K Street vs. Middle America: Battle Lines Being Drawn In Fight Over Dems' Secret Trade Deal With Bush  —  Another long day as the reverberations continue to intensify after yesterday's press conference announcing a secret "free" trade deal between a handful of senior Democrats and the Bush administration.

General says he needs more troops  —  U.S. commander for northern Iraq cites the growing violence in Diyala province.  —  BAGHDAD — The commander of U.S. forces in northern Iraq said Friday that he did not have enough troops to deal with the escalating violence in Iraq's Diyala province …

Pakistan set to declare state of emergency  —  President Musharraf could declare a state of emergency in Pakistan amid growing civil unrest against his increasingly embattled regime.  —  Security forces were placed on high alert yesterday, detaining hundreds of activists on the eve of an anti-government rally in Karachi.

Giuliani Takes On G.O.P. Orthodoxy on Social Issues  —  Rudolph W. Giuliani directly challenged Republican orthodoxy on Friday, asserting that his support for abortion rights, gun control and gay rights should not disqualify him from winning the party's presidential nomination.

Factual Statements=Unprotected Harassment!?  A Terrifying Precedent at Tufts  —  Today, FIRE announced the decision by a disciplinary panel at Tufts to find the conservative student newspaper, The Primary Source, guilty of "harassment" for, among other things, publishing a satirical ad …

Billions in Oil Missing in Iraq, U.S. Study Says  —  Between 100,000 and 300,000 barrels a day of Iraq's declared oil production over the past four years is unaccounted for and could have been siphoned off through corruption or smuggling, according to a draft American government report.

Zimbabwe to head U.N. body over U.S. objection … UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Zimbabwe won approval on Friday to head a key U.N. body charged with promoting economic progress and environmental protection despite protests from the U.S., European nations and human rights organizations.

Ex-U.S. Attorney Questions Own Firing  —  Former W.Va. Prosecutor Says He Has 'Concerns' About Firing By Bush Administration  —  (AP) A former West Virginia federal prosecutor said Friday the White House fired him in 2005 in the middle of a corruption and vote-buying investigation but never told him why.

Obama talks hybrids, but his ride has a Hemi  —  Sen. Barack Obama talks a good game.  He also drives a good car, but the two are not entirely compatible.  —  The Democratic presidential contender was in Detroit on Monday, oozing charisma and environmental awareness as he chided local automakers …

Civilian Deaths Undermine Allies' War on Taliban  —  Scores of civilian deaths over the past months from heavy American and allied reliance on airstrikes to battle Taliban insurgents are threatening popular support for the Afghan government and creating severe strains within the NATO alliance.

Momentum builds against GOP candidates  —  The week had the feel of 1974.  Republican members of Congress marched to the White House to deliver a frank message to an embattled president: You are a liability.  —  Three decades ago, it was Watergate.  Now, it's Iraq.

Religion and Insurgency  —  A few commentators have panned the new counterinsurgency manual for insufficient emphasis on religion.  There is a grain of truth in this criticism but, as a practitioner, the evidence I see does not really support it.  Rather, field data suggest …

Lobbying Reform Losing Steam in House  —  Lobbying Reform Losing Momentum in Congress After Democrats Touted It for 2006 Election  —  House Democrats are suddenly balking at the tough lobbying reforms they touted to voters last fall as a reason for putting them in charge of Congress.