n the seminal 1977 bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron, which helped launch Schwarzenegger as a star, the one-time farm boy relates a recurring dream to his interviewer. "Me being a king and standing on top of a mountain: and there was no room for anybody else up there, okay? Just for me."

Tim Russert went into zombie mode while Novak smugly repeated his revised "way I learned this info" story, then launched into his "the CIA didn't ask me strong enough not to print her name" justification.
What I want to say is, "Hey, Bob, get a clue!" The other 5 journalists they "leaked" the story to were smart enough to stay away from anything with the initials CIA on it. Your buddies in the administration used you like a cheap date.

But this criticism is not shared by viewers at home, some 45% of whom believe their country's news outlets are too liberal. Only 14% of Americans believe the media to be too conservative,

Today, a little over half of Americans have a "great deal or fair amount" of confidence in the news media, which is less trusted than any of the three branches of government.

In the Gallup survey, which questioned 1,025 people, around four in 10 Americans identified themselves as conservative. About the same number said they were moderate, while fewer than 20% described themselves as liberal.

Bush said he insulates himself from the “opinions” that seep into news coverage by getting his news from his own aides. He said he scans headlines, but rarely reads news stories. “I appreciate people’s opinions, but I’m more interested in news,” the president said. “And the best way to get the news is from objective sources, and the most objective sources I have are people on my staff who tell me what’s happening in the world.”—The Associated Press, September 22.

Evans and Novak, the National Journal wrote in 1979, were among the three "chief recipients" of classified leaks from Perle. "Several sources in Congress and the executive branch who regard Perle as an opponent said that he and his allies make masterful use of the Evans and Novak column," The Post reported 26 years ago. "One congressional aide who tries to counter Perle's and Jackson's influence on arms issues said the Evans and Novak 'connection' helps Perle create a 'murky, threatening atmosphere' in his dealings with others."

A new liberal think tank, the Center for American Progress, dug up some past Novak moments that eerily echo the current moment. In 1981, the BBC reported that Evans and Novak published information from "a CIA top-secret report" about Soviet superiority in strategic rockets. In 1986, the Los Angeles Times reported complaints about "arms control opponents within the [Reagan] administration who have leaked information" to Evans and Novak about U.S. difficulties monitoring Soviet compliance with arms control agreements.

Despite three tax cuts in as many years, only 19 percent said Bush's policies made their taxes go down. Forty-seven percent noticed no effect, while 29 percent perceived that their taxes have gone up.

"Rush is a great American. I am confident he can overcome any obstacles he faces right now."- President Bush, taking time to discuss embattled radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh with senior staff on Thursday, as relayed to the Drudge Report by a "senior administration source."

McClellan's comments drew a sharp distinction between the original leak to Novak and a so-called second wave of unidentified White House officials who allegedly alerted other journalists to Novak's revelation.
The original leaker may be subject to prosecution. But officials who participated in an alleged second wave would be engaging in a common behind-the-scenes practice in the nation's capital that is neither a crime nor the subject of the Justice Department inquiry.
McClellan also said the administration will not send investigators material deemed irrelevant.

Military authorities have taken unusual steps to protect evidence in an espionage investigation at the Guantánamo Bay prison camp, including classifying routine court documents and requiring visiting reporters to promise in writing not to ask about the case.

''The court clerk's signature is not a secret. Why would they black it out in this case? I can't understand that,'' said Kevin Barry, a Virginia lawyer who is a military law expert and former Coast Guard appeals court judge.

BlackBoxVoting.org--devoted to exposing election fraud in America--had been flagged for ten to fourteen days, effectively blocking the site and its damaging information from public view until after the California recall/gubernatorial election ballots are counted.

Members of Iraq’s Governing Council said they were unanimous in opposing the deployment. The Iraqi foreign minister also voiced opposition to Turkish troops.

Whether Leno continues this partisan attitude as the 2004 presidential race heats up, and the candidates’ talk-show appearances become increasingly crucial, remains to be seen.


The head of Cuba's diplomatic mission here, Dagoberto Rodriguez, said Thursday that Bush should "stop acting like a lawless cowboy" and "start listening to the voices of the nations of the world."
Speaking at a news conference, Rodriguez noted that each fall, for 12 years, the U.N. General Assembly has urged the United States to lift its trade embargo against Cuba.
Bush has said he will veto any measure approved by the Congress that calls for an easing of the embargo, which has been in effect for more than four decades.

15 years before the Constitution was written, foreign operatives from Russia, Prussia and Austria conspired to get a favorable monarch elected to lead Poland. Once in place, the country was divided up among the three powers.
"The American Fathers were acutely sensitive to the prospect,"