Obama Pledges 'Aggressive' Iran Diplomacy  —  Senator Barack Obama said he would "engage in aggressive personal diplomacy" with Iran if elected president, and would offer economic inducements and a possible promise not to seek "regime change" if Iran stopped meddling in Iraq and cooperated on terrorism and nuclear issues.

The most influential US conservatives: 1-20  —  As the US prepares for what is arguably the most open presidential election since 1928, the last time there was no incumbent president or vice-president on the ballot, the Daily Telegraph's Washington correspondents compile a list of the 100 …

The Real Hill-Bill Problem  —  WASHINGTON — Americans don't normally take much notice of Argentine elections.  But they did notice when Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, wife of President Nestor Kirchner, was elected to succeed him last Sunday, ensuring not just a co-presidency …

The war in Iraq has been won  —  THERE is a reason Iraq has almost disappeared as an election issue.  —  Here it is: The battle is actually over.  Iraq has been won.  —  I know this will seem to many of you an insane claim.  Ridiculous!  —  After all, haven't you read countless stories that Iraq is a …

Saudi prince: We could've helped prevent 9/11  —  (CNN) — Saudi Arabia could have helped the United States prevent al Qaeda's 2001 attacks on New York and Washington if American officials had consulted Saudi authorities in a "credible" way, the kingdom's former ambassador said in a documentary aired Thursday.

Undecided Schumer May Be Key to Mukasey's Chances  —  Judiciary Chairman Endorsed Justice Nominee but Says He, Like Other Democrats, Is Concerned About Torture Question  —  As Democratic opposition builds over attorney general nominee Michael B. Mukasey, no Democratic lawmaker has found himself …

Chavez Soldiers Bust Up Student Demonstrations (Video)  —  Violence in Caracas...  Students in Caracas protested today after realizing that they did not want to live under a Marxist Chavez regime for the next 25 years.  —  Venezuelan riot police shelter behind their shields during a clash …

Victory at University of Delaware  —  University Dumps Thought Reform Program  —  Late Thursday, University of Delaware President Patrick Harker released on the school's website a Message to the University of Delaware Community terminating the university's ideological reeducation program …

Friday's Blackout boycott took wing on the Web  —  Civil rights movement goes digital as it tries to show blacks' spending power  —  Gwenola Grier learned about Friday's National Blackout boycott through an e-mail forwarded by a friend that called for blacks to spend no money …

S.C. Democrats Say No to Colbert  —  GREENVILLE, S.C. — The momentum of the Colbert presidential campaign hit a cul-de-sac today when the South Carolina Democratic Party decided he wasn't a serious candidate and turned down his application to get on the ballot.

Hillary Reveals Her Inner Self  —  It's startling.  It's still 1993 in there, the year before her fall.  —  The story isn't that the Democrats finally took on Hillary Clinton.  Nor is it that they were gentlemanly to the point of gingerly and tentative.  There was an air of "Please …

I WASN'T GOING TO RESPOND when Andrew Sullivan — deliberately, or in unforgivable cluelessness — transformed my statement about leaving the Libertarian Party into something about not being a libertarian at all.  Andrew says a lot of silly things about me these days, and life is too short to pay attention to them.

In Iraq, a Lull or Hopeful Trend?  —  Signs of Declining Violence Leave Residents, U.S. Commanders Cautious  —  From store clerks selling cigarettes by generator power, to military commanders poring over aerial maps, Iraqis and Americans are striving to understand the sharp decrease in violence …

How Iraq's Elections Set Back Democracy  —  IN the six weeks since Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker delivered their report to Congress on the situation in Iraq, there has been much criticism over the lack of progress made by the Baghdad government toward national reconciliation.

Prostates and Prejudices  —  "My chance of surviving prostate cancer — and thank God I was cured of it — in the United States?  Eighty-two percent," says Rudy Giuliani in a new radio ad attacking Democratic plans for universal health care.  "My chances of surviving prostate cancer in England?