Iraq war is 'lost': US Democrat leader  —  The war in Iraq "is lost" and a US troop surge is failing to bring peace to the country, the leader of the Democratic majority in the US Congress, Harry Reid, said Thursday.  —  "I believe ... that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything …

President Bush Pleased with Attorney General's Testimony  —  President Bush was pleased with the Attorney General's testimony today.  After hours of testimony in which he answered all of the Senators' questions and provided thousands of pages of documents, he again showed that nothing improper occurred.

Iran Exonerates Six Who Killed in Islam's Name  —  The Iranian Supreme Court has overturned the murder convictions of six members of a prestigious state militia who killed five people they considered "morally corrupt."  —  The reversal, in an infamous five-year-old case from Kerman …

I'm Signing On  —  I really thought that the 2004 presidential campaign would be the last I would be involved in.  I have always wanted to make a difference, but for me I thought those days were over.  —  A few weeks ago, John and Elizabeth Edwards made their decision to continue …

'That Was the Desk I Chose to Die Under'  —  The roommates crossed paths near the bathroom door at 5 in the morning.  In the Monday darkness, another school week at Virginia Tech was about to begin.  Karan Grewal had pulled an all-nighter to finish his accounting paper.

McCain visits Murrells Inlet  —  Even though he was nursing a cold, Republican Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain spent nearly 90 minutes talking to nearly 500 people who crammed into the Murrells Inlet VFW Hall Wednesday morning.  —  The "Straight Talk" tour, as it's called, included stops in Summerville and Charleston.

Senate plot stirs Bruning, adds Kerrey  —  The plot not only thickened in the 2008 Senate race Wednesday night, it threatened to spin out of control.  —  Attorney General Jon Bruning is ready to enter the 2008 Republican primary whether Sen. Chuck Hagel seeks re-election or not.

'Accommodations' could open door to more demands  —  Last week, I wrote about Minneapolis Community and Technical College's proposal to install ritual washing facilities to facilitate Muslim prayer.  Is this a tempest in a teapot, as some have suggested?  —  Canada, our neighbor to the north …

Embattled lawmaker gives up panel seat  —  WASHINGTON - Rep. John Doolittle (news, bio, voting record) has decided to temporarily give up his House Appropriations Committee seat after FBI agents searched his house in a congressional influence-peddling investigation.

Gonzales: Criticism Damages DoJ Employees  —  Under questioning from Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Gonzales cautioned against criticizing the good employees of the Justice Department: "when there are attacks against the department, you're attacking the career professionals."

Message-Minded Admiral Ditches 'Long War' Phrase  —  TAMPA - "The Long War," a phrase coined by former U.S. Central Command chief John Abizaid to convey the time needed to defeat the religious extremism fueling al-Qaida, has been jettisoned by his successor, Adm. William Fallon.

Caught on tape: Rapper thrashes, simulates sex with possible underage girl on stage Updates  —  Sick.  Sick, sick, sick.  Expect to hear a lot about rapper Akon shortly.  During a concert last week*, he held a contest that ended with, well, assault and battery.

Alec Baldwin's Threatening Message to Daughter  —  An enraged Alec Baldwin unleashed a volcanic tirade of threats and insults on his 11-year-old daughter, Ireland, calling her a "thoughtless little pig," and bashing her mother Kim Basinger — and TMZ has obtained the whole thing unfiltered and raw.