McCain, Cornyn Engage in Heated Exchange  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) hasn't spent much time in the Capitol this year as he seeks the GOP presidential nomination.  But one of his rare appearances this week provided a pretty salty exchange with a fellow Republican.

In Closed Meeting With Gonzales, Prosecutors Express Their Dismay  —  Many Remain Upset, Fear Damage to the Justice Department's Image  —  Even as he came under renewed political pressure in Washington this week, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales faced sharp criticism from many of his own U.S. attorneys …

House Dem Staffer: Liberals Are Worried That Leadership Will Cave On Iraq  —  Today the White House said No to all of Dems' offered concessions on Iraq, effectively telling the Dem Congressional leadership to take its "surrender date" and shove it deep into its posterior.  So now what?

Evolution Opponent Is in Line for Schools Post  —  The National Association of State Boards of Education will elect officers in July, and for one office, president-elect, there is only one candidate: a member of the Kansas school board who supported its efforts against the teaching of evolution.

Am I Doing God's Work?  —  "Let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own."  —  January 20, 1961  —  I was ten years old when I heard those words.  They still resonate with me nearly a half century later.

Poisoned Toothpaste in Panama Is Believed to Be From China  —  Diethylene glycol, a poisonous ingredient in some antifreeze, has been found in 6,000 tubes of toothpaste in Panama, and customs officials there said yesterday that the product appeared to have originated in China.

TD Blog Interview with Tina Foster  —  Tina Foster is executive director of the New York-based International Justice Network, a human rights group.  Ms. Foster was previously a staff attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), handling coordination of pro-bono attorneys handling Guantanamo detainee cases.

One of these is not like the other? … What?  A "form?"  A piece of paper Padilla may or may not have signed linking him to al-Qaeda?  That's it?  What happened to the radioactivity from the exploding device that was going to engulf us?  What about all those gas stoves exploding high rise apartment buildings?

Analysis: The Court and the 2008 Election  —  As the presidential campaign season gets an unprecedented early start, it is not too early to start the hyperbole on the importance of the election for the future of the Court and, as a consequence, the future of American law.

GOP Debate Vlogging, Take 2  —  That was terrific.  —  Not a note on content, but style: when composing a photo of a talking head (such as yourself in your vlog) it is more effective to have your eyes in the top third of the frame as opposed to the center of the frame like you are currently doing.

'Welcome to Tehran' - how Iran took control of Basra  —  Britain has failed to stop southern Iraq falling into grip of militias  —  On a recent overcast afternoon in Basra, two new police SUVs drove onto a dusty, rubbish-strewn football pitch where a group of children were playing.

[TS] Op-Ed Columnist: The Insurgent Advantage  —  Thanks to a series of organizational technological innovations, guerrilla insurgencies are increasingly able to take on and defeat nation-states.

GOP Target Murtha Over Spending Exchange  —  WASHINGTON — Republicans will seek a House vote next week admonishing a senior Democrat who they say threatened a GOP member's spending projects in a noisy exchange in the House chamber, Minority Leader John Boehner said Friday.

Former SD Legislator Arrested On Sex Charges  —  A former South Dakota lawmaker is accused of molesting his own foster children and legislative pages.  —  Ted Klaudt, 49, a Republican rancher from Walker, faces a long list of charges: eight counts of rape, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor …

Justice Thomas asks no questions during entire court term  —  WASHINGTON (AP) _ Justice Clarence Thomas sat through 68 hours of oral arguments in the Supreme Court's current term without uttering a word.  —  That's saying something _ or not _ even for the taciturn justice.

Adversaries praise a relentless Kennedy  —  As clock ticked, senator pressed sides for a pact  —  Jubilant yesterday, Senators Mel Martinez (left), Lindsey O. Graham, and Edward M. Kennedy had spent hours in sometimes heated negotiations to craft a compromise bill on immigration.

Smilin' Tim Pawlenty: John McCain's New Best Friend  —  (Image inspired by the clever work of Sir John Tenniel, and of Tild at Tildology.com)  —  No matter how much he tries to pretend he's Not Like Bush, the governor of the North Star State, Minnesota's own Smilin' Tim Pawlenty …