Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream  —  War on Terror Concerns  —  The first-ever, nationwide, random sample survey of Muslim Americans finds them to be largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate with respect to many of the issues that have divided Muslims and Westerners around the world.

The Left's Iraq Muddle  —  Yes, it is central to the fight against Islamic radicalism.  —  At this year's graduation celebration at The New School in New York, Iranian lawyer, human-rights activist and Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi delivered our commencement address.

Bush could double force by Christmas  —  (05-22) 04:00 PDT Washington — The Bush administration is quietly on track to nearly double the number of combat troops in Iraq this year, an analysis of Pentagon deployment orders showed Monday.  —  The little-noticed second surge …

Today's Must Read  —  OK, so you knew Duke Cunningham was dirty, but you didn't know that he was this dirty.  —  The Wrong Stuff: The Extraordinary Saga of Randy "Duke" Cunningham, the Most Corrupt Congressman Ever Caught, the book about Cunningham by the reporters who brought him down, hits stores this coming Monday.

Edwards charges $55,000 to speak to UC Davis students about poverty  —  Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, who as a Democratic presidential candidate recently proposed an educational policy that urged "every financial barrier" be removed for American kids who want to go to college …

President Stands by Gonzales  —  President Bush said yesterday that Democrats in Congress are engaging in "pure political theater" by preparing resolutions of no confidence in Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, and he repeated his support for his embattled aide and longtime friend.

Free To Be Al Gore  —  Boy, it would be fun if Al Gore changed his mind and ran for president — fun for the voters, anyway.  Imagine a candidate whose preelection book is devoted in large part to an attack on the media for waging war on reason.  —  Politicians, it is often said, never win by attacking the media.

U.S. Government Gave Airtime to Terrorists, Official Admits  —  Justin Rood Reports:  —  Al Hurra television, the U.S. government's $63 million-a-year effort at public diplomacy broadcasting in the Middle East, is run by executives and officials who cannot speak Arabic, according to a senior official who oversees the program.

Ex-KGB agent accused in Litvinenko death  —  LONDON - Britain made a bold extradition request Tuesday for a former KGB bodyguard in the poisoning death of an ex-Soviet spy turned Kremlin critic.  Russia immediately refused the request, creating a standoff with Europe's leading energy supplier …

Mayor: 4 killed in Turkey blast … ANKARA, Turkey (CNN) — Four people died and 56 were injured in an explosion in the Turkish capital of Ankara, Mayor Melih Gokchek told CNN Turk.  —  Police believe the most likely cause of the "major" explosion in the middle of a shopping district Tuesday was a bomb.

Maysan  —  A Small Battle in the Media War  —  As we drive to meet the Merlin helicopter, our vehicle displays a British flag on the dash.  We pass teams of British soldiers at Basra Air Station as they conduct morning runs, preparing for the next combat, perhaps only hours away.

Lieberman, Sticking With Democrats for Now, Warns Them on Iraq  —  Senator Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, says his disagreement with the Democrats over the Iraq war won't prevent him from working with his former party.  For now.  —  ``I hope the moment doesn't come that I feel …