The Fantasy Behind the Scandal  —  The more we learn about the White House's purge of United States attorneys, the more a single thread runs through it: the Bush administration's campaign to transform the minor problem of voter fraud into a supposed national scourge.

Nothing Improper  —  My decision some months ago to privately seek the resignations of a small number of U.S. attorneys has erupted into a public firestorm.  First and foremost, I appreciate the public service of these fine lawyers and dedicated professionals, each of whom served his or her full four-year term as U.S. attorney.

McCain Sees 'No Plan B' for Iraq War  —  Senator John McCain said that the buildup of American forces in Iraq represented the only viable option to avoid failure in Iraq and that he had yet to identify an effective fallback if the current strategy failed.  —  "I have no Plan B," Mr. McCain said in an interview.

Documents May Give Wolfowitz New Lifeline in World Bank Scandal  —  World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz's career was hanging by a thread today, but new revelations in internal bank documents released by the bank seemed as if they would provide him a stronger lifeline.

Russian police beat, detain protesters  —  MOSCOW - Riot police beat and detained protesters as thousands defied an official ban and attempted to stage a rally Saturday against President Vladimir Putin's government, which opponents accuse of rolling back freedoms Russians have enjoyed since the end of Soviet communism.

Abstinence students still having sex  —  Study tracked 2,057 young people in government-funded programs  —  WASHINGTON - Students who participated in sexual abstinence programs were just as likely to have sex a few years later as those who did not, according to a long-awaited study mandated by Congress.

Case Closed  —  Tax cuts mean growth.  —  It's that time again, and I was thinking of the old joke about paying your taxes with a smile.  The punch line is that the IRS doesn't accept smiles.  They want your money.  —  So it's not that funny, but there is reason to smile this tax season.

Prosecutors will retry Ed Rosenthal, known as the `guru of ganja'  —  SAN FRANCISCO - Federal prosecutors said today they would retry marijuana grower Ed Rosenthal on cultivation charges, even after a federal judge urged them to drop the case and chastised the government for lodging charges solely …

Eye on Iran, Rivals Pursuing Nuclear Power  —  Two years ago, the leaders of Saudi Arabia told international atomic regulators that they could foresee no need for the kingdom to develop nuclear power.  Today, they are scrambling to hire atomic contractors, buy nuclear hardware and build support for a regional system of reactors.

Witnesses for the Persecution  —  IN an echo of the final episode of "Seinfeld," which involved a violation of a "good Samaritan law" that required a witness to a crime to come to the victim's assistance, a recent lawsuit in a United States federal court demands consideration of a related law …

Suing A Blogger: Fifth Update  —  WKRN's Brittney Gilbert reports on the saga of JL Kirk Associates, a critical blogger, and a lawsuit threat that backfired big time.  Also, "S-Town Mike" at Enclave has more on JL Kirk Associates' new-found online fame.  —  And it's not good fame: the story …

The Obama Plan: Residual Troops in Iraq  —  The Presidential contest has me in despair.  As far as I can tell, all of our candidates except for Richardson and Dodd see no problem in keeping troops in Iraq.  I hope Bill Richardson keeps talking up his plan.

Rove, others were warned to save e-mails  —  WASHINGTON — Karl Rove and other White House employees were cautioned in employee manuals, memos and briefings to carefully save any e-mails that might discuss official matters even if those messages came from private e-mail accounts, the White House disclosed Friday.

The Shamelessness of Cheney  —  Now he tells us: … I'm not defending Democratic pork - any more than Republican pork.  But, again, what's staggering about these Republicans is their total shamelessness.  No administration in recent history has presided over anything like the explosion …