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 …

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 …

Senate tied in knots by filibusters  —  WASHINGTON — This year Senate Republicans are threatening filibusters to block more legislation than ever before, a pattern that's rooted in — and could increase — the pettiness and dysfunction in Congress.  —  The trend has been evolving for 30 years.

Rudy Giuliani: Asked About HIV, He Answers With 9/11  —  Rudy Giuliani gets Iowa punctuality.  In fact, he may be the first presidential candidate in years to show up early at a caucus campaign stop.  Razzed by the Des Moines Register for running late in his last Iowa trip …

Mitt Catches S**t Over Hillary-Bashing Sign  —  Not everyone is a fan of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but comparing them to one of the most dastardly pieces of human excrement of all time — that might be bit much.  Especially for a presidential candidate.

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 …

Personal Thoughts On Why I Haven;t Have Endorsed In 2008  —  Note: I am retracting much of the original post.  What remains can be found in the extended entry and has been placed in a purely personal context.  I apologize if my tone or assertions offended anyone, especially since I now agree that those assertions were incorrect.

The Sky's Still Up There  —  Kathleen Sullivan, the former dean of Stanford Law School (who would be on any Democratic president's shortlist for the Supreme Court), said the other day that conservatives should be "dancing in the streets" at the end of the first full term of the Roberts Court.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …