A Loser's History  —  GEORGE TENET'S SNIVELING, SELF-JUSTIFYING NEW BOOK IS A DISGRACE.  —  It's difficult to see why George Tenet would be so incautious as to write his own self-justifying apologia, let alone give it the portentous title At the Center of the Storm.

Wolfowitz Decries 'Smear Campaign'  —  WASHINGTON — World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz on Monday decried what he called a "smear campaign" against him and told a special bank panel that he acted in good faith in securing a promotion and pay raise for his girlfriend.

D.C. Madam Wants Washington Clients to Testify  —  Brian Ross, Rhonda Schwartz & Justin Rood Report:  —  The woman charged in a federal indictment with running a high-class Washington, D.C. call girl service says she plans to call her prominent clients to testify at her trial.

Broder Tells 'E&P' That He Stands By His Blast At Harry Reid  —  NEW YORK David Broder said he wouldn't change anything in his April 26 column, which angered many readers and caused 50 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus to write a letter criticizing Broder in Friday's Washington Post.

Maliki's Office Is Seen Behind Purge in Forces  —  A department of the Iraqi prime minister's office is playing a leading role in the arrest and removal of senior Iraqi army and national police officers, some of whom had apparently worked too aggressively to combat violent Shiite militias …

GOP's Base Helps Keep Unity on Iraq  —  With public opinion tilting firmly toward ending U.S. involvement in the war in Iraq, Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest (R-Md.) might have expected praise for his votes that would start to bring the troops home.  Instead, at town hall meetings on the Eastern Shore …

Court rules on two patent cases, and on high-speed chase  —  The Supreme Court, in a major victory for Microsoft Corp., ruled by a 7-1 vote on Monday that U.S. patent law does not bar foreign making of copies of digital code to be installed in computers made and sold abroad.

CA Dem Convention: Richardson and Dodd  —  Dodd sounds and looks solid, knowledgeable, and boring.  Richardson seems unable to comprehend that his resume doesn't automatically earn him the nomination.  Both seem to be running for VP.  —  Dodd would be OK with me, though I don't quite …

Climate change hits Mars  —  Mars is being hit by rapid climate change and it is happening so fast that the red planet could lose its southern ice cap, writes Jonathan Leake.  —  Scientists from Nasa say that Mars has warmed by about 0.5C since the 1970s.  This is similar to the warming experienced …

Lebanon war probe accuses Olmert of 'serious failure,' blasts Halutz, Peretz  —  The partial report by a government-appointed committee probing the Second Lebanon War on Monday accused Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of "severe failure" in exercising judgment, responsibility and caution during the outset of the war.

Hope for sex-boost slimming pill  —  Scientists are developing a pill which could boost women's libido and reduce their appetite.  —  The hormone-releasing pill has so far only been given to female monkeys and shrews who displayed more mating behaviour and ate less.

ABC Reveals Big Drops in Circ in Spring 2007  —  NEW YORK Blame the big metro papers — again.  The Audit Bureau of Circulations released the spring numbers this morning, revealing more plunges in daily and Sunday circulation.  —  As in the past, the losses are steep while gains are minimal.

THE BAD POLLSTER.  I have a feeling that Mark Penn, Senator Clinton's pollster and apparently her de facto campaign manager, is going to start getting some close, and long overdue, scrutiny.  The Washington Post picks up where The American Prospect left off, with a well-written article by Anne Kornblut …

Hurwitz Jurors Explain Their Verdict  —  Since the verdict in the Hurwit trial on Friday, I've interviewed three of the twelve jurors, and they told pretty much the same story.  They said that the jury considered Dr. William Hurwitz to be a doctor dedicated to treating pain …

Today is Tax Freedom Day®  —  The Tax Foundation has announced that today (the 120th day of 2007) is Tax Freedom Day® — Americans will work four months of the year, from January 1 to April 30, before they have earned enough money to pay this year's tax obligations at the federal, state and local levels.

GIMME A BREAK, BILL  —  William Saletan (who may or may not be known as Bill) is Slate's grandaddy of abortion.  He's written a book on the topic, and it's fair to say that he's pretty knowledgable.  But that doesn't mean he always gets it right.  And his column today is a bright flashing indicator of that.

Politics Notebook for April 29, 2007  —  Blanco hints she's not out of running  —  Gov. Kathleen Blanco would not deny she is considering re-entering the governor's race when questioned by TV reporters Thursday at the Governor's Mansion.  —  "This is Louisiana and lots of exciting things …

Iraqi Parliament Planning TWO MONTH Recess  —  Yes, you read that correctly.  The Iraqi parliament - who our brave young men and women are fighting to protect and preserve - is planning on taking a two month vacation during the months of July and August.  This is wrong on so many levels.

Post-McCain "Announcement Tour" Thoughts  —  Some advice from a first-time campaign correspondent: Never leave your computer on the charter.  Also, invest in a broadband access card.  My limited posts from my limited time on the Straight Talk Express are due mostly to lack of internet access …

Congress' vote on Iraq war is only a prelude  —  A September progress report on the troop buildup could make things a lot harder for Bush and Republicans.  —  WASHINGTON — On the surface, there's not much suspense about what happens next in the battle between President Bush and Democratic lawmakers over the war in Iraq.