What It Takes  —  About a decade ago, one began to notice a profusion of Organization Kids at elite college campuses.  These were bright students who had been formed by the meritocratic system placed in front of them.  They had great grades, perfect teacher recommendations …

EXCLUSIVE: Mullah Omar Captured!  —  Through key intelligence sources in Afghanistan and Pakistan, I have just learned that reclusive Taliban leader and top Osama bin Laden ally, Mullah Omar has been taken into custody.  —  According to the State Department's Rewards for Justice Program …

Tax bills in 2009 at lowest level since 1950  —  Amid complaints about high taxes and calls for a smaller government, Americans paid their lowest level of taxes last year since Harry Truman's presidency, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data found.  —  Some conservative political movements such as the …

‘Secret prison’ at US air base  —  The US airbase at Bagram in Afghanistan contains a facility for detainees that is distinct from its main prison, the Red Cross has confirmed to the BBC.  —  Nine former prisoners have told the BBC that they were held in a separate building, and subjected to abuse.

Tea Party Flexes Muscle in Utah  —  WASHINGTON (FOX) - The tea party activists and outside groups instrumental in the ouster of Republican Senator Bob Bennett of Utah are now turning their attention to other GOP primary elections.  —  The defeat of Bennett, 76, a three-term senator …

VP Biden's son Beau hospitalized  —  Vice President Joe Biden's son, Beau, has been hospitalized for reasons that have yet not been made public.  —  A terse statement released Tuesday morning by the vice-president's office said Beau Biden, Delaware's attorney general “is at Christiana Medical Center undergoing treatment at present.

'Tea party'-backed platform sails through Maine GOP convention  —  Maine is known for GOP moderates, but over the weekend, conservative activists succeeded in passing a platform that's backed by tea party groups.  —  Conservative activists backed by “tea party” groups have rejected …

Did Big Bet Trigger Stock Swoon?  —  Shortly after 2:15 p.m. Eastern time last Thursday, hedge fund Universa Investments LP placed a big bet in the Chicago options trading pits that stocks would continue their sharp declines.  —  On any other day, this $7.5 million trade for 50,000 options contracts might …

U.S. troops march in Moscow in salute to Allies' role in WWII  —  American soldiers march for the first time in Red Square in a Victory Day parade, sparking anger among some Russians.  —  Seventy-one U.S. infantrymen march in Moscow's Red Square as part of the annual Victory Day parade.

Obama drug plan ‘firmly opposes’ legalization as California vote looms  —  The Obama administration said Tuesday that it “firmly opposes” the legalization of any illicit drugs as California voters head to the polls to consider legalizing marijuana this fall.

New McCain ad: You cannot be serious  —  I don't know what to say, guys.  I'm genuinely speechless.  Pandering is one thing, shameless careerist pandering is something else, and then there's John “Goddamned Fence” McCain marching along the border in a badass Navy baseball cap looking …

Pope pins scandal on Church ‘sin’  —  Pope Benedict XVI has warned that the greatest threat to the Catholic Church comes from “sin within”, rather than persecution from outside.  —  He made his comments in response to a question on the clerical child abuse scandal, while en route to Portugal.

Obama Proposes Splitting Oversight Agency for Oil Drilling  —  President Obama is proposing to split the agency that oversees offshore oil drilling into two parts, one to inspect oil rigs and enforce safety, the other to oversee leases for drilling and collect royalties, the White House said Tuesday.

Fired London Bankers Overcome Bonus Backlash in U.K. Courtrooms  —  U.K. bankers, the butt of political and public criticism for getting taxpayer bailouts and large bonuses, at least have some friends in London's courts.  —  A former Societe Generale managing director …

Drone Strikes Pound West Pakistan  —  KARACHI, Pakistan — In an unusually ferocious American attack on militants in Pakistan, about 18 missiles fired from pilotless aircraft killed at least 14 fighters and wounded four others on Tuesday in the tribal area of North Waziristan, a security official and a resident of the area said.

The Evolving Politics And Ethics Of The Closet  —  John Tabin says I have no consistency on this topic.  He's well within his rights to link to pieces (or mere sentences in posts) I have written over two decades to find evolution or shifts, but I think he's wrong to say my slight evolution on this is simply out of pique.