Bush: 'I'm the decider' on Rumsfeld  —  Defense chief set to meet with so-called 'TV generals'  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush sharply defended Donald Rumsfeld on Tuesday, saying the embattled Pentagon chief is doing a "fine job" despite calls for his resignation from six retired military generals.

President Bush Nominates Rob Portman as OMB Director and Susan Schwab for USTR  —  THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.  Today I'm announcing my nomination of two outstanding individuals to serve in my Cabinet and on my economic team.  —  First, I will nominate Rob Portman to be the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Qatar Pledges $50 Million to Palestinians  —  Qatar Pledges $50 Million to Palestinian Government to Help Make Up for a Shortfall  —  DOHA, Qatar Apr 17, 2006 (AP)— Qatar said Monday it would give the Palestinian government $50 million in aid to help make up for a shortfall after the United States …

Ignore bloggers at your peril, say researchers  —  Bloggers and internet pundits are exerting a "disproportionately large influence" on society, according to a report by a technology research company.  Its study suggests that although "active" web users make up only a small proportion …

A Campaign Gore Can't Lose  —  Boring Al Gore has made a movie.  It is on the most boring of all subjects — global warming.  It is more than 80 minutes long, and the first two or three go by slowly enough that you can notice that Gore has gained weight and that his speech still seems oddly out of sync.

Lieberman: US could attack Iran's nukes  —  The US is probably incapable of completely destroying the Iranian nuclear program, but as a last resort it could attempt to knock out "some of the components" in order to "delay and deter it," Senator Joe Lieberman, the former Democratic vice presidential candidate …

Baghdad street battle smacks of open civil war  —  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Snipers held rooftop positions as masked Sunni Arab insurgents said they were gearing up for another open street battle with pro-government Shi'ite militiamen in Baghdad's Adhamiya district on Tuesday.

Angry/negative people can be bad for your brain  —  Everyone's favorite A-list target, Robert Scoble, announced the unthinkable a few days ago: he will be moderating his comments.  But what some people found far more disturbing was Robert's wish to make a change in his life that includes steering clear of …

Of Words  —  Urozgan and Heland Provinces, Afghanistan  —  More than a year ago, I wrote from the "Sunni Triangle" that Iraq was in the midst of a civil war, words that received little attention then.  I had published that dispatch about three weeks after the unexpected but overwhelming success of the first Iraqi elections.

Al-Arian Admits His Role In Jihad  —  TAMPA - When Sami Al-Arian denied raising funds for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, he now says he was lying.  —  The former University of South Florida professor has portrayed himself as a martyr to free speech, a victim of anti-Muslim sentiment and the nation's war on terrorism.

Black business owners on rise  —  Black Americans are becoming entrepreneurs at a rapidly increasing rate and Pittsburgh is following the trend, a new report issued by the Census Bureau suggests.  —  The report, "Survey of Business Owners: Black-Owned Firms: 2002," says that between 1997 and 2002 …

Limbs Lost to Enemy Fire, Women Forge a New Reality  —  Her body had been maimed by war.  Dawn Halfaker lay unconscious at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, her parents at her bedside and her future suddenly unsure.  A rocket-propelled grenade had exploded in her Humvee, ravaging her arm and shoulder.

Yale's Next Tenured Radical?  —  Yale University is on the verge of offering a faculty appointment to the University of Michigan Professor Juan Cole.  That is the word around the campus here in New Haven.  If Yale proceeds with the appointment, it will bring in one of the few professors …

A "Pulitzer Prize for Treason"  —  (updated below with transcript of Bill Bennett's comments)  —  Several weeks ago, The Washington Post published an Op-Ed jointly written by Bill Bennett and his neoconservative comrade Alan Dershowitz, in which Bennett — of all people …

With Friends Like These . . .  WITH A LAND mass similar to Maryland's, Equatorial Guinea has the fortune to be Africa's third-largest oil producer.  The money from black gold helps to explain how the president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, has bought large homes in France and Morocco …