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The author discusses the idea that the 2006 U.S. midterm Congressional elections are a referendum on the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush. It is suggested that Bush has become an isolated President and that the results of the election are likely to reshape the political atmosphere in America. Various issues related to the election are discussed, including the Iraq War, congressional opposition to Bush, and the potential for bipartisanship in a House or Congress with a Democratic majority.

This article addresses air travel security after British officials foiled what appears to have been a plot to blow up as many as 10 United States-bound passenger jets with liquid explosives hidden in carry-on luggage. The author considers the dilemma of determining how security officials should respond to terrorism plots: by taking reflexive action regardless of the probability of a repeated attempt or by taking stock of probable risk and the cost of safety.

A collection of photographs is presented which focuses on a U.S. effort to identify and deport illegal immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security announced in January 2006 that it will increase the number of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement fugitive-hunting teams from 17 to 52. The new teams will be concentrated in major cities such as Miami, Florida and Los Angeles, California, and expect to arrest 50,000 fugitives a year.

The article reports that the release of the new audiotape from Osama bin Laden is not provoking the kind of unease in security officials it once would have. The tape reveals the weakened voice of an ailing bin Laden, offering a truce and making vague intimations of future terrorist attacks. U.S. officials are hoping that the recent presumed deaths of a number of al Qaeda operatives and the thinning of the al Qaeda ranks since 9/11 will make the organization and bin Laden ineffectual.

The article questions whether President George W. Bush has gone too far by authorized secret wiretaps of terrorism suspects on United States soil. The government has disregarded many legal norms in the war on terror. In such an open-ended endeavor with no concrete national enemy to defeat, these practices are not short-term measures, but permanent changes to U.S. laws. INSET: Caught in the Net?.

The article offers a look at how and when United States military forces may begin a withdrawal from the war in Iraq. The author reviews how the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush has begun to shed light on a possible timetable for trimming America's presence in Iraq after a nationwide increase in criticism related to the war. The author discusses whether or not Bush's troop-reduction plan is serious and which conditions need to be met in Iraq for the troop level to be drawn down.

The article focuses on U.S President George W. Bush's immigration reform initiatives. The author suggests that it is curious and even a little dangerous for White House officials to have selected the immigration issue as the issue meant to smooth out the recent political turmoil faced by the Bush Administration related to the Iraq War and the federal response to Hurricane Katrina. The details of Bush's guest-worker initiative are discussed. The author suggests the political challenges facing Bush's immigration views, which entail his having to convince both Democrats and fellow Republicans that his policy will prove effective.

The article focuses on the ongoing Hurricane Katrina cleanup effort in New Orleans, Louisiana. The author describes how the atmosphere on Bourbon Street has become somewhat normal while the hurricane-ravaged housing subdivisions off Lake Pontchartrain are still disaster areas. Mayor Ray Nagin has opened New Orleans up to returning evacuees, but only an estimated 60,000 people are living in the city. Economic aspects of the hurricane damage and clean up effort are reviewed. The article includes comments on the clean up efforts from various New Orleans residents.

The article focuses on U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who recently resigned following his indictment for perjury and obstruction in the C.I.A. leak case. Libby's career as a novelist and his career in government are reviewed. The allegations levied by special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald are also discussed. The author presents an analysis of how the case involving the leaked identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame unfolded and also reviews the details of the indictment brought against Libby by Fitzgerald.

Discusses how Hurricane Katrina has affected the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush. Information from a TIME poll that President Bush's approval rating has dropped significantly; Idea that race and poverty played a role in the slow government response to the disaster in New Orleans; Limitations in the George W. Bush administration that became evident; Comments attributed to the President; Suggestion that President Bush is politically isolated and has allowed bureaucracy to make decisions concerning disaster relief; Challenging issues that the President is facing in his second term.

Focuses on hackers called Titan Rain who are stealing U.S. secrets. Role of Shawn Carpenter tracking break-ins at sensitive government networks; Strategy used by Carpenter to investigate the cyber-espionage ring; Discovery that the attackers' country of origin was China; Implications for U.S. security; Anxiety of the U.S. counterintelligence community regarding Chinese spies; Scope of the hackers' activities; Concerns of the U.S. Department of Defense; Why Carpenter is speaking out about his case; Question of whether Carpenter was sleuthing with the consent of the government or operating as a rogue hacker; How Carpenter's work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation got him into trouble with his employers at Sandia.

