Israel plans attack on Gaza  —  ISRAEL's new defence minister Ehud Barak is planning an attack on Gaza within weeks to crush the Hamas militants who have seized power there.  —  According to senior Israeli military sources, the plan calls for 20,000 troops to destroy much of Hamas's military capability in days.

POINTING THE WAY FOR PROSECUTORS  —  Under fire, not in retreat  —  Gonzales' plan for attorney reviews would further politicize process  —  Atty Gen. Alberto Gonzales so far has survived a political crisis over the firing of nine U.S. attorneys, a rare potential vote of no-confidence …

BBC report finds bias within corporation  —  The BBC has failed to promote proper debate on major political issues because of the inherent liberal culture of its staff, a report commissioned by the corporation has concluded.  —  The report claims that coverage of single-issue political causes …

Russert falls down on Scooter  —  Timmeh forgot to mention his role in the Scooter Libby case today during the panel discussion that featured two-free Scooter loving NRO'ers...What's the deal, Meet the Press?  And is the Republican base against the rule of law now?  —  Download (976) |

SC poll has Obama, Thompson as frontrunners  —  WASHINGTON - South Carolina appears poised to shake up the 2008 presidential race, with Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Fred Thompson the frontrunners in a new state survey by Mason-Dixon.  —  With strong support from the African American community …

Abu Ghraib Investigator Details Pentagon Cover-Up: 'I Thought I Was In The Mafia'  —  In a New Yorker article today, Seymour Hersh interviews Army Major General Antonio M. Taguba, who led the Pentagon's investigation into the abuses at Abu Ghraib.  This article is the first time that Taguba …

BUBBLE, BUBBLE...Interest rates are going up: … This really demonstrates what a bubble we've been living in.  My first thought when I see a 30-year fixed rate of 6.74% is that it's an incredible bargain.  Until about 2002, I hadn't seen a rate that low in my entire adult life.

Senior prank leads to federal charges  —  Nation: N.Y. teens say alarm clocks were harmless; police are not amused.  —  MONTROSE, N.Y. - Well, it seemed a good idea at the time.  —  It's senior prank season, and this was the plan for the last day of classes Monday at Hendrick Hudson High School …

Administration pushes for mandatory sentences  —  WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is trying to roll back a Supreme Court decision by pushing legislation that would require prison time for nearly all criminals.  —  The Justice Department is offering the plan as an opening salvo …

Immigration bill is a fraud  —  I forget where I was when I first heard the phrase ''undocumented worker.'' Possibly it was after swimming the Rio Grande and emerging dripping on the northern shore to be handed a fake Social Security number and a driver's license.

O'Reilly a non-factor in Mets clubhouse  —  Bill O'Reilly's right-wing politics may rub a lot of people the wrong way in New York, but his views had nothing to do with his ejection from the Mets' clubhouse yesterday before their game against the Yankees at the Stadium.

Beware of government as the last action hero  —  The other day, six Anglican archbishops called for the church to bless the unions of same-sex couples.  The Anglican Church of Canada is about to have a big vote on the issue, and depending which way they swing it will either deepen the schism within …

Sunday Discussion Group  —  Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) was interviewed the other day and asked for his opinion about former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R), who, of course, is a leading Republican presidential candidate.  —  "The real Romney is clearly an extraordinarily ambitious man …

Why Republicans Recruit House Boys  —  Eureka!  I think maybe something snapped into place for me today, though I'm not sure.  I'll let you decide.  —  Here's the question: why does the Republican Party recruit and promote so many closeted gay men?  —  I came to the question …

Kurds and Turks: Will they or Won't They?  —  Joshua Partlow has a good article in WaPo on the military friction at the Turkish-Iraqi border.  It is based on interviews in Iraqi Kurdistan and with US military officials, however, and oddly lacks the perspective from Ankara.

The Life of the Chinese Gold Farmer  —  It was an hour before midnight, three hours into the night shift with nine more to go.  At his workstation in a small, fluorescent-lighted office space in Nanjing, China, Li Qiwen sat shirtless and chain-smoking, gazing purposefully at the online computer game in front of him.