Analysts Find Israel Struck a Nuclear Project Inside Syria  —  Israel's air attack on Syria last month was directed against a site that Israeli and American intelligence analysts judged was a partly constructed nuclear reactor, apparently modeled on one North Korea has used to create its stockpile …

So... Draft Al Gore?  —  In the wake of the ad in the NYT and the awarding of the Nobel, a lot is being said, again, about how much better off we'd be with a president like Al Gore.  —  Once upon a time, I would have said that, hey, it's October, it's still early.

The 'Good Germans' Among Us  —  "BUSH lies" doesn't cut it anymore.  It's time to confront the darker reality that we are lying to ourselves.  —  Ten days ago The Times unearthed yet another round of secret Department of Justice memos countenancing torture.

Rice Worried by Putin's Broad Powers  —  MOSCOW -  —  The Russian government under Vladimir Putin has amassed so much central authority that the power-grab may undermine Moscow's commitment to democracy, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Saturday.  —  "In any country …

At an Army School for Officers, Blunt Talk About Iraq  —  FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — Here at the intellectual center of the United States Army, two elite officers were deep in debate at lunch on a recent day over who bore more responsibility for mistakes in Iraq — the former defense secretary …

Candidate's oral-sex slogan is no laughing matter  —  A campaign slogan focusing on oral sex is creating a storm of controversy during Hialeah City Council election season.  —  AIM reprint  —  lfigueroa@MiamiHerald.com  —  Live in Hialeah?  Like oral sex?

Spies, Lies and FISA  —  As Democratic lawmakers try to repair a deeply flawed bill on electronic eavesdropping, the White House is pumping out the same fog of fear and disinformation it used to push the bill through Congress this summer.  President Bush has been telling Americans that any change …

THE NEW YORK CRIMES  —  MEDAL OF DIS-HONOR FOR THE GRAY LADY  —  The posthumous award of the nation's highest battlefield honor to a Long Island war hero has become an other black mark for the Gray Lady.  —  The New York Times carried not a whisper of news yesterday about the bestowal …

The Special Relationship  —  These books illuminate the shared heritage of America and Britain.  —  1. "Albion's Seed" by David Hackett Fischer (Oxford, 1989).  —  Colonial Americans didn't come from just anywhere; they came, David Hackett Fischer tells us in "Albion's Seed," …

A Mock Columnist, Amok  —  I was in my office, writing a column on the injustice of relative marginal tax rates for hedge fund managers, when I saw Stephen Colbert on TV.  —  He was sneering that Times columns make good "kindling."  He was ranting that after you throw away the paper …

The Washington Post's war on Gore  —  In my post on the decision by Justice Burton to allow the showing of An Inconvenient Truth because it was "broadly accurate" I listed some of the reporters who wrongly claimed that the judge decided that AIT had nine errors.  Mary Jordan's story was particularly bad.

Congress suckered on surveillance.  Telco immunity, next?  —  This is something that's now being whispered in nearly every conversation on the subject, but might as well be repeated here: the filings in the appeal of former Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio's insider trading case reveal that the Bush …

CNN airs footage of home, safe house of artist marked for death by Al Qaeda  —  It's all true.  I have the clip, although for obvious reasons I'm not going to post it.  They even kept the name of the town in which he lives onscreen for most of the segment so I can't show you the bit …

Empire State Building goes green for Eid  —  For the first time in its history, the Empire State Building in New York was lit in green in celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr.  —  It will be green till Sunday.  —  So far, the landmark tower has been lit in traditional colours every year …

EDWARDS GETS MUCH NEEDED IOWA LABOR NOD  —  From combined NBC News reporters  —  At 5:30pm Monday ET in Iowa city, John Edwards will get SEIU-Iowa nod and the endorsement of other state affiliates, according to multiple sources.  The endorsement, which the Edwards campaign refused to comment on …

Banks May Pool Billions to Stop Securities Sell-off  —  Several of the world's biggest banks are in talks to put up about $75 billion in a backup fund that could be used to buy risky mortgage securities and other assets, a move designed to ease pressure on a crucial part of the credit markets that threatens the broader economy.

Questions You Should Never Ask a Writer  —  On Thursday, the novelist Doris Lessing won the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature.  Moments after the announcement, the literary world embarked on a time-honored post-Nobel tradition: assessing — and sometimes sniffing at — the work of the prizewinner.