More troops, more troubles  —  Candidates who call for beefing up our armed forces to deter terrorism show a profound misunderstanding of the Mideast.  —  IS THE U.S. Army too small?  —  The Democrats vying to succeed George W. Bush think so.  Presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton …

The Use of RNC E-Mail Accounts by White House Officials  —  The Oversight Committee has been investigating whether White House officials violated the Presidential Records Act by using e-mail accounts maintained by the Republican National Committee and the Bush Cheney '04 campaign for official White House communications.

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 …

FIVE TO FOUR … As George W. Bush staggers toward the conclusion of his second term, he can point to at least one major and enduring project that has gone according to plan: the transformation of the Supreme Court.  In the next week or so, the justices will begin their summer recess.

Pressure mounts for Libby clemency  —  White House loyalists have begun arguing that clemency for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby — either a pardon or a commuted sentence — would be a way for an embattled President Bush to reassert himself, particularly among conservatives.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

The Failed States Index 2007  —  By The Fund for Peace and FOREIGN POLICY magazine  —  The world's weakest states aren't just a danger to themselves.  They can threaten the progress and stability of countries half a world away.  In the third annual Failed States Index …

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 …

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.

Newly empowered Democrats draw wrath of voters  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new Democratic-led Congress is drawing the ire of voters upset with its failure to quickly deliver on a promise to end the Iraq war.  —  This is reflected in polls that show Congress — plagued by partisan bickering mostly …