Faith vs. the Faithless  —  Jon Meacham is the editor of Newsweek and the author of "American Gospel," which describes the history of religious liberty in the United States.  Richard John Neuhaus is the editor in chief of First Things and the author of "The Naked Public Square," …

Doves find fault with Iran report too  —  IN IRAN: A technician at a nuclear facility outside Isfahan.  Experts said Tehran's uranium enrichment, though it has peaceful applications, could allow it to kick-start a weapons program.  —  Some experts fear the intelligence estimate …

CIA Channels Rose Mary Woods (Updated & Bumped)  —  The CIA finds itself under fire today after the New York Times forced Director Mike Hayden to admit that the agency destroyed two videotapes in 2005 showing terrorists undergoing waterboarding.  The agency had previously denied any such tapes existed to all but a handful in Congress.

The Mandate Muddle  —  Imagine this: It's the summer of 2009, and President Barack Obama is about to unveil his plan for universal health care.  But his health policy experts have done the math, and they've concluded that the plan really needs to include a requirement that everyone have health insurance — a so-called mandate.

Judith Nathan got security earlier  —  Judith Nathan got taxpayer-funded chauffeur services from the NYPD earlier than previously disclosed - even before her affair with then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani was revealed, witnesses and sources tell the Daily News.  —  "It went on for months before the affair …

Islam's Silent Moderates  —  The woman and the man guilty of adultery or fornication, flog each of them with 100 stripes: Let no compassion move you in their case, in a matter prescribed by Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day.  (Koran 24:2)  —  IN the last few weeks …

Their own worst enemies  —  When Muslim groups try to silence the press, they live up to the most negative prejudices about Islam  —  Nothing sets back the eradication of Islamophobia more than Muslim groups' crying wolf against inaccurate punditry.  —  The latest instance of this is in Canada.

Pelosi calls Cheney swipe undignified  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says a swipe that Vice President Cheney took at Democratic House leaders is "beneath the dignity of his office."  —  Capitol Hill was abuzz Thursday with discussion of the vice president's assertion in an interview …

Senate Waives Pledge, Approves Tax Bill  —  Eleven months after adopting stringent new rules aimed at reining in the federal deficit, the Senate last night shrugged off its pledge of fiscal rectitude and overwhelmingly approved a measure to spare millions of families from the growing reach …

Why I won't do Spanish debate  —  I declined the invitation to participate in the Spanish-language Republican presidential debate on Sunday because I do not want to endorse the further Balkanization of American political life.  —  The debate is being sponsored by Univisión …

For Some, Negative Turn is a Turn-Off  —  DES MOINES — Once, Garry Thomas counted himself a Hillary Clinton supporter — even signing up to be one of her 25 co-chairs in Iowa alongside with former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack.  —  But Thomas now says he felt obliged to switch sides in recent weeks.

Edwards has clear vision for America  —  Over the next few months, newspapers all over the country will offer their arguments about which political candidates deserve your support and why.  With the war in Iraq still raging and domestic problems like health care and poverty now at the forefront …

Huckabee Second in National GOP Race  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Mike Huckabee has vaulted from nowhere into second place in the Republican presidential race, riding a burst of support from evangelicals, Southerners and conservatives, a poll showed Friday.  —  The upsurge by the former Arkansas governor …

NBC STRIKES AGAIN  —  This past summer we wrote here and here about the refusal of CNBC and MSNBC to run ads submitted by Freedom's Watch supporting the war.  Now Freedom's Watch has submitted ads thanking the troops for airing by NBC et al, again, and they have declined because the ads mention Freedom Watch's Web site.

Imam's daughter in hiding after her conversion to Christianity sparked death threats  —  The daughter of a British imam is living under police protection after receiving death threats from her father for converting to Christianity.  —  The 31-year-old, whose father is the leader of a mosque in Lancashire …