Dems end week with another Iraq failure  —  The Senate will adjourn for the weekend after a long week of tense debate over Iraq in which Democrats failed to move the ball and Republicans decided to stick with the White House in backing an unpopular war.  —  Yet another Democratic amendment …

Hillary Clinton: I'm not a lesbian  —  Hillary Clinton officially declared she's not a lesbian - not that there's anything wrong with that.  —  During an interview with The Advocate to be published next week, Sean Kennedy, the gay magazine's news and features editor, asked the presidential candidate …

Israel, U.S. Shared Data On Suspected Nuclear Site  —  Bush Was Told of North Korean Presence in Syria, Sources Say  —  Israel's decision to attack Syria on Sept. 6, bombing a suspected nuclear site set up in apparent collaboration with North Korea, came after Israel shared intelligence …

Protesters give McCain best line at NRA gathering  —  McCain: "We beat you yesterday.... We'll beat you today . . . And we'll beat you tomorrow!"  File photo by Chuck Kennedy, McClatcthy/Tribune  —  by Christi Parsons  —  Anti-war protesters barged into a speech Sen. John McCain was giving …

Boycott Ahmadinejad  —  A Columbia student asked how he could effectively protest his university's invitation to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak Monday.  My first response was to suggest petitions, e-mails to President Bollinger and the university trustees, letters to the student paper, peaceful protest, and the like.

MIT Student Arrested For Fake Bomb At Logan  —  Police Say Simpson Had Circuit Board, Wiring, and Play-Doh  —  Blog Chatter: See what people are saying about this story  —  (WBZ) BOSTON An MIT student with a fake bomb strapped to her chest was arrested at gunpoint Friday at Logan International Airport …

No joke: National Press Club to host Ahmadinejad at videoconference luncheon; Update: Revoke his visa, says Fred  —  It's the luncheon part that's so precious.  Listening to him speak is disgusting enough but that at least can be spun as knowing thine enemy.

That MoveOn Ad  —  I completely agree with the dread DC Establishment that calling General Petraeus "General Betrayus" was dumb.  That said, I'm staggered by the amount of emphasis that people inside this town are placing on this.  One virtue of having moved to the Beltway is that I can tell you …

George Bush the Texan is 'scared of horses'  —  President Bush may like to be seen as a swaggering tough guy with a penchant for manly outdoor pursuits, but in a new book one of his closest allies has said he is afraid of horses.  —  Vicente Fox, the former president of Mexico …

Kerrey Is Leaning Against a Senate Run  —  For weeks, Democrats have been keeping their fingers crossed for Bob Kerrey to announce that he was jumping back into politics to run for an open Senate seat in Nebraska.  —  But that, of course, would require Mr. Kerrey to leave New York City.

Hsocking Hsu Secrets Revealed!  —  If there's one thing that can be said about Clinton financial scandals, it's that they tend to be complex.  And thus far, the Norman Hsu debacle is living up to the archetype.  —  This rabbit hole is proving to be a fair bit deeper than anyone might've guessed and we're about to plumb its depths.

Fear Drives Baghdad's Housing Bust  —  Under Threat and Desperate to Flee, Some Families Sell at Any Price  —  BAGHDAD — Esad Ismael broke the most important promise he ever made.  —  As his father lay on his deathbed two years ago, Ismael, 43, vowed never to sell his family's home.

Climate change may help rainforests  —  Climate change may lead to lush growth rather than catastrophic tree loss in the Amazonian forests, researchers from the US and Brazil have found.  A study, in the journal Science, found that reduced rainfall had led to greener forests …

AMEN  —  From a reader ...