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.

Obama offers universal health care plan  —  IOWA CITY, Iowa - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) on Tuesday offered a sweeping health care plan that would provide every citizen a means for coverage and calls on government, businesses and consumers to share the costs of the program.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Mexican Audience Boos Miss USA During Miss Universe Pageant  —  MEXICO CITY — It wasn't Miss USA's night.  —  Booed mercilessly at the Miss Universe pageant by a Mexican audience angry at U.S. immigration policy, and seen by millions of TV viewers as she slipped and fell on the pageant stage …

Send Wolfowitz to Iraq, Says GOP Lawmaker  —  Justin Rood Reports:  —  Paul Wolfowitz may have been ousted from his post at the World Bank, but a free-speaking GOP lawmaker has an idea to keep the so-called "architect" of the Iraq War from standing in the unemployment line.

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.

Romney Says 'No Salary' if President  —  DOVER, N.H. (AP) - Republican Mitt Romney, conceding that his business career helped him make more money than he expected, said Tuesday he would likely decline a salary as president and instead donate the money - and more - to charity.

U.S. and Iranian Officials Meet in Baghdad, but Talks Yield No Breakthroughs  —  The United States and Iran held rare face-to-face talks in Baghdad on Monday, adhering to an agenda that focused strictly on the war in Iraq and on ways the two bitter adversaries could help improve conditions here.

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 …

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.

Venezuela protests TV clampdown by Chavez  —  CARACAS (AFP) - President Hugo Chavez's clampdown on opposition television stations widened Monday as police used rubber bullets and tear gas on demonstrators protesting what they called an attack on free speech.

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.

TO TEMPER IMAGE, GIULIANI TRADES GROWL FOR SMILE  —  ATLANTA — Oh, baby, here it comes.  The gray-haired woman raises her hand and compliments His Honor for his Sept. 11 bravery.  Then she asks him:  —  Why does so much of the world hate us?  Haven't we failed to understand Arab grievances?

Analysis: The Bush take on U.S. opinion  —  WASHINGTON — Confronted with strong opposition to his Iraq policies, President Bush decides to interpret public opinion his own way.  Actually, he says, people agree with him.  —  Democrats view the November elections that gave them control …

President Bush Discusses Genocide in Darfur, Implements Sanctions  —  Fact Sheet: Fighting Genocide in Darfur  —  THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.  For too long, the people of Darfur have suffered at the hands of a government that is complicit in the bombing, murder, and rape of innocent civilians.

Texas is a Better Place  —  Here follows a letter from a woman who recently attended the Texas funeral of her nephew, KIA in Iraq.  In many places around the country, members of the Sheehan-Reid-Obama-Clinton cult disrupt military funerals, but I doubt they would attempt to perform …

Outcry over TV kidney prize  —  A Dutch TV station says it will go ahead with a programme in which a terminally ill woman selects one of three patients to receive her kidneys.  —  Political parties have called for The Big Donor Show to be scrapped, but broadcaster BNN says it will highlight the country's shortage of organ donors.

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.

China Sentences Former Drug Regulator to Death  —  The former head of China's top food and drug safety agency was sentenced to death today after pleading guilty to corruption and accepting bribes, according to the state-controlled news media.  —  Zheng Xiaoyu, who served as director …