Indian immigrants' son new La. governor  —  BATON ROUGE, La. - U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal easily defeated 11 opponents and became the state's first nonwhite governor since Reconstruction, decades after his parents moved to the state from India to pursue the American dream.

PM expresses 'discomfort' over release of would-be assassins  —  The Palestinian Authority's conduct towards the suspects in the plot to assassinate him is "a source of discomfort," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday before he left Israel for France.  —  "Israel will find the manner …

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.

New York Times Review of "The Conscience of a Liberal"  —  Here is a review of Paul Krugman's new book, The Conscience of a Liberal from David Kennedy.  The review appears in the New York Times.  When you start, as David Kennedy does, with the premise that "maybe Krugman is not really an economist" …

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:

Tomorrow's Neocon Today  —  In March of 2005, I wrote a post at the Centrist Coalition, in which I predicted that Hillary Clinton would be the frontrunner for the 2008 Democratic Presidential Nomination.  In that post, I criticized her both for her support for the Iraq War and her pandering to social conservatives.

Leavitt's Healthy Vision  —  PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — For most of the American public, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt is best defined by his role defending President Bush's controversial veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

U.S. to build watchtower at Iran-Iraq border  —  Structure to target smuggling of shipments that authorities allege are illegal arms for war  —  ZURBATIYA, Iraq - About 300 trucks cross the border here every day, ferrying fruit, rugs and building supplies from Iran - and, if U.S. authorities are to be believed, illegal weapons.

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 …

State Department Struggles To Oversee Private Army  —  The State Department Turned to Contractors Such as Blackwater Amid a Fight With the Pentagon Over Personal Security in Iraq  —  Last Christmas Day in Baghdad, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad received a furious phone call from Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi.

Victory Is Within Reach in Iraq  —  Should we declare victory over al Qaeda in the battle of Iraq?  —  The very question would have seemed proof of dementia only a few months ago, yet now some highly respected military officers, including the commander of Special Forces in Iraq …

A tale of two polls  —  It could be an episode of Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story."  Mitt Romney was announced from the podium Saturday afternoon as the winner of the Family Research Council's "Values Voter Straw Poll," narrowly edging Mike Huckabee.  —  But it turns out that the 5 …

FBI working to bolster Al Qaeda cases  —  The U.S. is concerned that evidence obtained from CIA interrogations will be inadmissible at war-crimes tribunals.  —  WASHINGTON — The FBI is quietly reconstructing the cases against Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and 14 other accused Al Qaeda leaders …

Yankees  —  The record-breaking autumn heat wave finally broke—just in time for Mr. Global Warming to snare the Nobel Peace Prize.  Hot!  —  Hillary  —  The good times keep rolling.  But even her aides say it won't be as easy as the CW now suggests.  —  Thompson

His Meteoric Days Gone, Quiet Dean Leads Party  —  There has never been a Democratic chairman with as much firsthand knowledge about running for president as Howard Dean.  —  Four years ago, at this stage in the race, he was flying high.  Now, Mr. Dean is being sued by Democrats in Florida …