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.

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.

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.

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 …

Thompson mulling summer announcement  —  Advisers to Fred Thompson have begun exploring a range of staffing options — including talking to potential campaign managers — as the actor and former Tennessee senator firms up his plans to enter the Republican presidential contest, according to people involved in the conversations.

Let's Go to the Videotape!  —  In today's Fourth Amendment decision about running a fleeing car off the road, there is a factual dispute about exactly what happened, and the Court notes that because the case is in a summary judgment posture, ordinarily it would accept the plainitiff's version …

Will Saletan informs us that the sky is blue, water is wet, and those are fetuses that get aborted  —  I really wonder sometimes if Will Saletan is my father's long-lost bastard child.  Because he's got the exact same talent Dad had for telling you what you already knew in a manner …

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 …

Lieberman: 'Bloggers Have Added Another Dimension of Vituperation Toxicity' To Politics  —  Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) led a panel discussion today at the American Enterprise Institute discussing "options for restoring civility in American politics."

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

Stephanie Miller Takes Her Turn On MSNBC  —  Today through Wednesday, progressive talk show host Stephanie Miller gets her chance to shine in Imus's old slot on MSNBC.  If this morning's show was any indication, she could easily impact their ratings in the same way Keith Olberman has.  —  Download (2726) |

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.

ON MENTAL HEALTH COMMITMENTS AND THE VIRGINIA TECH SHOOTING: Was the tragic incident at Virginia Tech the result of a failure of Virginia's mental health system?  Slate recently posted Seung-Hui Cho's commitment papers and they are revealing: the magistrate who heard Cho's case determined that he was …

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 …