Obama might send troops into Pakistan  —  WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday that he would possibly send troops into Pakistan to hunt down terrorists, an attempt to show strength when his chief rival has described his foreign policy skills as naive.

Murdoch Wins His Bid for Dow Jones  —  Bancroft Family Agrees  —  To $5 Billion Offer  —  After Deal on Fees  —  A New Owner for Journal  —  A century of Bancroft-family ownership at Dow Jones & Co. is over.  —  Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. sealed a $5 billion agreement to purchase …

1,028 Economists Oppose Protectionist Policies  —  In 1930, Congress passed and President Hoover signed into law the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act.  At the time, this protectionist measure was vigorously opposed by 1,028 of the nation's top economists.  They rightly predicted the tariffs would devastate the economy.

Giuliani Seeks to Transform U.S. Health Care Coverage  —  Rudolph W. Giuliani on Tuesday called for transforming the way health care coverage is provided in the United States, advocating a voluntary move from the current employer-based system to one that would grant substantial tax benefits to people who buy their own insurance.

Democrats Scrambling to Expand Eavesdropping  —  Under pressure from President Bush, Democratic leaders in Congress are scrambling to pass legislation this week to expand the government's electronic wiretapping powers.  —  Democratic leaders have expressed a new willingness to work …

U.S. Attorney Became Target After Rebuffing Justice Dept.  —  The night before the government secured a guilty plea from the manufacturer of the addictive painkiller OxyContin, a senior Justice Department official called the U.S. attorney handling the case and, at the behest of an executive for the drugmaker …

Sunni Arab bloc quits Iraqi government  —  BAGHDAD - Iraq's largest Sunni Arab political bloc announced its withdrawal from the government Wednesday, undermining efforts to seek reconciliation among the country's rival factions, and three bombings in Baghdad killed at least 70 people.

Spectators At The Genocide  —  The UN will finally intervene in Darfur, thanks to a unanimous Security Council vote last night, but it will have a restricted mandate that will essentially do nothing.  Up to 26,000 troops, primarily African, will deploy to Sudan over the next several months under …

Clinton Widens Poll Lead By Using Experience Card  —  WASHINGTON — New York Sen. Hillary Clinton continues to pad her lead in the Democratic race for the presidential nomination, benefiting from high marks for experience and competence, while her chief rivals lose ground and the rest …

Hizbullah officer: We would've given up  —  "The cease-fire acted as a life jacket for the organization [at the end of the Second Lebanon War]," a Hizbullah officer said in an interview aired by Channel 10 on Tuesday.  —  In the interview, the unnamed officer said Hizbullah gunmen …

The Tillman Fratricide: What the Leadership of the Defense Department Knew  —  On Wednesday, August 1, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will hold a hearing to examine what senior Defense Department officials knew …

Analysis says war could cost $1 trillion  —  Budget office sees effect on taxpayers for decade  —  WASHINGTON — The war in Iraq could ultimately cost well over a trillion dollars — at least double what has already been spent — including the long-term costs of replacing damaged equipment …

Mayor Takes the Subway — by Way of S.U.V.  —  He is public transportation's loudest cheerleader, boasting that he takes the subway "virtually every day."  He has told residents who complain about overcrowded trains to "get real" and he constantly encourages New Yorkers to follow his environmentally friendly example.

Gordon Brown for president  —  Effective today, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is the leader of the free world and the voice of hope and change that offers the first true answer of freedom to the heinous crimes of Sept. 11, 2001.  —  In his brilliant and comprehensive comments at Camp David …

Robert Samuelson's Three Beliefs  —  Someone said that Robert Samuelson thinks three things are true, deficits are bad, there's a demographic crisis coming, and both parties share the blame for any problem.  Based upon these beliefs, he's been writing the same column in one form or another for many years.

South Korean Christian hostage crisis: Rescue attempt reported... "The operation has started"...Refuted?  Update: Reuters withdraws rescue report Update: More conflicting reports  —  Here's the latest video report of a reported rescue operation for the 21 remaining South Korean Christian hostages kidnapped …