The Phony Debate  —  THE SENATE Democratic leadership spent the past week trying to prove that Congress is deeply divided over Iraq, with Democrats pressing and Republicans resisting a change of course.  In fact that's far from the truth.  A large majority of senators from both parties favor …

They Don't Really Support the Troops  —  The latest from the New Republic and the Nation.  —  Cindy Sheehan, mother of a soldier who was killed in Iraq, emerged on the American political scene two years ago.  Distraught and unstable, she was shamelessly exploited by opponents of George W. Bush …

Senate Debates Iraq Withdrawal; Report Shows Al-Qaida Regrouping  —  As the Senate debated different proposals for redeploying troops from Iraq, the National Intelligence Estimate revealed that al-Qaida is regrouping despite the war on terrorism.  Political analysts Mark Shields and David Brooks discuss the week's events.

Bush Approves New CIA Methods  —  President Bush set broad legal boundaries for the CIA's harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects yesterday, allowing the intelligence agency to resume a program that was suspended last year after criticism that it violated U.S. and international law.

Court Tells U.S. to Reveal Data on Detainees at Guantánamo  —  A federal appeals court ordered the government yesterday to turn over virtually all its information on Guantánamo detainees who are challenging their detention, rejecting an effort by the Justice Department …

Fight Over Documents May Favor Bush, Experts Say  —  Contempt Charge Precedents Cited in Firings Case  —  The Bush administration's vow this week to block contempt charges from Congress could prove to be a successful strategy for protecting White House documents about the multiple firings of U.S. attorneys …

Breaking: Gates Distances Himself From Edelman's Attack On Hillary Clinton  —  Defense Secretary Robert Gates is distancing himself from an under secretary's assertion that Senator Hillary Clinton's public questions about Pentagon troop withdrawal plans are aiding the enemy.

On Why So Few Bloggers Have Endorsed In 2008  — Part One: New Establishment Rising: The End Of The Flat Blogosphere  — Part Two: New Establishment Rising: Why So Few Bloggers Have Endorsed in 2008  —  Taking a quick look at The Liberal Blog Advertising Network …

Public vs Private Face of Omar Bakri Mohammed: "Peace" vs. "Hooray al Qaeda!"  —  This IHT report, also published in the New York Times, portrays Omar Bakri Mohammed as a man who has moderated his views and who is trying to promote peace between the Lebanese government and the al Qaeda linked …

The Pentagon Gets a Lesson From Madison Avenue  —  U.S. Needs to Devise a Different 'Brand' to Win Over the Iraqi People, Study Advises  —  In the advertising world, brand identity is everything.  Volvo means safety.  Colgate means clean.  IPod means cool.

Bald eagles  —  Our political cartoonist casts his eye towards the presidential campaign  —  A GROWING number of Republicans are hoping that Fred Thompson, a former senator and television actor, will throw his hat into the presidential ring.  Should he do so, he'd be wise to keep his head …

Binman's St George bandana 'is racist'  —  A black dustman has been banned from wearing a St George's Cross bandana because council officials say it could be regarded as racist.  —  Matthew Carter, 35, who was born in Barbados, used the headgear to keep his dreadlocks out of the way while he was on his rounds in Burnley, Lancs.

The 9/11 Generation  —  Better than the Boomers.  —  In the 1960s, history called the Baby Boomers.  They didn't answer the phone.  —  Confronted with a generation-defining conflict, the cold war, the Boomers—those, at any rate, who came to be emblematic of their generation …

Sen. Sununu: I Don't Want President Bush To Campaign With Me  —  The New York Times writes this morning that conservatives are trying to walk a fine line between supporting and distancing themselves from President Bush: … One of those conservative trying to strike this delicate balance is Sen. John Sununu (R-NH).