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 …

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.

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 …

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 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.

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.

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 …

The Sneering Snobs Of Sulzberger's Salon  —  I want to calm the fears of our British friends: Queen Elizabeth was never in any danger of being assaulted with a snapped towel, nor does she need to wear plastic to avoid getting hit with tobacco spit.  The snobs at the New York Times notwithstanding …

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.

CNN: Presidential Debate Footage Available without Restrictions  —  CNN to Make Presidential Debate Footage Available without Restrictions  —  As previously announced, CNN will team up with Hearst-Argyle's WMUR-TV and the New Hampshire Union Leader to host two presidential debates to be held in America's first primary state.

I Miss The Department Terribly  —  Comey sounded a little homesick for DOJ didn't he?  —  Back before Comey became USA SDNY, there was a bit of war in NY over the nomination for that office.  The Bush Administration had already abandoned the notion of getting nominations from the Senators …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

Al-Qaeda means incompetent  —  What would you call a campaign that after 4 years had achieved only 1% of its goal — despite throwing everything it has into that effort?  —  Incompetent?  A failure?  Ridiculous.  —  I'd call it al-Qaeda.  —  ABC News has a new tape from Ayman al-Zawahiri …

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.