Pratfall in Damascus  —  Nancy Pelosi's foolish shuttle diplomacy  —  HOUSE SPEAKER Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered an excellent demonstration yesterday of why members of Congress should not attempt to supplant the secretary of state when traveling abroad.

Probe Targets GSA Chief  —  Justin Rood Reports:  —  Another federal investigation is targeting a Bush administration official, this time for possibly using government resources for partisan political purposes.  —  The Office of Special Counsel confirmed to ABC News it has launched …

Joe Klein in Tomorrow's TIME: Bush 'Clearly Unfit to Lead'  —  NEW YORK In the upcoming issue of Time magazine, out Friday, columnist Joe Klein considers what he calls the Bush administration's "epic collapse."  He concludes with a statement that may make some wonder if he is hinting that the president ought to be impeached.

The Public Eye Chat With.Allen Pizzey  —  The Public Eye Chat With...Allen Pizzey  —  It's Thursday, and that means it's time for the Public Eye Chat.  This week's subject is Rome-based CBS News Correspondent Allen Pizzey.  You can read excerpts, and listen to the full interview, below.

Petraeus Cites Areas of Improvement in Baghdad  —  JIM LEHRER: Now to our Newsmaker interview with General David Petraeus, the top U.S. general in Iraq.  I spoke to him this morning from the Green Zone in Baghdad.  —  General, welcome.  —  GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, Commander, U.S. Forces in Iraq: Thanks very much, Jim.

An Army, Not a Militia  —  SULEIMANIYA, IRAQ - Iraq is a country with three armies and I'm-not-sure-how-many militias and death squads.  The Iraqi Army is nominally the national army, but it's still being trained, supplied, and augmented by the coalition forces, which is to say the Americans.

Bush Uses Recess to Fill Envoy Post and 2 Others  —  President Bush used the Congressional recess on Wednesday to push through his choice to be ambassador to Belgium and to fill two domestic policy positions, provoking Democratic ire with all three appointments.

Al-Sahab Expected To Release New Bin Ladin Video  —  Terrorism: Al-Sahab Reportedly To Release New Bin Ladin Video Message  —  On 4 April, a jihadist website carried the following posting:  —  "After a long absence by the shaykh of mujahidin, whom we have missed as well as his speeches …

Tehran Likely to Pay Long-Term Price  —  British officials expected an angry rant when they heard that Iran's hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was going to give a news conference yesterday about the 15 British sailors and marines detained two weeks ago in the Persian Gulf.

Gonzales Prepares to Fight for His Job in Testimony  —  Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales has retreated from public view this week in an intensive effort to save his job, spending hours practicing testimony and phoning lawmakers for support in preparation for pivotal appearances in the Senate this month …

For the Edwards Kids, It's Time for Stump School  —  Two political insiders have joined John and Elizabeth Edwards on the campaign trail this week: Emma Claire, 8, and Jack, 6.  The kids are on spring break, but this fall they'll get a tutor and hit the road.  —  "They love it," said Jennifer Palmieri, a campaign aide.

RAMESH PONNURU ON THE MARCH:  —  A couple weeks ago I recorded a bloggingheads segment, which unfortunately was lost to posterity due to technical problems, in which I was asked who I consider the most intellectually honest conservative writer.  I named Ramesh Ponnuru.

Tomgram: Noam Chomsky on "the Iran Effect"  —  On Tuesday, meeting with the press in the White House Rose Garden, the President responded to a question about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Syria this way: "[P]hoto opportunities and/or meetings with President Assad lead the Assad government …

Last Post: U.S. papers end era  —  When Washington daily closes its Toronto bureau, there will be no more American print correspondents based in Canada  —  WASHINGTON-When The Washington Post closes its Toronto bureau this summer, it will mark the death of the American newspaper correspondent in Canada.

President Bush Visits with the Troops at Fort Irwin, California  —  Fact Sheet: President Bush Meets with Military Personnel and Their Families at Fort Irwin  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, all.  (Applause.)  I've been waiting all day to say, Hoo-ah!  —  AUDIENCE: Hoo-ah!

Making Blogging Pay  —  As the US attorney scandal unfolds, mainstream media coverage focuses on speculation that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will be forced to resign.  But the story behind the story is that Joshua Micah Marshall's TPM Muckraker blog is largely responsible for latching …