Reports on the scandal involving U.S. President George W. Bush's campaign manager and chief political strategist Karl Rove and former CIA operative Valerie Wilson. Question of whether or not Rove committed a federal crime by discussion Wilson's identity as an undercover operative with the press; Author's view that it is no longer a mystery that Rove had a hand in revealing Wilson's identity to "Time" correspondent Matthew Cooper and columnist Robert Novak; Question of whether or not special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald can charge Rove with a crime; Political reputation of Rove; Discussion of Joseph Wilson's career in government and politics; Partisan controversy that has resulted from the scandal.

Focuses on the interrogation of Mohammed al-Qahtani, a follower of Osama Bin Laden and believed to be the 20th hijacker, and inmate at Guantánamo Bay. Deportation of al-Qahtani after being detained at the Orlando International Airport in Florida; Log of al-Qahtani's interrogation received by "Time," even though it was never supposed to leave Guantánamo Bay; Excerpts from the log; Claim by the U.S. Dept. of Defense that al-Qahtani has been a valuable source of information; Calls on the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush to close down Guantánamo Bay after many complaints from human-rights groups, Amnesty International and others.

Reports on the efforts of activists and Congress to clean up television and asks if television or the critics have gone too far. The Parents Television Council which watches every hour of prime time television and many cable shows and lists material it finds offensive into a database; PTC executive director Tim Winter who logs every incident of sexual content, violence, profanity, disrespect for authority and "other negative content"; The war over indecency which is getting hotter daily as the FCC, pushed by activists, has rebuked or fined broadcast networks; Congress which is gearing up to give the FCC stronger weapons; Head of the Entertainment Tracking System, the database that holds all the information who is L. Brent Bozell; How the groups have gained power since the Janet Jackson nipple exposure during the super Bowl half-time show; Critics who fear the trend is getting out of control; Poll results on what the audience thinks is appropriate or non-offensive; Lack of rules for broadcasters on what can and cannot be said on television; Examples of recent self-censoring by television shows; The wild inconsistencies in content; How changes in television viewing habits may affect the outcome; Belief it is still up to each person to decide what shows to watch. INSETS: A FINE MESS;WE HATE IT! WE WANT IT!;PUSHING THE ENVELOPE OR PULLING BACK?.

This article profiles John Negroponte who has been chosen by President George W. Bush to be the first Director of National Intelligence. Negroponte, 65, is the consummate diplomat--discreet, deliberate and always careful choosing his words, whether in English, French, Greek, Spanish or Vietnamese. As the government's new intelligence czar and the President's primary intelligence adviser--a position created late last year by Congress the new chief has the job of making sure that the kinds of intelligence stumbles that led up to 9/11 and the sorts of miscalculations about Iraq's WMD programs don't happen again. If confirmed by the Senate, Negroponte would oversee parts of 15 different agencies, including the CIA, the FBI, the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security, agencies whose willingness to share closely guarded secrets is notoriously poor and whose suspicion of one another is strong. Negroponte will deliver the President's daily intelligence briefing and will have ultimate authority over the nation's sprawling intel apparatus, including an estimated $40 billion annual budget. But considering how vague the legislation that established the DNI is, Negroponte's ability to actually do that is an open question. Negroponte won't have to fight alone. His deputy will be Air Force Lieut. General Michael Hayden, who has overseen electronic eavesdropping and code breaking for the intelligence community as chief of the highly secretive National Security Agency for the past six years. INSET: BUILDING A BETTER SPY NETWORK.

Focuses on Porter Goss and the United States Central Intelligence Agency. Career highlights of Goss who left the CIA after a case of blood poisoning nearly killed him in 1971; His work as a newspaper publisher in Florida; His tenure in Congress; His return to the CIA as director with a "tough love" approach to overhauling the agency; Complaints against the agency from the Bush administration; The issue of former director, George Tenet, and the intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq; View of some in the White House that the book, "Imperial Hubris," written by Michael Scheuer, was meant to undermine the President; CIA officials who considered retirement when Goss returned; The role of Patrick Murray at the CIA and his critique of a proposed Directorate of Operations outreach program; Efforts of the White House to bring the agency under control.

