Al Qaeda bungles arms experiment  —  Biological or chemical weapons  —  An al Qaeda affiliate in Algeria closed a base earlier this month after an experiment with unconventional weapons went awry, a senior U.S. intelligence official said Monday.  —  The official, who spoke on the condition …

On Moving Day for 2 First Families, a Bit of Magic by 93 Pairs of Hands  —  WASHINGTON — The peaceful transfer of power that will take place at the Capitol on Inauguration Day is, to many, a miracle of American democracy.  But down at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, another sort of miracle will occur: Moving Day.

I Pledge to Ridicule Celebrities Who Refuse to Recognize We Are At War With People Who Want to Kill Them, Too  —  Many of the celebrities that were central to demonizing and making life impossible for President Bush for eight loathsome years NOW want to help with the heavy lifting of bringing America …

Gordon Brown brings Britain to the edge of bankruptcy  —  Iain Martin says the Prime Minister hasn't ‘saved the world’ and now faces disgrace in the history books  —  They don't know what they're doing, do they?  With every step taken by the Government as it tries frantically to prop …

BDS rages in DuPont Circle  —  This morning, in DuPont Circle, eight blocks from the White House, Bush Derangement Syndrome raged among the old coots of VFP, VVAW, IVAW, Code Pink, World Can't Wait and who knows who else was there.  Their main attraction was throwing shoes at this thirty-foot blow …

Why I'm not sorry that George W. Bush beat Al Gore and John Kerry.  —  Yes, yes, I was on the downtown streets of Washington bright and early, mingling with the bright-eyed and the wide-eyed.  Yes, by all means I was there on the Mall Sunday afternoon, feeling no more moist than the next person …

Cheney Pulls Muscle and Is in Wheelchair  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Dick Cheney pulled a muscle in his back on Monday while moving boxes and will be in a wheelchair for Tuesday's inauguration ceremony.  —  The White House press secretary, Dana Perino, said Mr. Cheney was helping …

Pray Obama fails  —  Many American Christians believe, as an article of faith, that we are to pray for the success of our leaders.  —  It has become a sort of conventional wisdom among soft-minded believers.  The biblical proof-text for this misguided way of thinking is Romans 13:1-4:

VERY POOR CHOICE  —  As most of you likely know, the inauguration committee sold HBO the exclusive rights to broadcast yesterday's inaugural concert festivities.  I don't think that was a good idea since certainly not every American subscribes or can subscribe to HBO.

Inauguration Day  —  THE DAWN of a new presidency is always a time of awe and anxiety.  The awe comes in bearing witness to the peaceful transfer of power as a new chapter of national history unfolds.  The anxiety speaks to an untested new leader and the challenges he will face.

Bush's Real Sin Was Winning in Iraq  —  In a few hours, George W. Bush will walk out of the Oval Office for the last time as president.  As he leaves, he carries with him the near-universal opprobrium of the permanent class that inhabits our nation's capital.

Fiat Nears Stake in Chrysler That Could Lead to Takeover  —  By STACY MEICHTRY in Rome and JOHN STOLL in Detroit  —  In an attempt to revive two of the world's storied auto makers, Italy's Fiat SpA and Chrysler LLC are poised to announce a partnership as soon as today in which Fiat …

PRESIDENT BUSH: AN ASSESSMENT  —  President Bush leaves office mostly unloved, with some poll respondents saying that they consider him one of our worst presidents ever.  This in itself is odd.  Generally, our worst Presidents have been one-termers, for obvious reasons: James Buchanan …

Mexican Billionaire Invests in Times Company  —  The New York Times Company said Monday it had reached an agreement with the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helú for a $250 million loan intended to help the newspaper company finance its businesses.  —  Under the terms of the deal …

Obama's Inaugural Address: Great Expectations  —  President-Elect Has Set the Bar High for His Inauguration Day Speech  —  For any incoming president, an inaugural address is a real challenge.  For Barack Obama, it may be a stiffer challenge than for most of his predecessors.

Will-be President Obama lauds would-be president McCain  —  It was a tough, nearly 2-year-long battle that cost Americans upward of $1 billion just between the last two men left standing.  —  And tonight at a special D.C. dinner, on the eve of becoming the nation's 44th president at Tuesday's inauguration …

The Racial Thaw  —  It's a cliche that people who came of age after the civil rights movement, can't imagine the world of Jim Crow and segregation that preceded them.  To a lesser extent, at 45—I turn 46 on Wednesday—I find it slightly hard to explain what America's racial environment …

No Pardon For Libby  —  Bush uses clemency powers sparingly to the end  —  I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby was convicted of lying and obstructing a leak investigation over the run-up to the Iraq war.  —  In a move that has keenly disappointed some of his strongest conservative allies …

Banks Foreclose on Builders With Perfect Records  —  TEMPE, Ariz. — Dave Brown, one of this city's best-known home builders, had kept his head above water through the housing downturn, not missing a single interest payment on his loans.  So he was confounded a few months back when one of his banks …