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 …

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.

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:

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 …

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:

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:

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 …

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 …

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

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.

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.

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 …

Tighter Border Delays Re-entry by U.S. Citizens  —  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.

SAS raiders enter Iran to kill gunrunners  —  BRITISH special forces have crossed into Iran several times in recent months as part of a secret border war against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Al-Quds special forces, defence sources have disclosed.  —  There have been at least half …