Discusses five goals that should be met before the U.S. leaves Iraq. Overview of recent political violence in Iraq, including kidnappings and decapitations of foreigners; Doubts about the future of the American effort in Iraq; Views of President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry; Importance of launching offensives against the insurgency, training Iraqi forces and improving intelligence; Reconstruction efforts; Goal of holding real elections; Outlook for Iraq, if all the suggested goals are achieved.

Presents a look at what investigators have discovered about al-Qaeda's plans for its next big attack on the U.S. How arrests by U.S., Pakistani and British investigators has unearthed new clues about possible terrorist attack plans; Surveillance of buildings by al-Qaeda operatives inside the U.S., beginning in 2000; How the operatives kept their attack plans a secret from the U.S. government until July 2004; Why there remains cause for concern; Escalating fears that al-Qaeda may attempt another 9/11-size attack in the U.S.; Efforts of law-enforcement and intelligence agencies to find al-Qaeda sleeper cells worldwide; Worries that Osama bin Laden may have ordered another attack; Question of how many terrorists are still at large; Background on the arrest of Pakistani Musaad Aruchi, nephew of Khaldi Sheikh Mohammed; Decision of Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge to publicize the names of the targeted buildings; Security measures.

Discusses the dramatic reforms proposed by "The 9/11 Commission Report" to help thwart another terrorist attack in the United States. Questions as to whether the proposals make sense and will ever be implemented; Reaction from the White House to the report; Pressure to take action from the ten commissioners on the committee, who plan to flood congressional hearings and stump for their reforms in the heartland; Plans to release at least four additional staff-written reports on such topics as aviation, border security, and terrorist financing; Call for a single National Intelligence Director; Need for better intelligence; Suggestion that the U.S. reach out to the Islamic world through diplomacy and educational and cultural exchanges.

Offers an inside look at the John Kerry-John Edwards team and their plan to win the 2004 U.S. election's key voters. Poll results following Kerry's announcement of Edwards as a running mate; View among Democrats and Republicans that Kerry had gone with his strongest choice; Edwards' vulnerabilities; How Kerry seized the chance to contrast Edwards with Vice President Dick Cheney; Background on Kerry's decision; Signs that each is working subtle changes on the other; Outlook.

Discusses the United States investigation of Ahmad Chalabi. Raid of Chalabi's home in west Baghdad; U.S.'s abandonment of Chalabi who little more than a year ago was flown into Iraq escorted by U.S. forces; FBI criminal probe into whether Chalabi and senior aides passed high-level secret intelligence to Iran; Risks associated with going after Chalabi for the U.S..

The article discusses the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by United States soldiers. Haider Sabbar Abed al-Abbadi kept his shame to himself until the world saw him stripped naked, his head in a hood, a nude fellow prisoner kneeling before him simulating oral sex. "That is me," he claims to a "Time" reporter, as one of the lurid photographs of detained Iraqis suffering sexual humiliation at the hands of U.S. soldiers scrolls down a computer screen. Nothing could hide the raw cruelty of U.S. soldiers ridiculing the manhood of Iraqi captives. Of all places, these atrocities occurred at Abu Ghraib prison, once the infamous home of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's torture chambers. Most immediately, the scandal has imperiled the U.S. effort to pacify Iraq by turning even more ordinary Iraqis against the occupation and reinforcing the sense that control is slipping everywhere, less than two months before the U.S. is due to hand sovereignty back to the nation. Testifying before the Senate, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said the Pentagon has obtained more photographs and video footage that show U.S. troops engaged in even worse behavior. On March 20, 2004, the military announced that seven soldiers of the 372nd Military Police Company were being held in Iraq and charged with conspiracy, dereliction of duty, assault, maltreatment and indecent acts.

Focuses on the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in light of the preliminary findings by the September 11 commission. Question of whether the agencies and the President George W. Bush administration are willing to change; History of the FBI; Changes that are being made by Bush; Overview of intelligence failures; Background on the CIA; Outlook for reform.

