Hagel is calling it quits  —  WORLD-HERALD BUREAU, COPYRIGHT 2007 OMAHA WORLD-HERALD  —  WASHINGTON - Chuck Hagel will announce Monday that he is retiring from the U.S. Senate and will not run for president next year, people close to the Nebraska Republican said Friday.

The CIA Examines Itself  —  The results aren't pretty.  —  Who is to blame for the intelligence disaster of September 11?  The sixth anniversary of the attacks is upon us, and the finger-pointing continues unabated.  Last month the CIA reluctantly made public a summary of a 2005 report prepared …

Jew-Hatred and Jihad  —  The Nazi roots of the 9/11 attack.  —  The idea of using suicide pilots to obliterate the skyscrapers of Manhattan originated in 1940s Berlin.  "In the latter stages of the war, I never saw Hitler so beside himself as when, as if in a delirium …

Why We Should Exit Iraq Now  —  Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards have suggested that there is little difference among us on Iraq.  This is not true: I am the only leading Democratic candidate committed to getting all our troops out and doing so quickly.

Melting ice cap triggering earthquakes  —  The Greenland ice cap is melting so quickly that it is triggering earthquakes as pieces of ice several cubic kilometres in size break off.  —  Scientists monitoring events this summer say the acceleration could be catastrophic in terms of sea-level rise …

Bar-exam flunker quits suit over gay-wed question  —  A Boston man has asked a federal court to dismiss his lawsuit in which he claimed that his refusal to answer a Massachusetts bar exam question related to gay marriage caused him to fail the test.  —  Stephen Dunne, 30 …

Don't Suffer the Little Children  —  A father of four explains the realist approach to parenting.  —  Another school year has sprung itself upon us, which is always an occasion for my wife, a former Detroit public-school teacher, and me to remind ourselves why we home-school.

Sunnis Return To Iraqi Assembly  —  With the focus on political progress heightening in advance of the testimony of General David Petraeus, the Iraqi National Assembly has come under pressure to start approving legislation from the agreement two weeks ago between the leaders of the various factions on reform.

What Made Norman Hsu Run?  —  He charmed friends, investors and politicians.  But behind lurked failures, a kidnapping and lawsuits  —  At a New York restaurant overlooking Central Park in April 2006, the governor of Pennsylvania sat down to dinner with about a dozen Democratic supporters.

Feinstein Should Be Thrown Out Of The Senate Right Now  —  How could anyone take Feinstein at her word ever again?  Does she care about the troops?  She wants to bring them home, care for them, and make life pretty.  On her website, she states her goals on Iraq:  —  Iraq: U.S. forces were sent to Iraq as liberators.

Behavioral Science Turns to Dogs for Answers  —  For a long time, domesticated dogs were seen as just the slobbering, dumbed-down ancestor of the wild wolf.  Dogs, though, have learned a few tricks of their own through the millennia — and can teach us a lot about ourselves.

Warming Is Seen as Wiping Out Most Polar Bears  —  Two-thirds of the world's polar bears will disappear by 2050, even under moderate projections for shrinking summer sea ice caused by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, government scientists reported on Friday.

Countrywide to cut up to 12,000 jobs  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Countrywide Financial Corp, the largest U.S. mortgage lender, said on Friday it plans to cut 10,000 to 12,000 jobs to cope with weak housing demand, rising foreclosures and tightening credit markets.

OVER THE TOP, EVEN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE  —  Maybe there is a limit as to how far the White House will—or can—go to spin the situation on the ground in Iraq as positive.  —  On his way to the APEC conference in Australia this week, President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq.