The Elephant in the Room  —  George W. Bush has the lowest presidential approval rating in a generation, and the leading Dems beat every major '08 Republican.  Coincidence?  —  A Virtually Bush-Free Zone: The GOP debate in California on May 3  —  It's hard to say which is worse news for Republicans …

New Tape: Al Qaeda No. 2 Wants 200,000-300,000 U.S. Dead in Iraq  —  Ayman al-Zawahiri Says Al Qaeda Wants to Spill More U.S. Blood Before America Withdraws  —  In a new video posted today on the Internet, al Qaeda's number two man, Ayman al Zawahiri, mocks the bill passed by Congress setting …

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 …

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 …

With New Clout, Antiwar Groups Push Democrats  —  Every morning, representatives from a cluster of antiwar groups gather for a conference call with Democratic leadership staff members in the House and the Senate.  —  Shortly after, in a cramped meeting room here, they convene for a call with organizers across the country.

Deployed troops fight for lost custody of kids  —  Children taken from single parents in uniform when they are mobilized  —  She had raised her daughter for six years following the divorce, shuttling to soccer practice and cheerleading, making sure schoolwork was done.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

Bill Clinton warns of looming disasters  —  CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Former President Bill Clinton said Friday that disasters such as worldwide famine and an obesity epidemic could destroy the U.S. health care system unless politicians begin to look ahead and cooperate.

Will France choose Sarko or the road to ruin?  —  Paris  —  It rarely happens to a country that a clear opportunity is presented to it to save itself from ruin.  Only once since the war has it happened to Britain, in 1979, when the people realised that the end of the road had been reached …