How does a civil servant who has launched a major attack on the Bush presidency protect himself from what he has unleashed? Richard Clarke, the former counterterrorism adviser to Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush--who saw al-Qaeda expand under his watch, attack U.S. interests abroad and produce the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history--knew he couldn't pin the blame on his bosses if he didn't start by apologizing himself. Clarke, who quit his job at the National Security Council a year ago, would not have survived Washington's brutal ways in the service of three Presidents if he had not been a good politician. And last week he needed all the political skills he could muster for what he was about to do--direct a missile at the very fortress that so far has protected Bush's presidential advantage in this campaign season: the perception that, for all his faults, Bush has done everything he could to keep the country safe and managed the war on terrorism well. With all the dust flying around Clarke last week, the question ofwhether Washington appropriately handled the terrorist threat tended to get lost. That question is of course the one of greatest interest to the public in the wake of 9/11. In his strongest public statement, to 60 Minutes, Clarke said Bush "ignored" the terrorist threat before 9/11. To the commission he testified, more soberly, that, for the Administration, it was an "important issue but not an urgent issue." the end, the drama produced by Clarke in Washington was not about the last terrorist attack against the U.S. but about the next one. Since it began its work in early 2003, the commission has uncovered huge failings in the national-security system, including how even a presidential order can be misunderstood down the chain of command. But these dangers got lost in a high-stakes political showdown. Unless Washington can focus on them, someone may risk having to ask forgiveness again.

Considers the increasing doubts that the George W. Bush administration has about the support of Pakistan for the war on terrorism. Significance of meeting between Bush and Pervez Musharraf, president of Pakistan; Re-emergence of the Taliban in the border regions; Possibility of continued Taliban support in the Pakistani military; Role of problems between Pakistan and India over Kashmir; Inability of Musharraf government to control extremists within Pakistan; Urgency about Pakistani scientists sharing nuclear information with North Korea and Iran; Frustrations of Musharraf in dealing with U.S. government.

Discusses how weapons of mass destruction have yet to be found in Iraq. War against Iraq that was based on intelligence about banned arms; Argument of U.S. President George W. Bush in favor of a preemptive strike against Saddam Hussein; Experts who believe that weapons will not be found; U.S. officials who argue that weapons will eventually be found; Critics of British Prime Minister Tony Blair who feel that he overstated the case for war; Mistrust of the Iraqi intelligence; Roles of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon deputy Paul Wolfowitz; Possibility that the Defense Department overinterpreted threats posed by Iraq's stockpiles; Evaluation of the process of interpreting intelligence.

Discusses how events and personalities brought the United States to war in Iraq and the implications of the war with respect to U.S. relations in the Middle East. Thoughts on the United Nations relevance in the world; Discussion of anti-Americanism in the Middle East and the rest of the world; How the war with Iraq is different than all other wars in which the United States have engaged; Discussion of the roles of former President George Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz.

Discusses precautions and preparations to take in the event of a terrorist attack on the United States. Dirty bombs, Chemical, and biological attacks which are expected to occur; Locations which may be unsafe; Precautions which should be taken; Water and food supplies that should be stored; Subway systems which are vulnerable. INSETS: WHAT TO LOOK FOR--AND WHAT TO DO;…AND ARE WE REALLY ANY SAFER THAN BEFORE?;Tale of the Tape;How to Talk to Your Kids

Discusses the rationale for engaging in war with Iraq. View that U.S. President George W. Bush is passionate about getting Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein out of power; How government officials were analyzing satellite photography searching for evidence of Iraqi weapons production; Discussion of Secretary of State Colin Powell's address to the United Nations and the evidence he will present as proof of Iraq's non-compliance with United Nations policy; Evidence to be presented by Powell including Hussein's link to al-Qeada and Iraq's continued biological weapons buildup.

This article focuses on the arrest of seven men who were then indicted on conspiracy charges for plotting to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago, Illinois. U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales considered the men a real threat to wage a full ground war against the U.S., but FBI deputy director John Pistole said that the men, reeking of ineptitude, were more aspirational than operational. With these and many other arrests, the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush seems less interested in gauging the ability of domestic terrorists, and rooting out any who may have the intent but not the ability.

Discusses how the Senate confirmation hearing of Attorney General-designate Alberto Gonzales reopened questions about prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and elsewhere. How Gonzales played a large role in orchestrating a change in U.S. policy on the definition of torture; Reason why the policy was changed, justified by the nature of terrorist prisoners; Analysis of what went wrong in Abu Ghraib, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay, where the deaths of several inmates are being investigated.

