Gore campaign team assembles in secret  —  Friends of Al Gore have secretly started assembling a campaign team in preparation for the former American vice-president to make a fresh bid for the White House.  —  Two members of Mr Gore's staff from his unsuccessful attempt in 2000 …

High turnout seen in French election  —  PARIS - France began choosing a new president Sunday with millions of voters undecided and millions more voting for the first time, making the selection of two final candidates highly unpredictable.  —  The successor to Jacques Chirac …

Mishandling the massacre  —  To boost their ratings, the media encourage the next mass killer  —  For the sake of a few dollars more, NBC has brought closer the day of the next public mass killing in America.  —  "This was a sick business tonight, going on the air with this," …

Bush Doesn't Joke at WHCA Dinner Due to Virginia Tech Killings — But Rich Little Says 'Nuts'  —  WASHINGTON What would the White House Correspondents Association dinner do for an encore on Saturday night in Washington following last year's controversial Stephen Colbert routine?

REMEMBERING ADMIRAL STOCKDALE  —  The disgrace of the British sailors and marines in Iranian captivity caused many to recall the heroics of Admiral James Stockdale.  The photo above depicts Admiral Stockdale's reunion with his family in 1973 after President Nixon secured his release.

The Dutch Way or the Highway … Reuters has an interesting article up about a Belgian auto parts supplier who has forbidden his employees to speak another language than Dutch while at work.  If they ignore the rule, they can be fired. … The employees who are most upset with this rule …

Bush sees tide turning in Iraq  —  President Bush yesterday said his strategy to send more troops to Iraq is turning the tide in favor of U.S. and Iraqi forces and rebutted claims by a top Democrat that the war is lost.  —  "The direction of the fight is beginning to shift," …

Lower Than Dirt  —  For some reason — don't ask — I was looking at Rush Limbaugh's web site, and I saw this headline: "Can Any Good Come from V Tech Horror?" followed by this blurb: "Maybe, just maybe, we'll face the hatred for American traditions and capitalism infesting our campuses."  No, I thought.

Candidate Giuliani Shifts His Tone on Immigration  —  Rudolph W. Giuliani is a long way from Ellis Island.  —  A decade ago, as mayor of New York, Mr. Giuliani used that historic backdrop to champion the cause of immigrants, calling attacks on people who came here legally a blow to "the heart and soul of America."

Obama Addresses Question of Experience  —  NEW YORK (AP) - Wooing black voters while tackling questions about his experience, Democrat Barack Obama said Saturday that his years as a community organizer and accomplishments in the Illinois state Senate have prepared him well for the presidency.

Before Deadly Rage, a Life Consumed by a Troubling Silence  —  From the beginning, he did not talk.  Not to other children, not to his own family.  Everyone saw this.  In Seoul, South Korea, where Seung-Hui Cho grew up, his mother agonized over his sullen, brooding behavior and empty face.

Hi,  —  This is evidence of what I told you earlier about the very important developments taking place.  I have tried to draw attention to the significant change of mood of the people which started in the Anbar province with the creation of the "Anbar Salvation Council".

Sunni struggle claims 4th Fallujah chief  —  BAGHDAD- The Fallujah city council chairman, a critic of al-Qaida who took the job after his three predecessors were assassinated, was killed on Saturday, the latest blow in a violent internal Sunni struggle for control of an insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad.

Hank Paulson "Needs More" to Knife Wolfowitz: How About Wolfowitz's Employment Contract that He Be Allowed to Take Speaker Fees?  —  Secretary of the Treasury "Hank Paulson can easily control his enthusiasm for Paul Wolfowitz," according to a source close to Paulson, "but he does not have enough yet to stick the final knife in."