Ouch!  Hillary Clinton's softer image is clawed over dumped cat  —  AS THE "first pet" of the Clinton era, Socks, the White House cat, allowed "chilly" Hillary Clinton to show a caring, maternal side as well as bringing joy to her daughter Chelsea.  So where is Socks today?

Bobby Rises In Louisiana  —  Louisiana elected its governor on the first ballot for the first time in recent memory, and the voters sent a message to the corrupt Democratic machine at the same time.  Bobby Jindal, who narrowly lost a runoff four years ago, becomes the first Indian-American governor …

Gonzales could be prosecuted, McKay says  —  The U.S. Inspector General may recommend criminal prosecution of departed Attorney General Alberto Gonzales at the conclusion of an investigation, possibly as early as next month, the fired former U.S. attorney for Western Washington told a Spokane audience Friday.

Zogby Poll: Half Say They Would Never Vote for Hillary Clinton for President  —  Other top tier candidates in both parties win more acceptance; Richardson & Huckabee favored most  —  While she is winning wide support in nationwide samples among Democrats in the race for their party's …

Suicide Is Not Painless  —  IT was one of those stories lost in the newspaper's inside pages.  Last week a man you've never heard of — Charles D. Riechers, 47, the second-highest-ranking procurement officer in the United States Air Force — killed himself by running his car's engine in his suburban Virginia garage.

20/20: The Debate Is Not Over  —  Sorry, libs.  Stossel's gonna getcha!

Palestinian 'Security' Forces Plotted to Kill Olmert  —  In August, Ehud Olmert's partners in peace plotted to murder him. … I'm sure all these high-spirited hijinx will stop as soon as they have their own well-deserved state!  —  Assassination plots make Olmert a bit uncomfortable …

The real war on children  —  On Thursday, Congress attempted to override President Bush's veto of the SCHIP expansion.  SCHIP?  Isn't that something to do with health care for children?  Absolutely.  And here is Bay Area Democratic Rep. Pete Stark addressing the issue with his customary forensic incisiveness:

Kristol: Iran Is 'The Only Real Threat' To Success In Iraq  —  Today, on Fox News Sunday, Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol declared that the U.S. was close to victory in the Iraq war, arguing that the "only" concern left for the U.S is dealing with alleged Iranian involvement in Iraq:

Line-Item Foolishness  —  Mitt Romney is an intelligent man who sometimes seems eager to find bushel baskets under which to hide his light.  Romney faults Rudy Giuliani for opposing the presidential line-item veto.  But Giuliani doesn't, unfortunately.  The facts — not that they loom large in this skirmish — are:

Stephen Colbert On Meet The Press  —  Presidential candidate Stephen Colbert gave an interview to Tim Russert this morning on Meet The Press and in typical Colbert fashion, he lays out his agenda and plan to lose the race.  Russert questions him, tongue in cheek, on some of the more controversial statements …

Violence flares again in Amsterdam  —  Disturbances broke out for a sixth successive night in an immigrant quarter of Amsterdam when four cars were set on fire, police said.  —  The unrest started after police shot dead a man of Moroccan origin last weekend who had stabbed and injured two officers.

Revisiting "The Bell Curve"  —  A reader writes:

Next Challenge in Iraq  —  Let's assume that the numbers from Iraq are right and that there has been a significant reduction in violence there.  Let's even agree that the Bush administration's strategy is finally showing some success.  Isn't that an argument for accelerating the transfer …

Time to end the charade  —  Every American president, beginning with Richard Nixon in the aftermath of the June 1967 Arab-Israeli war, has been tempted with the idea of an international conference on the Middle East for negotiating the final comprehensive settlement of the long festering conflict between Arabs and Jews.

Tighter Border Policies Keep Americans Waiting at Entry Points  —  EL PASO — United States border agents have stepped up scrutiny of Americans returning home from Mexico, slowing commerce and creating delays at border crossings not seen since the months after the Sept. 11 attacks.