The article focuses on Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein. Everyone outside Iraq and just about everyone inside believed that he harbored a secret stockpile of weapons of mass destruction. So imagine the shock his generals received in late 2002 when U.S. forces were massing on the country's borders for an imminent invasion, and Saddam suddenly informed them that Iraq had no biological or chemical or nuclear weapons at all. Longtime aide Tariq Aziz told U.S. interrogators that military morale plummeted the moment senior officers learned Iraq would have to fight the U.S. without those weapons. The Saddam who emerges from the pages of a new, comprehensive CIA report on Iraq's alleged arsenal will be remembered for the colossal misjudgments that cost him his rule. The exhaustive detail compiled by the report's author, Charles Duelfer, chief U.N. weapons inspector in the 1990s and the Bush Administration's top hunter since January, richly fills in the previous portrait of a paranoid and brutal dictator who believed that weapons of mass destruction (WMD) were the prime tools with which to advance his extravagant ambitions. Drawn from lengthy interrogations of the core Iraqi leadership and Saddam during their months in U.S. custody, the Duelfer report sheds fresh light on the dictator's inner motivations and artful deceptions. The vast array of evidence uncovered to date shows that when the U.S. invaded in March 2003, Saddam had not been armed with WMD for a decade and that his ability to make new ones had been in a state of continual degradation. Far more worried about Iran, Saddam did not consider the U.S. a "natural adversary" and throughout the '90s, he had his officials make overtures for a dialogue with the U.S. He said he was disappointed that Washington never gave him a chance.

Discusses the methods used by U.S. interrogators to get information from religious extremists and insurgents. Consideration of the abuse of prisoners by U.S. military officers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq; Rules associated with the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; Efforts of U.S. intelligence to develop methods of electroshock and the use of LSD that would encourage prisoners to tell the truth; How the international laws of the Geneva Convention prohibit torture as a form of interrogation; Use of tactics such as sleep and sensory deprivation in order to promote stress in detainees; Practices used at Guantánamo Bay.

Reports on the role of Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, known as the "father of the Islamic bomb", on nuclear proliferation to North Korea, Iran, and Libya. Role in the development of Pakistan's atomic bomb program; Debate over wether or not Khan acted alone or on behalf of Pakistan; Disclosure of Libya's nuclear program; Khan's role as a public hero in Pakistan.

Focuses on the attention given to Syria by the United States. Allegations made by the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush against Syria including the harboring of Iraqi leaders and sponsorship of terrorism; How the U.S. Congress introduced a bill that would cut ties to Syria; Goals of the U.S. rhetoric towards Syria; Impact of U.S. allegations throughout the Middle East with respect to anti-Americanism. INSET: THE CASE AGAINST SYRIA.

The article examines the impact of the North Korean underground nuclear bomb test on the rest of the world. Comments regarding the issue from former Clinton Administration U.S. Defense Department official Graham Allison are included. The incident in North Korea adds impetus to what appears to be a determined push by Iran to acquire the capability to produce its own nuclear bomb. Ashton Carter of Harvard remarks on the risk of nuclear proliferation. INSET: NUCLEAR WORLD.

The article explores the various scandals that have plagued the U.S. Republican Party and considers the party's capability to remain in power. After controlling both houses of Congress and the White House for most of President George W. Bush's administration, the party has began to change, shifting away from its ideals and principles that defined conservatism. Some members of the party were accused of corruption, while some got involved in sex scandals.

The article focuses on the proliferation of global terrorism despite the security initiatives being made by authorities. Counterterrorist experts believe that the U.S. homeland security system is ill-equipped to stop planned attacks of suspected bombers, unlike British officials who have stopped planned attacks in London, England. U.S. President George W. Bush admits that his nation and the world is still not safe.

The article presents information on a report made by the newspaper "USA Today," which said that the U.S. government has been secretly keeping track of the phone calls that millions of ordinary Americans are making each day. President George W. Bush offered no denial or any explanation. He said that the intelligence activities authorized by him are lawful, without specifying which laws in particular.

The article focuses on the funds for post-Hurricane Katrina disaster relief activities of the U.S. administration. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will end up reimbursing the Coast Guard for fuel used to power helicopters in rescue missions, the city of New Orleans for the overtime of its police and fire departments, and Houston, Texas, for the costs of housing evacuees in the Astrodome. Both parties are trying their best to use the Katrina rebuilding effort to boost their agendas.

Focuses on hackers called Titan Rain who are stealing U.S. secrets. Role of Shawn Carpenter tracking break-ins at sensitive government networks; Strategy used by Carpenter to investigate the cyber-espionage ring; Discovery that the attackers' country of origin was China; Implications for U.S. security; Anxiety of the U.S. counterintelligence community regarding Chinese spies; Scope of the hackers' activities; Concerns of the U.S. Department of Defense; Why Carpenter is speaking out about his case; Question of whether Carpenter was sleuthing with the consent of the government or operating as a rogue hacker; How Carpenter's work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation got him into trouble with his employers at Sandia.

The article focuses on the rise of insurgency in Iraq. The militant groups loyal to Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi, chief operative of al-Qaeda in Iraq, control major roads in Baghdad, Iraq, and are increasing their zone of influence in Iraq. The National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq prepared by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency presents a distressing view of Iraq's future

Presents a look at what investigators have discovered about al-Qaeda's plans for its next big attack on the U.S. How arrests by U.S., Pakistani and British investigators has unearthed new clues about possible terrorist attack plans; Surveillance of buildings by al-Qaeda operatives inside the U.S., beginning in 2000; How the operatives kept their attack plans a secret from the U.S. government until July 2004; Why there remains cause for concern; Escalating fears that al-Qaeda may attempt another 9/11-size attack in the U.S.; Efforts of law-enforcement and intelligence agencies to find al-Qaeda sleeper cells worldwide; Worries that Osama bin Laden may have ordered another attack; Question of how many terrorists are still at large; Background on the arrest of Pakistani Musaad Aruchi, nephew of Khaldi Sheikh Mohammed; Decision of Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge to publicize the names of the targeted buildings; Security measures.

The article focuses on CIA chief Geroge J.Tenet and discusses his resignation. It discusses the reasons for his resignation. With the U.S. intelligence being the center of attacks for its failures in intelligence and misevaluation of intelligence weapons of mass destruction Washington had assumed that Tenet would be out of the job after election but he surprised everyone when he announced his resignation.

The article focuses on the crisis facing the presidency of U.S. President George W. Bush, founded on his policy on Iraq. A growing number of voters are having second thoughts about Bush's instinctive brand of leadership. Bush has a chancy position in the November 2004 elections, while presidential candidate John Kerry leads him. Some statistics on the aforementioned issue are presented.

Focuses on the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in light of the preliminary findings by the September 11 commission. Question of whether the agencies and the President George W. Bush administration are willing to change; History of the FBI; Changes that are being made by Bush; Overview of intelligence failures; Background on the CIA; Outlook for reform.

The article focuses on issues related to the situation of growing terrorism across the globe. The Islamist terrorist threat has managed to survive the global war waged against it. New networks of jihadists emerge faster than the U.S. and its allies can arrest or kill them. Counterterrorism experts believe that the old al-Qaeda organization commanded by Osama bin Laden may be expiring and that a new, more elusive generation of extremists has taken up the banner. INSET: Decoding the Chatter.

The article looks at the counterattack of U.S. President George W. Bush against critics of his credibility. It now seems that either Bush was not telling the truth about his reasons for going to the Iraq war or he did not know the truth and cannot admit it. For the skeptics, he named a commission to explore the intelligence failures and included Senator John McCain to sanctify it. INSET: Is Cheney an Asset or a Liability?.

The article reports on the terrorist attacks in Istanbul, Turkey. Rather than being defeated by the U.S.-led war on terrorism, Islamic militants seem to be methodically widening their holy war against the U.S. and its allies. Turkey made an obvious target. The British-owned HSBC bank and the building that houses the office of the British consul general in Istanbul were the target of terrorist bombings. Politicians and experts in the U.S., Great Britain and Turkey were quick to lay the blame on the al-Qaeda group.

The article discusses the plan of the U.S. President George W. Bush administration to handover Iraq to its people. For reaching results the U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and L. Paul Bremer, the American proconsul in Iraq had been discussing how to speed the transfer of power to Iraqis. Both agreed that the matter now required face time with Administration principals in Washington.