Hussein's Prewar Ties To Al-Qaeda Discounted  —  Pentagon Report Says Contacts Were Limited  —  Captured Iraqi documents and intelligence interrogations of Saddam Hussein and two former aides "all confirmed" that Hussein's regime was not directly cooperating with al-Qaeda before the U.S. invasion of Iraq …

Britain's Humiliation — and Europe's  —  Iran has pulled off a tidy little success with its seizure and release of those 15 British sailors and marines: a pointed humiliation of Britain, with a bonus demonstration of Iran's intention to push back against coalition challenges to its assets in Iraq.

Justice Department In New Fight Over Papers on Firings  —  The Justice Department is refusing to release hundreds of pages of additional documents related to the firings of eight U.S. attorneys, setting up a fresh clash with Capitol Hill in a controversy that continues to threaten Attorney …

Democrats at War  —  Prime Minister Pelosi and Secretary of State Lantos undermine U.S. foreign policy—and maybe their own party.  —  Democrats took Congress last fall in part by opposing the war in Iraq, but it is becoming clear that they view their election as a mandate for something far more ambitious …

How Supply-Side Economics Trickled Down  —  AS one who was present at the creation of "supply-side economics" back in the 1970s, I think it is long past time that the phrase be put to rest.  It did its job, creating a new consensus among economists on how to look at the national economy.

Chlorine truck bomber kills 27 in Ramadi  —  BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber driving a truck loaded with TNT and toxic chlorine gas crashed into a police checkpoint in western Ramadi on Friday, killing at least 27 people and wounding dozens, police in the Anbar provincial capital said.

Bloggers to Blame for Rudy's Bad Week?  —  Roger Simon reports: … Is Rudy blaming bloggers for his recent bad publicity?  —  Rudy's recent problems have arisen from interviews he granted or speeches he gave.  —  The most damning information has come from YouTube videos …

Ex-state official freed  —  Judge calls evidence she steered travel contract 'beyond thin'  —  Federal judges Thursday ruled that former state purchasing supervisor Georgia L. Thompson was wrongly convicted of making sure a state travel contract went to a firm linked to Gov. Jim Doyle's re-election campaign …

Guantánamo Follies  —  There has been much speculation about the Supreme Court's decision not to hear an appeal from a group of Guantánamo Bay inmates until they have exhausted their legal options.  Was the court signaling that the appeal had no merit?

Go Bloomberg, Go!  —  This week, I have twice blogged (see here and here) about my hope that Mitt Romney would win the Republican nomination, because I believe he would be relatively easier to defeat in the general election than either John McCain or, especially, Rudy Giuliani.

How the web became a sexists' paradise  —  Everyone receives abuse online but the sheer hatred thrown at women bloggers has left some in fear for their lives.  Jessica Valenti, editor of Feministing.com, reports  —  Last week, Kathy Sierra, a well-known software programmer and Java expert …