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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/24/AR2005052400105.html

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Insurgent Chief Wounded, Aide Says

BAGHDAD, May 24 -- Insurgent leader Abu Musab Zarqawi, the most-wanted man in Iraq, was shot and wounded in a weekend ambush by U.S. and Iraqi forces, according to one of his lieutenants and a statement attributed to his organization, al Qaeda in Iraq. The accounts of Zarqawi's injury came on a day when the U.S. military reported the deaths of nine Americans. Four soldiers were killed by a bombing and gunfire in Baghdad on Tuesday, four were killed on Monday by an explosive device in Haswah, south of the capital, and a Marine was killed by mortar or rocket fire Monday at a base in western Iraq. The Zarqawi lieutenant, who identified himself as Abu Karrar, said in an interview Tuesday that Zarqawi's aides were helping him choose someone to lead the group if he died. Abu Karrar and fighters in Zarqawi's group said the insurgent leader had been shot between his shoulder and his chest during fighting Saturday and Sunday around the western city of Ramadi. A top Zarqawi aide and several Arab fighters were killed in the clash, Abu Karrar said. The U.S. military said it had no immediate confirmation that Zarqawi had been wounded or that such a fight had occurred. Some Iraqis and Americans said they suspected the reports were a ruse, either to boost Zarqawi's popularity or to trick his pursuers. Zarqawi's injury was first reported in a statement, attributed to al Qaeda in Iraq, posted on a Web site used by the organization in the past. The statement urged Muslims to "pray for the recovery of our Sheik Abu Musab Zarqawi from an injury he suffered for the sake of God." "Let those far and near know that the injury of our leader is an honor, and a means to close in on enemies of God, and a reason to increase attacks against them," it said. The statement, purportedly issued by the information section of al Qaeda in Iraq, did not describe the injury or how it was inflicted. Other Iraqis welcomed the news wholeheartedly. "We are very happy to hear that Zarqawi is wounded, and by the will of God we will hear the news of his death at the hands of the Iraqi army," said Mohammed Hakim, a spokesman in Najaf for Ayatollah Mohammed Saeed Hakim, a spiritual leader of Iraq's Shiite Muslims. Shiites have frequently been targeted by insurgent attacks, including one last week in which one of the ayatollah's aides was shot to death. While insurgents gave no proof of the Zarqawi report, it raised the prospect of one of the top goals of U.S. officials and Iraqi government leaders: incapacitation or death of the most feared figure in Iraq's insurgency. A glowering photograph of Zarqawi, a Jordanian, has been the face of foreign insurgents in Iraq. A video released on the Internet last year showed what it said was a masked Zarqawi slicing off a hostage's head -- one of several such executions for which his group has asserted responsibility. Several previous reports have had Zarqawi wounded or ill, noted Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, a military spokesman in Baghdad. "We don't know whether it's fact or fiction," Boylan said of Tuesday night's claim. "He continues to be our No. 1 target." Asked about the reports, State Department spokesman Richard A. Boucher said in Washington, "I don't know."

BAGHDAD, May 24 -- Insurgent leader Abu Musab Zarqawi, the most-wanted man in Iraq, was shot and wounded in a weekend ambush by U.S. and Iraqi forces, according to one of his lieutenants and a statement attributed to his organization, al Qaeda in Iraq.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/24/AR2005052401641.html

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Kaine Event Capitalizes on Warner

Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner lent a bit of his star power last night to the Democrat he hopes will succeed him by helping to raise close to $1 million for Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's campaign. More than 500 people -- many of them technology executives or Democratic leaders from Fairfax County -- gathered at the Sheraton Premiere in Tysons Corner for "A Tribute to Mark Warner," an event that Democrats said represented a passing of the torch from Warner to Kaine. "Tim Kaine is my clear choice to be the next governor," Warner said as he worked the crowd of political and personal friends. "He'll continue our efforts to make sure Virginia stays competitive in the world economy. He'll continue the bipartisan approach we've had." Kaine said he hoped the event would help him to continue raising money at a healthy clip. As of March 31, he reported having received contributions totaling almost $8 million. Former attorney general Jerry W. Kilgore, the likely Republican nominee, had raised $7.2 million. Kaine aides said they hoped that Warner also could confer some of his popularity and success on their campaign. Kaine repeatedly claims Warner's mantle of budgetary responsibility and bipartisan politics. "I will govern Virginia in the Warner tradition," Kaine pledged. "I'm very proud of what we've accomplished. We need to keep Virginia on the path of fiscal responsibility." Warner took direct aim at Kilgore, accusing him of "never being there with us" in the fight to revamp the state budget in 2004. He said Kilgore is laying out "an agenda that would spend all that money and more." Kilgore aides scoffed at what they said was Kaine's effort to be seen as "Warner's little brother." They said Kaine represents a liberal Democratic establishment that has never been comfortable with Warner. A television ad paid for by the Republican Governors Association accuses Kaine of raising taxes while he was mayor of Richmond and links him to last year's Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.). Tim Murtaugh, spokesman for Kilgore, said that Kaine is attempting "an extreme political makeover" and that voters will see through it, despite attempts to associate himself with Warner's administration. "If this is a passing of the torch, they're going to have trouble keeping it lit," Murtaugh said. In 2001, Warner's campaign was given a boost by a group of longtime Republicans who endorsed the Democrat over then-attorney general Mark L. Earley, the GOP candidate. The Republican list included high-tech business executives who knew Warner personally and other moderates who preferred Warner's centrist message. Warner is barred by the state constitution from running for reelection, but many political observers say they believe that he is considering a bid for the presidency in 2008. Kaine has said his campaign will attract many of the Republicans who supported Warner. But Murtaugh noted that there have been some high-profile GOP defections. Paul Galanti, who ran the Virginia campaign of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) during his 2000 bid for president, was a prominent Warner supporter in 2001. A Vietnam veteran, he helped rally military veterans to the Warner campaign. More recently, Galanti helped President Bush win reelection by helping develop and appearing in some of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads that criticized Kerry's wartime record. In an interview yesterday, Galanti said he is supporting Kilgore, not Kaine. "I've already told Tim Kaine that it's not going to transfer," Galanti said of his support for Warner. "I don't feel comfortable with him. I never have." Kaine supporters said Galanti is the exception rather than the rule. And they pointed to last night's fundraiser as proof of the broad support Kaine's campaign enjoys. Supporters paid between $1,000 and $25,000 to attend the event and crowded the ballroom to hear Warner and dine on stuffed chicken, rice pilaf and asparagus. A banner proclaimed "Keep Virginia Moving Forward," and two huge video screens displayed waving American flags. Kaine said the "overwhelming majority" of Republicans for Warner are backing his campaign, and he added that "I've got some folks that Mark didn't have."

Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner lent a bit of his star power last night to the Democrat he hopes will succeed him by helping to raise close to $1 million for Lt. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's campaign.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/24/AR2005052401458.html

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Veterans Sue Over Care At D.C. Home

A group of veterans living at the U.S. Armed Forces Retirement Home filed a class-action suit yesterday on behalf of all its residents, claiming that drastic budget cuts by the Defense Department have resulted in substandard medical care. The suit alleges that the more than 1,000 veterans living at the Northwest Washington facility can no longer get prescriptions and regular doctor checkups at the home because of service cuts in the two years since the Defense Department installed new management. The plaintiffs said the austerity measures have put their health in danger and left them with no choice but to sue Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and the home's chief operating officer, Timothy Cox. They said the cuts violate a federal law requiring the home to provide a minimum standard of health care on the campus off North Capitol Street that has been a veterans' sanctuary since 1851. It was formerly known as the U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home. According to the suit, an on-site pharmacy and a medical treatment room have been closed; annual health exams have been drastically curtailed; and residents with emergency health problems are told to call 911, causing some of them to resort to taking a taxi to Walter Reed Army Medical Center to avoid paying for an ambulance or medical care at a civilian hospital. Because of the cuts, the number of deaths at the home has increased from 59 in 2000 to 131 in 2003, the suit contends. Homer Rutherford, a retired Air Force medical evacuation technician and one of the 16 residents who filed the suit, said he had a respiratory infection in December that got much worse. When he saw a doctor, she told him to start taking antibiotics immediately -- as well as oxygen -- but left it to him to pick up the prescription, he said. The home no longer provided transportation to Walter Reed's pharmacy, and Rutherford said he "could barely walk." "These cuts are affecting our health," said Rutherford. "If I could sit with Secretary Rumsfeld or Senator Warner, I would tell them: 'This isn't right. Please restore some of these services, so we know somebody cares about us, and we could live our final years in peace.' " He was referring to Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee. The home's chief financial officer, Steve McManus, disputed many of the suit's claims and questioned whether most residents share its concerns. He said the home's management has streamlined health care services, eliminating unnecessary physician assistants and layers of staff so that residents can see doctors directly in an emergency. He said he believes that some residents may be confused because the facility's primary care services are in flux and spread throughout the campus while the home renovates a building to open a preventive care clinic in July. "We're staffed with the right number of doctors for our people," McManus said. "I really do believe when they see the wellness clinic aligned in one area, they'll recognize the positive changes. It'll be a couple more months." A Pentagon spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, said Rumsfeld's office "cannot comment on pending litigation." The 276-acre campus has struggled in the past decade to avoid bankruptcy. Its operations have been financed by a trust fund that relies on 50-cent-a-week paycheck deductions from all enlisted military personnel. But with rising expenses and the ranks of the armed forces falling in the 1990s from 2.1 million people to 1.4 million, the home began racking up deficits. In 2002, the Defense Department hired Cox to cut costs at the District home and a similar home for veterans in Gulfport, Miss. In late 2003, Cox's team cut 65 positions at the D.C. home, about 10 percent of its staff, and contracted out security, food service and maintenance. The number of staff doctors dropped from nine to three. Rutherford lauded Cox for eliminating long-standing waste at the home. "There was featherbedding," he said. "People had been here 20 and 30 years, came to work, and what they did nobody knew. He did an excellent job weeding these people out. But he got a little overzealous. He started cutting into the medical."

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2005/05/19/DI2005051900767.html

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PBS Frontline/World: Nuclear Iran

As international tensions mount, PBS's newsmagazine travels deep into Iran in search of answers to one of the world's most pressing security questions: Are the Iranians secretly pursuing a nuclear bomb? With exclusive access to a U.N. inspection team on a tour of Iran's most sensitive nuclear sites, PBS Frontline/World and BBC reporter Paul Kenyon sheds new light on the state of Iran's nuclear weapons program and the growing suspicions of inspectors. Find out more about "Going Nuclear" on PBS (check local listings): PBS Frontline/World. PBS Frontline/World reporter Paul Kenyon was online to discuss his report on Iran's nuclear program. Alexandria, Va.: The U.S. argues that Iran doesn't need Nuclear Energy, that they have enough oil to produce electrical energy, etc. without going nuclear. What is wrong with a country conserving their resources for the future? Paul Kenyon: I agree that this has been a U.S. position....but there are two reasons Iran might want nuclear energy too...one is that its in the middle of a population explosion, the other more important one is a strategic argument. It says its oil will fail in 30 years or so and its preparing for that....and yes, what is wrong with that. problem is that in the context of the rest of its behaviour, it doesn't feel quite so innocent....perhaps. Paris, France: Hello Paul, A few years a go the international community declared war against Saddam Hussein. Now organizations say Iran wants to develop nuclear arms. What is the credibility of these accusations? We are in the logic of the new war against Iran, but we don't have confirmation of a nuclear program for producing nuclear arms. Thank you. Paul Kenyon: Hi, there is no smoking gun, as was the case with Iran. The U.S. government is far more hawkish than Europe on this....they say there is no doubt that Iran has a programme for weapons. In fact, under the Non Proliferation treaty....Iran has the right to nuclear power...and the U.S. and U.K. have an obligation to help it. And at the moment all the evidence we have is that it is engaged in nuclear energy. Problem is though, as scientists will tell you.....the same equipment is used for energy and weapons.....so how do we know they haven't crossed the line. All we know is that their pattern of behaviour has been deception.....and that makes America say ..hey, must be weapons. I ask though whether America is setting a good example by updating and modernising its nuclear arsenal....and making bunker busters.....doesn't that set the wrong example: nukes are important to the most powerful country in the world... San Francisco, Calif.: Some of your video from Iran looks like it was filmed off of a TV monitor. Not very clear images, but they obviously did the trick. In your story you say you dubbed your videotapes in your hotel room. Is that how you copied them --photographing off your hotel TV? If so, that's clever. How did you manage to get the other video out of Iran, if they confiscated most of your tapes at the airport? Paul Kenyon: Well...good question..two days before we left, I started getting very uncomfortable, as I knew we had been spotted at a number of nuclear sites. So, back at the hotel we rigged up the TV set with a lead into the beta cam and played the pix through there. We then recorded them on a mini DVD which the researcher had brought out with him...made three copies and gave one to the cameraman who was leaving a day before us. It was just an experiment really to see what happened as he left the country. He said it was ridiculous to be so concerned about it, because we had permission from the vice president to do our filming. Anyway, he just walked through the airport without a problem....I think they had a note of our flight but not his. A case of cock up by the security services there. Arlington, Va.: Exactly what will happen if it is found that Iran does have nuclear weapons, or the components for a nuclear weapon? Will we be invading Iran as well? Or will it be a situation the U.N. will handle? Paul Kenyon: It would be a situation the U.N. would handle. But from Iran's perspective, once you have nuclear weapons, the precedent is that the rest of the world leaves you alone. Look at Pakistan which always said it was merely developing nuclear energy....there were warnings from the U.N. about taking their programme any further. When in 1998 Pakistan announced it has the bomb....there were some angry words from the world community but that quickly subsided, and Pakistan was welcomed into the nuclear club.....has Iran been watching and thinking they would like the same? I don't think the U.S. would invade because Iran is three times larger than Iraq and has a strong organised military and a missile system that could hit Israel. Israel on the other hand, did take action against Iraq unilaterally in 1981 I think...in the Osirack raid. On that occasion they became impatient with world diplomacy, and, believing that Iraq had a weapons programme, they bombed it themselves. Who knows if they would do the same again. Realistically it will be the U.N. and sanctions though, particularly in the short term. Arlington, Va.: It seems that Iran has very little to lose by developing nuclear weapons and a lot to gain. They would be the only Middle East country other than Israel to possess nuclear weapons and could prevent an invasion by the U.S., which many suspect is already in the planning stages. Why should they negotiate? Paul Kenyon: I agree..that is a good thumbnail analysis. The history of these developments is that world threats stop once you have a nuclear weapon. America currently has nuclear weapons pointing at Iran, you could understand the Iranians wanting to defend themselves particularly as their neighbour has been invaded and two decades ago they had an American puppet leader. I think the debate about how the world could live with a nuclear Iran is a good one. There is no evidence I know of to show that Iran is expansionist, but of course it sponsors Hezbollah which is of some concern. There is good reason for them to negotiate though....they have already been offered membership of the world trade organisation....and if you think about it, if U.S. offered to drop sanctions.....Iran would probably take it. That would be worth more to them in the short term than the amount they have spent on nuke energy programme. Washington, D.C.: From what you learned, is the Iranian nuclear capability too spread out or hidden for the Israelis to destroy it if they attempted to? Paul Kenyon: I think that's a good point. The sites I went to are as follows: Natanz is in the middle of the mountains, buried under metres of earth and steel. It is strategically placed well away from all other sites. The other, Esfahan is close to one of the prettiest and most historic cities in Iran, and again buried....some of it under mountains. The other, Kalaye, is in Tehran itself. I've spoken to several nuclear experts who say there is no scientific reason to place each site so far from the next...they would normally be close together....they have been set out like this purely to make attack more difficult. Detroit, Mich.: From what you saw, do you think a military option (e.g., pinpoint bombing) to take out the critical nuclear sites is possible? Paul Kenyon: Am I talking to Don Rumsfeld ? Well, two of the sites were buried underground specifically to make them more difficult to attack, and the other is in Tehran. However, hiding them, doesn't necessarily demonstrate guilt. It is a useful insurance policy when U.S. and Israeli foreign policy are so unpredictable....even if they really are nuclear energy sites, they know that U.S. and Israel will worry enough to consider attacking anyway....and I think they are probably correct...some hawks in the U.S. are seriously talking about it. Is it possible? well, I would think the U.S. bunker busters would probably do it...but the consequences would be unimaginable... North Carolina: One of the principle arguments against Iran having nuclear technology is that they may supply a nuclear device to terrorists that may be used against either the U.S. or Israel. But given the fact that Iran has had chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction for over 15 years and have not, as of yet, provided terrorists with a chemical or biological weapon of some form to be used against Israel or the U.S., how legitimate is this concern that they will do so once they have nuclear technology? I'm sure they are well aware and fearful of the consequences should they act overtly using a WMD in any form. Paul Kenyon: What can I say.... I agree with your analysis. If Iran supplied nuclear technology to Hezbollah it would be traced back to them swiftly and Iran knows that would be suicide. I think the U.S. media have hyped up the Iran suspicions far more than in Europe. Washington, D.C.: Is it possible that Iran's aggressive behavior towards the U.S. is a result of its government and people reacting to "too much" U.S. influence in that country and in the region? Looking at Iranian history and their revolution, much of their anti-U.S. sentiment was driven by an animosity to U.S "imperialism" and oil interests in the region; could their current aggressive style be understood in a similar manner? Paul Kenyon: I think you are right. Although, the people I met randomly on the street were almost universally against the idea of Iran having nuclear weapons. When the security services were absent, people would whisper things like "oh, we would love to come and live in the U.S. or the U.K."...even some of those shouting "death to America" at the revolution celebrations came over and said something like that. I think it is a case of the government pushing in one direction and the people pushing a different way...but silently because of the obvious threat to them if they spoke out. Also, tragically, one educated man on the street said to me "please tell the U.S. to bomb us soon, we need to get rid of this regime, and there's no other way". Ann Arbor, Mich.: Looks like Iran will not give up their program. What are the prospects for a military conflict with the United States? Paul Kenyon: I'm sure Iran will not cease its programme permanently, you are right. But has the U.S. really got the stomach for a conflict with a country three times larger than Iran with a population of 70 million, and with missiles big enough to attack Israel. It just wouldn't make sense. But then, that hasn't stopped them before. I also donut think the U.K. would back it this time...public opinion here wouldn't allow it and Blair is already electorally wounded after Iraq. Los Angeles, Calif.: So Mr. Kenyon, Why are you as concerned about all those nuclear weapons in the Negev desert of Israel? I don't see you scouring Israel to look into them. Are you aware of Scott Ritter's article about the coming U.S. attack on Iran which would be right in accordance with what JINSA/PNAC operative Richard Perle said yesterday. He called for an invasion of Iran. Paul Kenyon: We don't need to look for them in the Negev desert, because we already know that Israel, with U.S. financial help, has nuclear weapons. One of my colleagues made an hour long programme for the BBC only two years ago which identified Israeli workers at some of their weapons plants. We did Iran because of the uncertainty. Perle's invasion of Iran is seriously ill-conceived...Iran is three times larger than Iraq, it has seventy million people, it has a strong and organised army, and the U.K. would not support the US in such an act. Air strikes would be met with Iranian aggression against Israeli interests. I just can't see it....but then I couldn't have forecast Osirack. Lyme, Conn.: What are the Iranian government's goals in developing its military abilities? Are they frightened that Iraq may rise against them again? If they are not expansionist in terms of seeking to conquer other countries, do they believe they have duty to promote Shia Islam to other countries? What does the Iranian government want from the rest of the world? Paul Kenyon: I believe the Iranian government wants to sit at the top table. As I've said before, Pakistan gained its position through a weapons programme disguised as one for energy, so there is a precedent. I really don't think there is a history of Iran being expansionist...but there is the Hezbollah issue of course. Baltimore, Md.: In the early/mid 80's, when Israel discovered that Hussein was attempting to undertake a nuclear program, they nipped it in the bud with a strategic bombing of the facility. Whether by Israel or even the United States, now that we are in the region, why not follow the same course with Iran? Paul Kenyon: Because Iran does now have a missile called a Shahab three, which I am told could possibly travel to the edges of Israel with a conventional warhead. Also, what about evidence....? There is no evidence Iran is doing anything it shouldn't...just a suspicious pattern of behaviour, but if we start going around using "suspicion" as a justification for attack, imagine the world situation then. it is worth noting of course that the U.S. doesn't use aggressive language towards North Korea now it has announced it has a weapon. Instead, its engaged in diplomacy, whereas it is not talking to Iran at all...only the U.K., France and Germany are. Pauling, N.Y.: I wonder if you saw many/any Russians around the nuclear sites? I understand that they are fairly active in helping the Iranians. Paul Kenyon: I didn't see any, but they have been active in helping out at a nuclear reactor in a place called Bushre. However, they did this because it can only be used for power.....it does not enrich uranium there. the Russians helped build it (as the Germans did before the revolution) with a view to selling Iran ready-enriched uranium....which in effect reduces the risk of Iran making weapons. Los Angeles, Calif.: Thank you for your reply, Mr. Kenyon. Sorry if I have been somewhat abrupt in my additional replies, but I am British as well as American and am sick and tired of seeing British and American soldiers die and get horribly wounded in Iraq for Mr. Pearled's agenda. Please get a copy of James Bamford's excellent new book ('A Pretext for War') which just came out in paperback (see the 'A Clean Break' agenda which is discussed by Mr. Bamford on pages 261-269 and on page 321 as well). Paul Kenyon: Will do, thanks for that. Baton Rouge, La.: Wouldn't one of the other dangers to having Iran produce nuclear weapons is that they can then become the distributor of said weapons to other points of the globe? That's the crux of the controversy with the Pakistani nuclear weapons chief who leaked his knowledge to Iran for its program development. If they develop the program and produce a nuclear weapon, their bargaining power for entry into the WTO just goes way up. Paul Kenyon: Yes I agree.... and the Khan network is a scary example. let's remember that we still don't know precisely who he sold to apart from Libya north Korea and Iran....but we were shown hard drives with the information for a whole nuclear programme....and the U.N. is concerned that now its out there in electronic form, we cant put the genie back in the bottle....that's more worrying than Iran in many respects. Washington, D.C.: Is there a cultural bias or a racist dimension to the nuclear non-proliferation issue? Paul Kenyon: How do you mean? Munich, Germany: One of the most incriminating facts about Iran's nuclear program is the cooperation and assistance given to Iran by Dr. Abdul Khan, the man formerly in charge of the Pakistani nuclear weapons development. In your travels in Iran and elsewhere, did you hear any accounts of efforts by Iran to obtain nuclear secrets through deceitful means? Paul Kenyon: Iran admitted to us, via a former diplomat, that it bought the bulk of its programme from an "underground network" but kept denying it was khan. However there is ample evidence it was part of khan's network. In fact I think the deal they did was in Malaysia but involved an arm of the khan network. Philadelphia, Pa.: Do you consider it a mistake for the U.S. to indicate it may make pre-emptive strikes on sites developing nuclear weapons? Does this increase the danger that a country, such as Iran, may decide it is going to be struck and therefore they have a right to make a preemptive strike themselves, say on Israel? Paul Kenyon: It's possible but unlikely because Iran would prefer to play the whole thing diplomatically. For a country saying it is not interested in nuclear weapons to launch what would be seen as a pre-emptive strike against Israel would lose it the support it has from many countries away from Europe and the U.S....problem is we always think through that prism: U.S. and U.K. interests...however....even South Africa is sympathetic to the plight of Iran at the moment, as are several other neutral countries. Paul Kenyon: That's it thanks.... Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Frontline/World and BBC reporter Paul Kenyon, who traveled into Iran to investigate its most sensitive nuclear sites, answers your questions.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2005/05/20/DI2005052000818.html

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Baseball

Barry Svrluga: Greetings from the Queen City, folks. Haven't had the Skyline Chili yet, but my understanding is it's overrated. Can't vouch for it myself. Pretty disastrous road trip right now. I'm sure you're all watching the game on TV at work (wink wink, nudge nudge), so you're well aware the Nationals trailed 3-0, and Claudio "I Miss New Orleans" Vargas lasted all of 1-2/3 innings. Nationals get one back in the top of the fourth. But, shockingly, they left the bases loaded. Reds 3, Nationals 1, headed to the bottom of the fourth. And the Nationals are facing a pitcher -- Matt Belisle -- who was a late sub for Aaron Harang, who has the flu. I think the Nationals have the flu. Let's get to questions, and I'll provide updates for the next hour, too. Stafford, Va.: Barry I have to post early due to a meeting. Wanted to get your take of the mood in the clubhouse after last night's tough loss. As scrappy as this team is, last nights loss at the hands of a pitchers bat has to really hurt. Do you expect a hangover? Also, why do you think the Nats are having trouble scoring runs. 15 Hits and only 3 runs? Has Frank thought about moving Wilkerson down into an RBI slot? Barry Svrluga: It was, as you might guess, pretty somber in there. I was talking to a couple of guys before the game today, though, kind of saying, "Man, that was a tough one to take," and they basically said, "They're all tough." The answer: I do think there'll be a hangover, but not necessarily because of the tough nature of the loss. The injuries are finally, truly and brutally catching up with these guys. That couldn't be happening at a worse time, considering several of them (Guillen, Schneider, Wilkerson, Guzman) are in significant slumps. The team to beat up on was Cincinnati. Winning even one game in St. Louis should be considered stopping the bleeding. Rockville, Md.: Here we go again! Another Nationals road trip in which those of us without a Dish or Cox cable are unable to watch the team on TV! It appears that none of the games in Cincinnati will be televised! Plus, it's not like we have a choice with which cable company we can go with. This has to get fixed soon, doesn't it? Barry Svrluga: In a world where logic ruled and the welfare of fans came first, yes, it would have to be fixed soon. In the world in which we live? I think not. Thanks for the great coverage. Why is Frank Robinson obsessed with having Wilkerson (#2 in the NL for most strikeouts) bat leadoff? I understand the Endy Chavez debacle called for Wilkie to assume that role, but how long will it last? I think Jamie Carroll (.354 OBP) could probably do a better job at leadoff. Barry Svrluga: Hey, D.C. Thanks for your great question. Part of the reason Robinson continues to bat Wilkerson first is because he doesn't want to mess with the player's rhythm or mental approach. This is a guy who hit all over the lineup last year, and to some degree, it affected him. That said, Robinson is also hemmed in a bit by all the injuries. Yes, you could move Carroll to the top spot, but then the No. 2 position becomes a problem, because you can't put the beyond-struggling Guzman there, Johnson's not practical considering you need his pop lower, etc. If and when Vidro gets healthy, it'll be interesting to see if Robinson keeps Wilkerson at the top of the order. If he makes a change, though, I think it'll be for the long haul. New Carrollton, Md.: Hi Barry. Let me be among the first to ask you the obvious question of the day: Is Vargas on his way to New Orleans now? He had one half-decent outing. Then he's lasted all of 6 2/3 innings over his last 3 starts. He doesn't seem to have anything other than a fastball. Well, either he doesn't have it, or he doesn't trust it enough to throw it. So what do you think is going to happen with him? Barry Svrluga: I just saw a barge float by in the Ohio River beyond the rightfield wall, and I think Vargas may be on it. He certainly isn't around for much longer. He never would have started today had John Patterson been healthy or Ohka or Armas had enough rest. Rauch is in the game now. Just allowed a two-out double to Ryan Freel, who's now 3 for 3. Washington, D.C.: Again with the bunting. Your leadoff hitter opens the game with a double and you have number 2 bunt him over to third? Can you please summarize Frank Robinson's philosophy of bunting? Good luck with the in-game chat ... Barry Svrluga: Sometimes, as a writer, you jot down the first few paragraphs of stories long before the game ends just in case a theme holds up. As soon as that bunt went down, I started writing a few sentences about how the bunt was an indication of surrender, that the possibility of a big inning doesn't seem to exist, so they're playing for one run in the first -- even with Vargas on the mound. I can't speak for Robinson now, but I certainly will ask him about it after the game. Washington, D.C.: Do you have any more news on Zach Day? His arm, his sister, his state of mind? I saw his gutsy game against the Braves in April and I really hope he gets another solid chance with this club. Barry Svrluga: Rauch strikes out Felipe Lopez to end Reds fourth. He's done a nice job recently. Talked to Day before the game today. His wrist -- hit by a scorching liner off the bat of Ken Griffey Jr. the other night -- feels better. He played catch yesterday, and said he might even be able to pitch today, though I'd be shocked if Robinson used him. I'd expect him to be available in St. Louis. As for his sister, she had dialysis this morning, and should be out of the hospital in the next few days. No word on whether she'll need a kidney transplant. Her baby (born premature at 1 pound, 7 ounces) seems to be stable. Certainly a tough thing for him to deal with. Rockville, Md.: LET ME ASK YOU THIS QUESTION? Seriously. Don't you think that the post as a media outlet and advertiser has an obligation to the city of Washington to promote the City of Washington and its home team? If the answer is yes, which most would say it should be. It would be fair to say that by giving the Orioles Equal coverage, they are undermining the efforts of the nationals promotional efforts. Whether we like it or not, print media is a huge advertiser. The stories are free advertising. By giving the Orioles equal billing, they are in essence advertising the Orioles in the district, in addition to the Nats. Thus undermining efforts by the nats to promote themselves at a time when they need to do so most. Has anyone asked how the team feels? Maybe they should. washingtonpost.com: Editor's Note: Our Readers Should Be the Winners (Post, May 22) Barry Svrluga: LET ME ANSWER YOUR QUESTION. Seriously. Our job is to cover the news, wherever and whatever it is. The Orioles have been a part of the fabric of the greater Washington region for a long time, and I'm sure if you read the discussion following the link of Sunday's note from sports editor Emilio Garcia-Ruiz, you'll find all kinds of opinions on the subject. There are people who believe that the Post's coverage of the Orioles is necessary, others who believe it's ridiculous, and most who lie somewhere in between. But is our job to promote the city and denigrate another city? Certainly not. Washington, D.C.: I saw that Schneider has been throwing out 40 percent of all base stealers, which is pretty darn good (puts him in the top 10). Has he always had this good of an arm? Also, I noted the Cardinals catcher has thrown out more than 68% !?!?! of base stealers. Who is that guy, other than a part of a great catching bloodline? Barry Svrluga: Schneider has actually been frustrated with his percentage, and he's had a couple of close (wrong) calls go against him. In each of the past two years, he's led major league catchers in throwing out base stealers. Now, with his reputation, fewer guys are running on him, and it's usually only the really good ones. He gunned down three guys last night, though. If you get the chance to watch him at the ballpark, pay attention to his feet. It's good footwork that gives him the edge, not arm strength. Panera: The current focus for the Nats shouldn't be on the current mini-slump, but instead on how well they've done holding it together with all of the injuries. The upcoming games against the Braves and Marlins will be a real test -- what's the latest on when we can expect our injured to start coming back? Barry Svrluga: Hey Panera. Thanks for the question. You make a good point, and their resilience in the face of all the injuries has been duly noted. But we also have to deal with the reality of this team: It doesn't appear deep enough to withstand this many injuries. That's not a knock against the guys who are in there. That's reality. The absence of Jose Vidro is truly hurting right now. With the whole team in a slump, he's a guy who could provide a big base-hit, a guy that likely would have found a way to drive in a run last night, when they went 3 for 17 with runners in scoring position. Cheltenham, Md.: Hi Barry, I really enjoy your chats. What's up with Roger Clemens pitching on the road? I thought he wasn't going to be doing that. Any chance we'll see him here in July when the 'stro's come to town? Thanks. Barry Svrluga: Well, considering he went down with a groin injury last night, I doubt it. But the Nationals could use the Astros in RFK about now. Have you seen their road record? 2-21. Ouch. Barry Svrluga: I forgot to report the news of the day. RHP John Patterson placed on 15-day disabled list with sore back that's been bothering him. The move is retroactive to May 16, so he'll be able to pitch Tuesday against Atlanta. Nothing official, and it won't be till Friday, but the Nationals will recall OF Tyrell Godwin from Class AAA New Orleans to take Patterson's place. They'll use Godwin almost exclusively as a pinch runner. Bottom five, Reds 3, Nationals 1, Griffey on first with a lead-off single. washingtonpost.com: Readers' Comments: The Post's Baseball Coverage Reston, Va.: I have been to 4 games this season and there always seems to be a good crowd. Are the Nationals doing well in attendance? Barry Svrluga: The Nationals are averaging 31,773 tickets sold through 20 home games. That ranks 12th in major league baseball right now. Keep in mind: The Nationals can't draw less than about 22,000, because that's how many season ticket equivalents they've sold. Barry Svrluga: Austin Kearns just hit a two-run double off of Rauch. Reds 5, Nationals 1, Randy St. Claire visiting Rauch on the mound. Washington, D.C.: It seems that there are Nats hats everywhere! How is the team doing in merchandise sales, compared to other teams around the league? Barry Svrluga: The Nationals recently overtook the Boston Red Sox, I believe, in new merchandise sales. Now, before anybody goes ballistic, keep in mind that the Nationals were starting from scratch, and fans of other teams could keep the stuff they bought last year or the year before that. Silver Spring, Md.: I know you're the beat reporter for the Nats, but since the O's reporter takes Nats questions ... Have you heard any status updates on Brian Roberts or Javy Lopez? I think the O's will be fine without Javy, but I can't see going more than a couple games without Brian. He's quite the sparkplug. Barry Svrluga: Roberts's injury is really unfortunate, considering how productive he's been. Alas, I have no update. I did hear this morning that they expected Lopez to be out six weeks with that broken hand. That hurts, too. Barry Svrluga: Sacrifice fly from Javier Valentin scores Kearns from third. End of five, Reds 6, Nationals 1. Nationals have scored more than six runs once in last 16 games. Falls Church, Va.: Can you give us an update on Jose Vidro's progress? And it looks like Patterson has been placed on the DL. Those two guys were pretty key to the team's early success. What happens now? Barry Svrluga: What happens now is the team loses five of the first six on a road trip, then heads to St. Louis trying to stay afloat -- somehow. General Manager Jim Bowden isn't optimistic about Vidro, saying the sprained ankle could keep him out two months. He injured it in early May. Early July? Shudder to think, but it's possible. Pentagon City, