Conservatives Refuse To Appear On Fox News To Publicly Defend Gonzales  —  On Fox News Sunday this morning, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) refused to defend Attorney General Alberto Gonzales against accusations that he may have perjured himself before Congress.

Iraq defy odds to win Asian Cup  —  JAKARTA (Reuters) - Iraq completed one of sport's great fairytales by beating Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the Asian Cup final on Sunday to provide a rare moment for celebration in their war-torn homeland.  —  The Saudis had been bidding to become the first four-times winners …

A Proposal To CNN  —  The Republican reluctance to engage in the scheduled September YouTube debate has created a fierce debate in the blogosphere, including something of a civil war at Hugh Hewitt's Townhall blog.  Hugh himself has adamantly insisted that Republican candidates eschew …

Gingrich predicts Clinton/Obama ticket  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats will nominate Hillary Rodham Clinton for president in 2008 and Barack Obama will be her running mate, former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich predicts.  —  The GOP will have three "formidable" choices in Mitt Romney …

Three in 10 Call SCOTUS 'Too Conservative'  —  Poll Finds Figure Is Considerably Higher Than Two Years Ago  —  Three in 10 Americans say the Supreme Court is "too conservative," up sharply from two years ago and now substantially more than call it "too liberal."

Swat somebody's butt, and yours belongs to the the D.A.  —  Do you know Cory Mashburn and Ryan Cornelison?  —  If you do, don't approach them.  Call 911 and order up a SWAT team.  They're believed to be in the vicinity of McMinnville, Ore., where they're a clear and present danger to the community.

Sudan: Jews behind Darfur conflict  —  Sudanese defense minister says '24 Jewish organizations fueling conflict in Darfur'  —  Sudan's defense minister, Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein, has accused "24 Jewish organizations" of "fueling the conflict in Darfur" last week in an interview with a Saudi newspaper.

Critics say Rudy didn't make as many cuts as he claims  —  It is Rudy Giuliani's favorite boast on the presidential campaign trail: "I cut taxes 23 times" as mayor of New York, he says, a claim inevitably met by applause.  —  The impressive-sounding stat stars in radio ads this week …

A Column Prompts a Dressing-Down  —  How did it come to this?  Hillary Clinton's cleavage leading off the ombudsman's column?  —  The Post got thousands of angry letters and calls last week — the vast majority from women — in response to a July 20 Style column by Fashion Editor Robin Givhan …

Same Old Question, Different Answer.  Hmmm.  —  THE war in Iraq is the single most important continuing news issue right now.  Public opinion about the war is a critical part of that story.  That's why when a finding about the war in a New York Times poll could not be easily explained …

Strike Up The Band  —  On the Stephanopoulos bobble head roundtable this morning, Cokie Roberts raised the baton and started the drumbeat: the Democrats risk moving waaaaay too far to the left and that is going to be a biiiiig problem for them "just like it was in Vietnam."  Yes, she said it out loud.

Zimbabwe's Leader Says He'll Print More Cash  —  Pledge Comes Despite Inflation-Fueled Crisis  —  President Robert Mugabe has promised to print more money to fund municipal projects, a government newspaper reported Saturday.  The pledge came despite hyperinflation that has created severe shortages …

It's How We Pull Back  —  Try to imagine what was running through the mind of Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran's ambassador to Baghdad, as he sat across the negotiating table from his American counterpart, Ryan Crocker, last week.  While the U.S. diplomat delivered his stern warning against Iranian meddling in Iraq …

Pace University Koran Case - Unbelievably Outrageous  —  I've received an email from Stanislav Shmulevich, who has been arrested in New York for putting a Koran in a toilet at Pace University.  And his case is even more outrageous than we first reported.  —  First, Shmulevich was arrested and jailed for 24 hours.

Abandoned homes concern city officials  —  Increasing numbers of newer Chandler homes are being abandoned by cash-strapped owners, leaving weeds, green pools and headaches for neighbors and city officials.  —  "It's scaring me," neighborhood services Sgt. Greg Carr said of the trend.

Worry about bread, not oil  —  The great demographer and economist Thomas Malthus was 23-years-old the last time a British summer was this rain-soaked, which was back in 1789.  The consequences of excessive rainfall in the late 18th century were predictable.