Filler in Animal Feed Is Open Secret in China  —  As American food safety regulators head to China to investigate how a chemical made from coal found its way into pet food that killed dogs and cats in the United States, workers in this heavily polluted northern city openly admit that the substance …

Zen and The Art Of Iraqi Reconcilliation  —  We in the West have tended to go for simplistic, linear narratives when it comes to describing the muddle of politics and aspirations that is Iraq since Saddam.  First the narrative was freedom-loving Iraqis versus terrorists, then insugents versus stability then Sunni versus Shiite.

Clinton's PowerPointer  —  With Data and Slides, a Pollster Guides Campaign Strategy  —  It was fairly simple, Mark J. Penn said calmly to Vice President Al Gore, reporting the findings of an exhaustive survey he had conducted in the early stages of the 2000 presidential campaign.

Quiet Bush Aide Seeks Iraq Czar, Creating a Stir  —  Stephen J. Hadley would be the first to tell you he does not have star power.  But Mr. Hadley, the bespectacled, gray-haired, exceedingly precise Washington lawyer who is President Bush's national security adviser, is in the market for someone who does …

Excerpt: Tenet Strikes Back  —  From George Tenet's new book At the Center of the Storm  —  I first flew into Iraq just about the time Jerry Bremer took over as head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, or CPA, during the third week of May 2003.  I took a helicopter ride with Jerry right over Baghdad.

Anti-government rally fills central Istanbul  —  An excited and angry crowd estimated in the hundreds of thousands painted central Istanbul's Çaðlayan Square in red with Turkish flags yesterday, joining in song, slogans and speeches to "protect the Republic" they charged is under threat.

Inside the struggle for Iran  —  A grand coalition of anti-government forces is planning a second Iranian revolution via the ballot box to deny President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad another term in office and break the grip of what they call the "militia state" on public life and personal freedom.

The Story Behind the Story, the Continuing Series  —  Atrios writes about media inconsistency regarding who is and isn't fair game when it comes to reporting on the private lives of public figures.  —  Years ago, Christopher Hitchens wrote that he went into journalism because he didn't want to have to rely …

Hollywood Girls Gone Wild  —  In which Laurie David and Sheryl Crow harangue Karl Rove.  —  The showdown at the White House Correspondents' dinner was more emotional and lasted longer than was first reported.  It started when Laurie David introduced herself to Karl Rove.

Paging Dr. Rosie: Did Schwarzenegger Demolish Bay Bridge Interchange?  —  A gasoline tanker caught fire underneath an offramp from the San Francisco Bay Bridge this morning, causing a 250-foot section of the overpass to collapse.  That's what they want you to believe, anyway.

Afghan infant deaths fall by 40,000 a year since ousting of Taleban  —  INFANT mortality in Afghanistan has fallen dramatically since the demise of the Taleban, according to a new study, with 40,000 fewer babies dying every year.  —  Improvements in women's access to medical care since …

George Tenet's Imaginary Encounter...  With Richard Perle.  —  SCOTT SHANE REPORTED in Saturday's New York Times that former CIA chief George Tenet's dramatic description in his book, At the Center of the Storm, of an August 2002 presentation at the CIA by defense undersecretary Douglas Feith and his staff …

George Tenet Breaks His Silence  —  George Tenet's "60 Minutes" interview with Scott Pelley was as combative as it was blockbuster.  The CBS website does a good job of summing it all up: … Part 1: Download (2950) |  Play (2439) Download (1526) |  Play (1897)  —  Part 2: Download (2355) |

McCain frets over treatment from press, faces campaign funding woes  —  Sen. John McCain, who was the darling of the political press corps during the 2000 election cycle, complains to friends that he is getting much rougher treatment from the news media than his competitors …

Welcome Aboard, Rick  —  This is your captain speaking, and I would like to take a moment to welcome Rick Moran aboard the Defeatocrat cruise ship for his maiden voyage.  Since Rick is new, I will repost the itinerary for his first morning with the Defeatocrats.  The ship will board in Berkeley on May Day.