Largest Iraq Air Assault Since '03 Begins  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — U.S. forces, joined by Iraqi troops, on Thursday launched the largest airborne assault since the U.S.-led invasion, targeting insurgent strongholds north of the capital, the military said.  —  The military said the operation …

House rejects spending for birth control  —  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - An attempt to resume state spending on birth control got shot down Wednesday by House members who argued it would have amounted to an endorsement of promiscuous lifestyles.  —  Missouri stopped providing money for family planning …

Bush Restates Terror Strategy  —  2002 Doctrine of Preemptive War Reaffirmed  —  President Bush issued a new national security strategy today reaffirming his doctrine of preemptive war against terrorists and hostile states with chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, despite the troubled U.S. experience in Iraq.

Supreme Court Justice Reveals Death Threats  —  WASHINGTON (March 16) - Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said she and former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor have been the targets of death threats from the "irrational fringe" of society, people apparently spurred by Republican criticism of the high court.

Hey, Big Spender  —  Should we have known that President Bush would bust the budget?  —  This week's column is a question, a brief one addressed with honest curiosity to Republicans.  It is: When George W. Bush first came on the scene in 2000, did you understand him to be a liberal in terms of spending?

A Familiar Face  —  The Pentagon has just released to the public documents captured in Operation Iraqi Freedom.  They can be accessed here in Adobe Acrobat format.  —  This one's interesting; the synopsis describes it this way: … The document hasn't been translated into English …

Clooney & Huffington's blog of war  —  George Clooney is spitting mad at Arianna Huffington - and the blogosphere is wobbling on its axis.  —  "She said some things that I won't share, but she did tell me that this could be bad for me - bad for my career.  Well, screw you!" …

'Temporarily Relieved'  —  Yale suspends the anonymous emailer who blasted Taliban critics.  —  Yale University still isn't talking about why it admitted a former top Taliban official as a student, but yesterday the Yale Law School issued an apology to two alumni whom one of its officials …

Jessica snubs Bush, porn starlet doesn't  —  'Daisy Dukes' turns down meeting with president  —  at GOP fund-raiser, while Mary Carey still on board  —  WASHINGTON - One PG-13 star turned down a meeting with President Bush at a major Republican fund-raiser today, but a XXX-rated star …

Britain's standing is now at a nadir in the Middle East  —  By colluding with the Israeli attack on Jericho, Straw has underlined the Americanisation of British policy in the region  —  Seumas Milne  —  Jack Straw has brought Britain's standing in the Arab and Muslim worlds to its lowest point for half a century.

Saddam Hussein maintained pretense of chemical arms to prevent Israeli attack  —  WASHINGTON - Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein pretended to have chemical weapons because, among other reasons, he feared that Israel might attack if it discovered he did not.

Once More Unto the Breach  —  The Angry Left takes on a moderate Democrat—and loses.  —  SAN ANTONIO—More than one political venture has met an unseemly end in the hardscrabble landscape of South Texas.  It was here, in 1948, that Box 13 gave Lyndon Johnson a dubious 87-vote primary victory …

Senate Bill Would Override State Health Coverage Rules  —  GOP backers see the legislation as a way for insurers to offer more affordable plans.  Critics say it would undermine treatment protections.  —  WASHINGTON — The battle over healthcare moved to a new front Wednesday …

Companies Fear Spread of March Madness  —  Web-Broadcast Games Seen as Threat to Productivity, Computer Systems  —  The NCAA men's basketball tournament begins today, and for the first time, every game of the 19-day ritual known as March Madness will be available live — and free — over the Internet.

Researcher Will Face Charges in Steele Case  —  Federal prosecutors have decided to bring charges against a Democratic researcher accused of fraudulently obtaining a credit report on Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, now a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate.

Lieberman Takes Issue With Lamont's Tone  —  U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman took issue Thursday with the tone of his Democratic opponent's campaign.  —  Ned Lamont formally announced Monday that he will oppose Lieberman for the party's nomination, becoming Lieberman's first Democratic challenger since …

I'm Blue  —  I have uncovered a sinister plot.  —  As I've mentioned, I was in Austin this week.  Cool city— one of those great, Southern college towns where be-baseball-capped frat guys and be-dreaded hippies mostly-happily coexist, though usually at different bars.