Why Bush Will Be A Winner  —  I suppose I'll merely expose myself to harmless ridicule if I make the following assertion: George W. Bush's presidency will probably be a successful one.  —  Let's step back from the unnecessary mistakes and the self-inflicted wounds that have characterized the Bush administration.

Saudis' role in Iraq insurgency outlined  —  Sunni extremists from Saudi Arabia make up half the foreign fighters in Iraq, many suicide bombers, a U.S. official says.  —  BAGHDAD — Although Bush administration officials have frequently lashed out at Syria and Iran, accusing it of helping insurgents …

Jim Webb rips into Graham for putting political words in our Soldiers' mouths  —  Lindsay Graham sounded like he was on a pot of coffee, seven Red Bulls and a couple of packs of cigarettes—while being fluent at the Evelyn Wood talking points course.  Jim Webb was not thrilled to be sitting next to him.

Bin Laden praises martyrdom in new video  —  CAIRO, Egypt - A new al-Qaida videotape posted Sunday on a militant Web site featured a short, undated clip of a weary-looking Osama bin Laden praising martyrdom.  —  The bin Laden clip, which lasted less than a minute, was part …

Keeping Secrets  —  How to balance national security with people's rights to have their day in court  —  A PRESIDENT'S prerogative to protect national security secrets needs to be respected, but it should not unconditionally trump the rights of those harmed by the very programs the president means to shield from public view.

Ship of fools: Johann Hari sets sail with America's swashbuckling neocons  —  The Iraq war has been an amazing success, global warming is just a myth - and as for Guantanamo Bay, it's practically a holiday camp... The annual cruise organised by the 'National Review', mouthpiece of right-wing America …

Maliki Says His Forces Are Able to Secure Iraq  —  Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki declared Saturday that Iraqi forces could secure the country on their own "any time" American troops decided to withdraw, his first response to the White House report this week that found his government falling …

Fair Taxes?  Depends What You Mean by 'Fair'  —  DO the rich pay their fair share in taxes?  This is likely to become a defining question during the presidential campaign.  —  At a recent fund-raiser for Hillary Clinton, the billionaire investor Warren E. Buffett said that rich guys like him weren't paying enough.

The Richest of the Rich, Proud of a New Gilded Age  —  The tributes to Sanford I. Weill line the walls of the carpeted hallway that leads to his skyscraper office, with its panoramic view of Central Park.  A dozen framed magazine covers, their colors as vivid as an Andy Warhol painting, are the most arresting.

Climate Change Debate Hinges On Economics  —  Lawmakers Doubt Voters Would Fund Big Carbon Cuts  —  Here's the good news about climate change: Energy and climate experts say the world already possesses the technological know-how for trimming greenhouse gas emissions enough to slow the perilous rise in the Earth's temperatures.

Clinton, Romney lead poll  —  Head-to-head contests pose challenges  —  July 15.  —  illary Clinton and Mitt Romney hold the leads in their respective New Hampshire primary races, a new Monitor poll shows.  But it's not all good news for the top two: The poll finds each would face thornier challenges …

N. Korea Shutters Nuclear Facility  —  Move Follows Delivery of Oil; U.N. Team to Verify Shutdown  —  After four years of off-and-on negotiations, North Korea said it began closing down its main nuclear reactor Saturday, shortly after receiving a first boatload of fuel oil aid.

Arabs pile into Darfur to take land 'cleansed' by janjaweed  —  Arabs from Chad and Niger are crossing into Darfur in "unprecedented" numbers, prompting claims that the Sudanese government is trying systematically to repopulate the war- ravaged region.  —  An internal UN report …

THE STAR TRIBUNE DOES THE ELLISON HUSTLE … They are like the prisoners in the old joke who entertain each other by calling out the number of jokes they have told each other numerous times before.  Joke number 54?  Foreign terrorists captured abroad are entitled to treatment as prisoners of war.