Call girl laments use of exotic photos  —  NEW YORK - The lawyer for the call girl linked to the downfall of Gov. Eliot Spitzer lashed out at the media on Friday for thrusting the 22-year-old woman into the “public glare” without her consent and publishing revealing photos.

Obama Denounces Statements of His Pastor as ‘Inflammatory’  —  In the handful of years Senator Barack Obama has spent in the national spotlight, his stance toward his pastor has gone from glowing praise to growing distance to — as of Friday — strong criticism.

Saddam's Dangerous Friends  —  What a Pentagon review of 600,000 Iraqi documents tells us.  —  This ought to be big news.  Throughout the early and mid-1990s, Saddam Hussein actively supported an influential terrorist group headed by the man who is now al Qaeda's second-in-command …

Muslims nations: Defame Islam, get sued?  —  DAKAR, Senegal - The Muslim world has created a battle plan to defend its religion from political cartoonists and bigots.  —  Concerned about what they see as a rise in the defamation of Islam, leaders of the world's Muslim nations …

Hard-Won Progress In Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD — Since I arrived here last August, I have been struck by four things: the financial commitment we have made to reconstruction; the precipitous decline in violence; the inklings of representative government; and the small yet significant progress …

Delegate Battles Snarl Democrats in Two States  —  Democrats in Michigan and Florida struggled Friday to resolve the impasse over their disputed January primaries, coming up with a plan to hold a June primary in Michigan while remaining deadlocked in Florida.

AP Says McCain Is A ‘Man Of The People’ For Taking Train Despite Noting He Rode First Class  —  Earlier this month, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) hosted a “thank you” Sunday cookout for over 40 reporters from a wide variety of news outlets at his vacation home in Arizona.

House Votes to Reject Immunity for Phone Companies Involved in Wiretaps  —  WASHINGTON — After its first secret session in a quarter-century, the House on Friday rejected retroactive immunity for the phone companies that took part in the National Security Agency's program of eavesdropping without warrants …

Obey lays down the law on procedural votes  —  House Appropriations Chairman Dave Obey (D-Wis.) said Friday he canceled meetings with a New Orleans delegation because a Louisiana lawmaker had defied party leadership on a procedural vote the night before.  —  And he's warning others …

Six Signs the U.S. Is Not Headed for War in Iran  —  There are a couple of military adages — “An Army marches on its stomach” and “Amateurs talk about tactics, but professionals study logistics” — that should adequately explain why the United States is not headed for war with Iran.

Violence in Tibet as Monks Clash With the Police  —  Chinese security forces in Lhasa, Tibet, took cover during a fifth day of protests.  The banner overhead reads, “Strengthen public safety management, safeguard political stability.”  Beijing is facing the most serious demonstrations in Tibet since the 1980s.