re: Civics  —  A totally crazy Saturday-morning thought: Wouldn't George W. Bush make an awesome high-school government teacher?  Wouldn't it be something if his post-presidential life would up being that kind of post-service service?  How's that for a model?  Who needs Harvard visiting chairs and high-end lectures?

Obama backs late, mental-health abortion  —  Sen. Barack Obama clarified his position today on mental-health exceptions to late-term abortions, saying he supports such exceptions and that comments he made during a recent magazine interview shouldn't be interpreted as opposing them.

Obama: Rest assured, I'm still fully committed to abandoning Iraq  —  Flip-flop-flip: … That last bit, feigning shock that people are paying close attention to what the Democratic nominee says about the signature foreign policy issue of the campaign, must be the most precious bit of shinola …

McCain Battles a Nemesis, the Teleprompter  —  LAS VEGAS —Senator John McCain was performing relatively smoothly as he unveiled his energy plan.  —  He managed to limit the mechanical hand chops and weirdly timed smiles that can often punctuate his speeches.

Why Fly When You Can Float?  —  The view inside the cabin of a Zeppelin NT during a flight over southern Germany.  The dirigible can carry 12 sightseers.  More Photos >  —  PARIS — Imagine gliding in a floating hotel over the Serengeti, gazing down at herds of zebra or elephants …

Obama Refines Plans for Germany Trip  —  Barack Obama's planned European tour might make a major whistlestop in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.  The candidate's schedule isn't set, but a Berlin appearance before the end of July looks likely.  —  Plans for a visit by Barack Obama …

Americans' unhappy birthday: ‘Too much wrong right now’  —  Even folks in the Optimist Club are having a tough time toeing an upbeat line these days.  —  Eighteen members of the volunteer organization's Gilbert, Ariz., chapter have gathered, a few days before this nation's 232nd birthday …

The political establishment and telecom immunity — why it matters  —  Nancy Soderberg was deputy national security advisor and an ambassador to the United Nations in the Clinton administration.  Today, she has an Op-Ed in the Los Angeles Times defending the FISA bill and telecom amnesty.

Iran Says Nuclear Policy Is Unchanged  —  PARIS — Iran's nuclear policy has not changed, an Iranian government spokesman said Saturday in Tehran, confirming that Iran would not comply with Security Council resolutions requiring it to stop enriching uranium.

Sniffer dogs to wear ‘Muslim’ bootees  —  Police sniffer dogs will have to wear bootees when searching the homes of Muslims so as not to cause offence.  —  Guidelines being drawn up by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) urge awareness of religious sensitivities when using dogs to search for drugs and explosives.

Iraqis lead final purge of Al-Qaeda  —  American and Iraqi forces are driving Al-Qaeda in Iraq out of its last redoubt in the north of the country in the culmination of one of the most spectacular victories of the war on terror.  —  After being forced from its strongholds in the west …

Rising Convention Costs and Delays Worry Democrats  —  For all Senator Barack Obama's success at raising money and generating excitement among voters, he faces a daunting challenge as he prepares to claim the nomination in August: a Democratic convention effort marred by costly setbacks and embarrassing delays.

Libertarians Favor Obama and Other Looks at Election 2008  —  Libertarian voters make up 4% of the nation's likely voters and they favor Barack Obama over John McCain by a 53% to 38% margin.  Three percent (3%) would vote for some other candidate and 5% are not sure.

Teaching Arabic and Propaganda  —  At Harvard, the star of Arabic A is a girl named Maha.  Maha Muhammed Abulaal, to be precise.  She's the pouty protagonist in the melodrama that runs throughout “Al-Kitaab,” the standard beginning text in Arabic classes at Harvard and other American universities.

Inside Mugabe's Violent Crackdown  —  Notes, Witnesses Detail How Campaign Was Conceived and Executed by Leader, Aides  —  HARARE, Zimbabwe — President Robert Mugabe summoned his top security officials to a government training center near his rural home in central Zimbabwe on the afternoon of March 30.

Obama and Clinton to Work Hard for the Money  —  Fresh from their love-in at Unity, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton will collect cash together for his campaign and the Democratic National Committee in New York City next week.  —  Mr. Obama, who is in the midst of a spree …