Cindy Sheehan Calls It Quits  —  Anti-War Activist And Mom Of Killed G.I. In Iraq Resigns Role As "Face" Of Movement  —  (CBS/AP) Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan announced Monday she is giving up her role as the "face" of the American anti-war movement.  —  "I've been wondering …

Social conservatives bite bullet, back Rudy  —  Rudy Giuliani, whose positions on abortion and homosexuality mark him as the most socially liberal Republican presidential candidate in more than a generation, is so far winning the contest for the support of social conservatives, according to a new analysis of recent polls.

Progress in Iraq likely to miss target  —  Military officers doubt any of the three top goals will be achieved before the September assessment.  —  BAGHDAD — U.S. military leaders in Iraq are increasingly convinced that most of the broad political goals President Bush laid out early this year …

Talks called positive as US asks Iran for help on Iraq  —  Tehran offers plan for security  —  WASHINGTON — In the highest-level public talks between the United States and Iran in nearly 30 years, US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker yesterday reached out to his Iranian counterpart for help …

Rules 'hiding' trillions in debt  —  Liability $516,348 per U.S. household  —  The federal government recorded a $1.3 trillion loss last year — far more than the official $248 billion deficit — when corporate-style accounting standards are used, a USA TODAY analysis shows.

Bush the Neoliberal  —  Years ago, someone coined the term "neoliberal."  I was never sure what it meant, and it has since fallen into disuse, but whatever the case, I'd like to revive (and mangle) the term and apply it — brace yourself — to George W. Bush.  He's more liberal than you might think.

Zoellick frontrunner to lead World Bank  —  Robert Zoellick, former US deputy secretary of state, has emerged as the frontrunner to be the next president of the World Bank.  —  Senior US administration officials expect a decision on the successor to Paul Wolfowitz, who steps down as bank president …

Lawmakers Push for Big Subsidies for Coal Process  —  Even as Congressional leaders draft legislation to reduce greenhouse gases linked to global warming, a powerful roster of Democrats and Republicans is pushing to subsidize coal as the king of alternative fuels.

Sooner Rather Than Later  —  COBURN OK  —  Sen. Tom Coburn is mulling an entry into the Republican presidential primary, according to sources inside and outside the Senate.  Coburn, a senator from Oklahoma, is believed to be receiving encouragement from a small group of wealthy businessmen …

Is Iraq in a Civil War?  —  Many politicians have determined Iraq to be in a civil war.  "We're not fighting terrorism in Iraq," Rep. John Murtha (Democrat-Penn.) said on January 27, 2006, "We're fighting a civil war in Iraq."  [1] He is not alone.  On November 27, 2006 …

Campaign Puts New Strain on Secret Service  —  Big Field and Early Start Force Cuts in Other Efforts  —  The U.S. Secret Service expects to borrow more than 2,000 immigration officers and federal airport screeners next year to help guard an ever-expanding field of presidential candidates …

Desperate Iraqi Refugees Turn to Sex Trade in Syria  —  MARABA, Syria — Back home in Iraq, Umm Hiba's daughter was a devout schoolgirl, modest in her dress and serious about her studies.  Hiba, who is now 16, wore the hijab, or Islamic head scarf, and rose early each day to say the dawn prayer before classes.

The Conservative Mind  —  The American right is a cauldron of debate; the left isn't.  —  The left prides itself on, and frequently boasts of, its superior appreciation of the complexity and depth of moral and political life.  But political debate in America today tells a different story.

The Case for Talking to Syria  —  As distasteful as the Syrian government is, Washington must reconsider its policy of non-engagement with Damascus.  Negotiations alone cannot fix the U.S.-Syrian relationship, and we should hold no illusions about the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

The Rise Of the Bottom Fifth  —  How to Build on the Gains Of Welfare Reform  —  Imagine a line composed of every household with children in the United States, arranged from lowest to highest income.  Now, divide the line into five equal parts.  Which of the groups do you think enjoyed big increases in income since 1991?

Preventive Care vs. Health Care?  —  Mark Kleiman, for instance, writes that "[a]ir quality improvement, noise reduction, better parenting practices (which we can purchase publicly with nurse home visitation programs) and changes in the social forces influencing diet and exercise all probably have greater bang for the buck."