Republican, Democratic Presidential Contests Strikingly Similar  —  Sen. Fred Thompson surges into tie with John McCain for second in GOP contest  —  PRINCETON, NJ — With no incumbent president or vice president running for the 2008 presidential nominations, it is perhaps not surprising …

Investigation Uncovers 'Extensive Destruction' Of RNC Emails, Violations Of Records Act  —  House investigators have learned that the Bush administration's use of Republican National Committee email accounts is far greater than previously disclosed — 140,216 emails sent or received by Karl Rove alone …

Pakistan condemns Rushdie honor  —  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan on Monday condemned Britain's award of a knighthood to author Salman Rushdie as an affront to Muslim sentiments, and a Cabinet minister said the honor provided a justification for suicide attacks.

The Supreme Court's Bonus Babies  —  AFTER the Supreme Court's term ends this month, the nine justices will go their separate ways for the summer.  A few weeks later, their 36 law clerks — the young legal geniuses who spend a year assisting the justices in selecting cases for review …

Calling Michael Moore's Socialist Bluff  —  Sicko, Michael Moore's new movie about America's health care system (the one that glorifies the socialized medicine of Cuba) hasn't even hit theaters yet, but already it's been leaked to the internet.  —  Asked what he thought of that, Moore …

Petraeus: Iraq 'Challenges' to Last for Years  —  Conditions in Iraq will not improve sufficiently by September to justify a drawdown of U.S. military forces, the top commander in Iraq said yesterday.  —  Asked whether he thought the job assigned to an additional 30,000 troops deployed …

AN ISRAELI IN RAMALLAH  —  "The five-star Fatah refugees from Gaza wearing Ralph Lauren polo shirts and speaking fluent Hebrew told hair-raising stories of teenage boys presumed loyal to Fatah being flung from the fourteenth floor of office buildings, their hands shackled and their mouths taped shut.

U.S. Restates Support for Embattled Musharraf  —  Official Hails Pakistani Leader's Anti-Terror Record as Crowds Demand Ouster  —  Top U.S. officials visiting Pakistan on Saturday reiterated their confidence in the country's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, even as thousands of people took to the streets to demand his ouster.

Taking On Big Donors, McCain Takes a Big Risk  —  A ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee like Senator John McCain could normally bank on a bonanza of campaign contributions from the defense industry, especially if he was under pressure to raise money fast.

Longtime Downstate Republican might quit for top post at Bradley  —  Independent-minded Republican Rep. Ray LaHood of Illinois will leave Capitol Hill after 30 years as a House member and staffer if offered the presidency of his alma mater, Bradley University, in his hometown of Peoria.

An Interview With National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman, John Ensign  —  On Friday, I got together for a phone interview with National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman, John Ensign.  Unfortunately, we spent more time than I anticipated debating particular parts of the bill …

Gaza's Christians fear for their lives  —  Christians living in Gaza City on Monday appealed to the international community to protect them against increased attacks by Muslim extremists.  Many Christians said they were prepared to leave the Gaza Strip as soon as the border crossings are reopened.

Va. School's No-Contact Rule Is a Touchy Subject  —  Fairfax County middle school student Hal Beaulieu hopped up from his lunch table one day a few months ago, sat next to his girlfriend and slipped his arm around her shoulder.  That landed him a trip to the school office.  —  Among his crimes: hugging.

The Great American Pants Suit  —  A judge pins a $67 million value on a pair of trousers—his own.  —  When attorney Roy Pearson filed suit demanding $67 million from the Chung family, whose Washington dry cleaners had mishandled his pair of trousers, he must have felt he was sitting pretty.

Pigs With Cellphones, but No Condoms  —  IN a commercial for Trojan condoms that has its premiere tonight, women in a bar are surrounded by anthropomorphized, cellphone-toting pigs.  One shuffles to the men's room, where, after procuring a condom from a vending machine, he is transformed into a head-turner in his 20s.