawmakers  —  A bomb struck the Iraqi parliament building inside the well-protected Green Zone today, killing at least two Iraqi lawmakers and demonstrating the vulnerability of even heavily guarded targets despite increased American attempts to secure the capital.

An Imus Guest Says No More  —  Every time I've been on Don Imus' show, he has reminded listeners that he "discovered" me.  It's not exactly hyperbole.  He first invited me on when I was just a foulmouthed blogger who ran the gossipy political site Wonkette.

Kurt Vonnegut, RIP  —  The author of three of my favorite books — the dark Phildickian comedy The Sirens of Titan and two novels of World War II, Mother Night and Slaughterhouse-Five — has died at age 84.  At his worst his whimsy could be cloying, and I have to admit I stopped reading …

In 5-Year Effort, Scant Evidence of Voter Fraud  —  Five years after the Bush administration began a crackdown on voter fraud, the Justice Department has turned up virtually no evidence of any organized effort to skew federal elections, according to court records and interviews.

British Forces at War: As Witnessed by an American  —  Basra, Iraq  —  The explosions from enemy rockets and mortar fire have been constant companions for the small contingent of Coalition forces based at the former Basra Palace, on the banks of Shatt al Arab River.

Blair blames spate of murders on black culture  —  Patrick Wintour and Vikram Dodd  —  Tony Blair yesterday claimed the spate of knife and gun murders in London was not being caused by poverty, but a distinctive black culture.  His remarks angered community leaders, who accused him of ignorance …

Discomfited, Again  —  Yes, if Fred Thompson jumps into the race for president, the decision would discomfit* me.  He has cancer; he has two small children.  I would wonder about Thompson's priorities.  Every candidate makes sacrifices when he or she runs for president …

Putting politics ahead of kids  —  White people, you're privileged, and guilty, guilty, guilty of oppressing disadvantaged minorities.  Denial only makes things worse.  —  This is the message currently emanating from the Seattle School District.  Never mind that this dubious construct …

A convenient untruth  —  A suicide bomber had rammed a truck into the guard post outside his offices before it exploded, in the first attack in the centre of the country's capital for many years.  Al-Qaida, he told his region-wide Arab audience, was responsible for "this cowardly attack, this rejection of reconciliation".

World Bank Chief Apologizes for Arranging Job  —  Paul D. Wolfowitz, the president of the World Bank, apologized today for his role in arranging a highly paid job at the State Department for a woman with whom he has a personal relationship.  —  "I made a mistake, for which I am sorry," …

In the Real World of Work and Wages, Trickle-Down Theories Don't Hold Up  —  When asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton famously replied, "Because that's where the money is."  The same logic explains the call by John Edwards, the Democratic presidential candidate, for higher taxes …