AT THE CENTER OF THE STORM  —  Echoes of "slam dunk" so vex former Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet that he has written a book.  Had he never blurted those words to the president, Mr. Tenet tells us, he might not have written it.  He wants to explain what the words meant …

AP Uncritically Reports Giuliani Campaign's Efforts To Marginalize Olbermann  —  Last week, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann delivered a special comment criticizing Rudy Giuliani for his recent partisan fearmongering.  This week, he hosted MSNBC's coverage of the Republican presidential debate.

A Liberal Case for Gun Rights Helps Sway Judiciary  —  In March, for the first time in the nation's history, a federal appeals court struck down a gun control law on Second Amendment grounds.  Only a few decades ago, the decision would have been unimaginable.

Chat with Rand Beers on Iraq  —  SPECIAL RADIO INTERVIEW with RAND BEERS … TODAY: 12:05 p.m. eastern - 3:05 pacific  —  Afterwards, Rand Beers will join the conversation in the comment section.  —  There are disturbing stories out of Iraq every day, but this one is more alarming than most.

For Queen and First Lady, Bush Will Try White Tie  —  How does George W. Bush, a towel-snapping Texan who puts his feet on the coffee table, drinks water straight from the bottle and was once caught on tape talking with food in his mouth prepare for a state dinner with the queen?

A Welcome Face — and A Question  —  Some months after Richard Nixon resigned, my husband and I decided to go away.  We wanted to get as far from Washington and Watergate as possible, so we headed to Bahia, in northern Brazil, for Carnival.  —  Bahia is a sort of melting pot for all races, a mix of cultures and colors.

Free Trade's Great, but Offshoring Rattles Me  —  I'm a free trader down to my toes.  Always have been.  Yet lately, I'm being treated as a heretic by many of my fellow economists.  Why?  Because I have stuck my neck out and predicted that the offshoring of service jobs from rich countries …

Troops at Odds With Ethics Standards  —  Army Also Finds More Deployment Means More Mental Illness  —  More than one-third of U.S. soldiers in Iraq surveyed by the Army said they believe torture should be allowed if it helps gather important information about insurgents, the Pentagon disclosed yesterday.

They'll Fight This War To The Last Man  —  There is this AP article out about how republican support for the war will probably hurt them in 2008.  In the article there are the usual statements about September this and the support is wavering that.  It's the republican's war and they better win it blah, blah, blah.

NH's Leftward Turn May Change National Politics  —  LEBANON, N.H. — Good newspapers answer questions, but very good newspapers ask them, and the Valley News, which is published in the central area of the Connecticut River Valley hard by the Vermont border, is a very good newspaper.

Democrats' Momentum Is Stalling  —  Amid Iraq Debate, Priorities On Domestic Agenda Languish  —  In the heady opening weeks of the 110th Congress, the Democrats' domestic agenda appeared to be flying through the Capitol: Homeland security upgrades, a higher minimum wage and student loan interest rate cuts …

New Story for Firing Emerges  —  Ex-U.S. Attorney Clashed With Bosses Over Murder Probe  —  A U.S. attorney in Seattle was singled out for dismissal in part because he clashed with senior Justice Department officials over the investigation of a federal prosecutor's murder …

A Split Emerges as Conservatives Discuss Darwin  —  Evolution has long generated bitter fights between the left and the right about whether God or science better explains the origins of life.  But now a dispute has cropped up within conservative circles, not over science, but over political ideology …

Paris Hilton Going to Jail for 45 Days  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) - A judge sentenced Paris Hilton to 45 days in county jail Friday for violating her probation, putting the brakes on the hotel heiress' famous high life.  —  Hilton, who parlayed her name and relentless partying into worldwide notoriety …

Iraq Reimposes Freeze on Medical Diplomas In Bid to Keep Doctors From Fleeing Abroad  —  BAGHDAD — Iraq is hemorrhaging doctors as violence racks the nation.  To stem the flow, the Iraqi government has recently taken a cue from Saddam Hussein: Medical schools are once again forbidden to issue diplomas and transcripts to new graduates.

Excerpt: Prepared Remarks for Speech to Lincoln Club Annual Dinner  —  So we meet again, and I'm honored, because I know we're here for the same reasons: Love of our country and concern for our future.  —  A lot of Americans have these concerns tonight.  They are concerned about the way things are going in our country right now.

Misfortune?  —  According to Christopher Hitchens, Karl Rove says "I'm not fortunate enough to be a person of faith."  Jon Chait comments: … Ross Douthat replies: … I see Ross's point, but at the end of the day I think Chait's right and it's pretty condescending.

Giuliani flips on Schiavo case  —  When Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani came to the home county of Terri Schiavo last month, he said he supported the controversial effort by Congress to intervene to keep the severely brain-damaged woman alive.  —  But now it's not so clear where he stands on the Schiavo case.

Milblog Conference: "Supporting the Troops"  —  The final panel at the 2007 Milblogger Conference discussed the different ways that the troops in the field are being supported by the American public.  —  "Support is more than just a Bumper Sticker"  —  The panelists included (Left to Right):