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.

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 …

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 …

About self-righteousness and Al Gore  —  I am old enough... well, there are many ways to end that sentence, but for now: I am old enough to remember, from my school years, the disdainful reaction in my home town to the news that Martin Luther King had won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

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?

Taliban use hostage cash to fund UK blitz  —  Millions of dollars handed over to secure the release of South Korean hostages in Afghanistan have been used to buy weapons deployed against British and American forces in the country, the Taliban claims.  —  Major Alexis Roberts, 32 …

The Dignity Agenda  —  "We talk about democracy and human rights.  Iraqis talk about justice and honor."  That comment from Lt. Col. David Kilcullen, made at a seminar last month on counterinsurgency, is the beginning of wisdom for an America that is trying to repair the damage of recent years.

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 …

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," …

Bauer urges 'open mind'  —  Social conservative leader Gary L. Bauer has issued an appeal to supporters to consider former Sen. Fred Thompson's bid for the Republican presidential nomination.  —  "I hope pro-family, pro-life Christians will continue to keep an open mind about Senator Thompson's candidacy …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.