Broader Privilege Claimed In Firings  —  White House Says Hill Can't Pursue Contempt Cases  —  Bush administration officials unveiled a bold new assertion of executive authority yesterday in the dispute over the firing of nine U.S. attorneys, saying that the Justice Department will never …

Exclusive: Hillary's Stinging Letter To SecDef Gates Obtained  —  In an unusual challenge to a Defense Secretary from a sitting Senator, Hillary Clinton has just written a sharply worded letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, demanding that he personally account for a Pentagon official's assertion yesterday …

The Enemy Within: Where Are the Islamist/Jihadist Websites Hosted, and What Can Be Done about It?  —  Today, in a briefing on Capitol Hill hosted by Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia and Rep. Mike Pence …

U.S. Generals Request Delay in Judging Iraq  —  The top commanders in Iraq and the American ambassador to Baghdad appealed for more time beyond their mid-September assessment to more fully judge if the new strategy was making gains.  —  Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the No. 2 commander in Iraq …

Sounds like he...  LAW & ORDER  —  Sounds like he really may be the guy to carry on the Bush legacy ...  Earlier reports suggested this was just Garrity's hobbyhorse.  But if the whole staff was involved, did Mitt really not know?

Welcome to Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD — Never again will I complain about the inconvenience and discomfort of airports and civilian airline travel delays.  You won't either if make your way from Kuwait to Baghdad in July during a war.  —  Military planes leave Kuwait every couple of hours …

Hillary Clinton's Tentative Dip Into New Neckline Territory  —  There was cleavage on display Wednesday afternoon on C-SPAN2.  It belonged to Sen. Hillary Clinton.  —  She was talking on the Senate floor about the burdensome cost of higher education.  She was wearing a rose-colored blazer over a black top.

Women Supportive but Skeptical of Clinton, Poll Says  —  Women view Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton more favorably than men do, but she still faces skepticism among some women, especially those who are older and those who are married, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Breakdown in Relations in the Senate Hobbles Its Ability to Get Things Done  —  Arlen Specter is a senior United States senator who expects to be allowed his say on the Senate floor.  So he bristled when Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, brusquely cut him off at the end of the Iraq debate.

Ted Kennedy And The Democrats Hate Free Speech  —  Once again, Minnesota's Senator Norm Coleman attempted to ensure that government would not control the content of political speech — and once again the Democrats ensured that they could impose it.  Ted Kennedy himself blocked Coleman's amendment …

Sex Ed for Kindergartners?  Romney-Obama Debate Heats Up  —  Romney Asks, 'How Much Sex Education Is Age Appropriate for a 5-Year-Old?'  —  For the second day in a row, Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney blasted Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama …

Hastert to resign?  —  According to the Politico, columnist Robert Novak will report this weekend: … Poor Denny Hasturd, I was wondering what that lummox was up to.  —  Another Republican loser bites the dust.  Maybe he can bring his dynamic personality out on the road and do some fundraising for the Grand Old Perverts.

Disarmed by the Dems  —  Congressional leaders fail to protect terror tipsters from insane lawsuits  —  Be Our Guest  —  He's your son, riding a commuter train to work.  Your daughter, taking the subway to go shopping downtown.  Your grandparent, boarding an airplane at JFK en route to a family reunion.

NBA IN A 'FIX'  —  FEDS PROBING REF IN MAFIA BET SCAM  —  THE FBI is investigating an NBA referee who allegedly was betting on basketball games - including ones he was officiating during the past two seasons - as part of an organized-crime probe in the Big Apple, The Post has learned.