'A Different Understanding With the President' … Just past the Oval Office, in the private dining room overlooking the South Lawn, Vice President Cheney joined President Bush at a round parquet table they shared once a week.  Cheney brought a four-page text, written in strict secrecy by his lawyer.

We've replaced Rushdie in hiding  —  A year or so after the Ayatollah Khomeini took out an Islamist mob contract on Salman Rushdie in 1989, the novelist appeared, after elaborate security arrangements, on a television arts show in London.  His host was Melvyn Bragg, a longtime British telly grandee …

Old girlfriends cast their vote for Thompson  —  IN the battle for the women's vote, Fred Thompson has a secret weapon against Hillary Clinton - the legions of former girlfriends who still adore him and who want him to be president.  —  The Hollywood actor and former Tennessee senator racked …

'We Will Try to Form an Islamic Society'  —  Mahmoud Zahar — a founder of Hamas, and one of its most militant hardliners — has called for an Islamic state in the Gaza Strip.  After the Hamas takeover of the territory last week, he's also threatened Fatah with more violence in the West Bank.

Hating on Michael Moore is a worn-out cliche  —  So, Michael Moore's got a new movie coming out, which means it's time for another round of "Naturally, I generally abhor Moore's methods, but this time he made a really good movie."  I have no idea why it's mandatory to condemn Moore to praise him …

Suit shines spotlight on immigration judgeships  —  Guadalupe Gonzalez is the chief counsel for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in El Paso, a lawyer with more than 20 years of experience in immigration law and a stellar record.  In 2002, she made the next logical career move, applying to become an immigration judge.

Ethics Survey Finds Lawyers Lower The Bar  —  TAMPA - Can your lawyer collect 12 hours' pay after working an eight-hour day?  —  A recent survey shows that about a third of U.S. lawyers have done it.  Nearly half of all lawyers don't see an ethical problem with it.

Matt Taibbi Answers Your Questions  —  We asked for emails, and you responded: Rolling Stone political writer Matt Taibbi responds to two dozen reader questions below.  Note: Questions have been edited for length and/or clarity. … As a child I wanted to be a zoologist.

General's Iraq Progress Report Has Competition  —  Last month, Congress set a deadline for the American commander in Iraq, declaring that by Sept. 15 he would have to assess progress there before billions more dollars are approved to finance the military effort to stabilize the country.

The myth of "The Myth of the Paperless Office"  —  The "paperless office" is one of those catchphrases that gets bandied about for a while, only to disappoint and eventually be used in a purely derisive way.  As Wikipedia says, it has become 'a metaphor for the touting of new technology …

All American Girl  —  Ms Henneberger ventured out into the wilds of Middle America and, lo and behold, found a bunch of women who think just like she does: … That is exactly why I don't trust this stale and silly convention of DC insiders and elite pundits making anthropological forays …