Republican, Democratic Presidential Contests Strikingly Similar  —  Sen. Fred Thompson surges into tie with John McCain for second in GOP contest  —  PRINCETON, NJ — With no incumbent president or vice president running for the 2008 presidential nominations, it is perhaps not surprising …

The Use of RNC E-Mail Accounts by White House Officials  —  The Oversight Committee has been investigating whether White House officials violated the Presidential Records Act by using e-mail accounts maintained by the Republican National Committee and the Bush Cheney '04 campaign for official White House communications.

Calling Michael Moore's Socialist Bluff  —  Sicko, Michael Moore's new movie about America's health care system (the one that glorifies the socialized medicine of Cuba) hasn't even hit theaters yet, but already it's been leaked to the internet.  —  Asked what he thought of that, Moore …

Pakistan condemns Rushdie honor  —  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan on Monday condemned Britain's award of a knighthood to author Salman Rushdie as an affront to Muslim sentiments, and a Cabinet minister said the honor provided a justification for suicide attacks.

Petraeus: Iraq 'Challenges' to Last for Years  —  Conditions in Iraq will not improve sufficiently by September to justify a drawdown of U.S. military forces, the top commander in Iraq said yesterday.  —  Asked whether he thought the job assigned to an additional 30,000 troops deployed …

Gaza's Christians fear for their lives  —  Christians living in Gaza City on Monday appealed to the international community to protect them against increased attacks by Muslim extremists.  Many Christians said they were prepared to leave the Gaza Strip as soon as the border crossings are reopened.

The Supreme Court's Bonus Babies  —  AFTER the Supreme Court's term ends this month, the nine justices will go their separate ways for the summer.  A few weeks later, their 36 law clerks — the young legal geniuses who spend a year assisting the justices in selecting cases for review …

Pressure mounts for Libby clemency  —  White House loyalists have begun arguing that clemency for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby — either a pardon or a commuted sentence — would be a way for an embattled President Bush to reassert himself, particularly among conservatives.

The Failed States Index 2007  —  By The Fund for Peace and FOREIGN POLICY magazine  —  The world's weakest states aren't just a danger to themselves.  They can threaten the progress and stability of countries half a world away.  In the third annual Failed States Index …

Rezko cash triple what Obama says  —  During his 12 years in politics, Sen. Barack Obama has received nearly three times more campaign cash from indicted businessman Tony Rezko and his associates than he has publicly acknowledged, the Chicago Sun-Times has found.

Taking On Big Donors, McCain Takes a Big Risk  —  A ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee like Senator John McCain could normally bank on a bonanza of campaign contributions from the defense industry, especially if he was under pressure to raise money fast.

Pigs With Cellphones, but No Condoms  —  IN a commercial for Trojan condoms that has its premiere tonight, women in a bar are surrounded by anthropomorphized, cellphone-toting pigs.  One shuffles to the men's room, where, after procuring a condom from a vending machine, he is transformed into a head-turner in his 20s.

Bush's Veto Strategy  —  Addressing a Republican fundraising dinner at the Washington Convention Center on Wednesday night, President Bush declared: "If the Democrats want to test us, that's why they give the president the veto.  I'm looking forward to vetoing excessive spending …

Climate change behind Darfur killing: UN's Ban  —  UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that the slaughter in Darfur was triggered by global climate change and that more such conflicts may be on the horizon, in an article published Saturday.  —  "The Darfur conflict began as an ecological crisis …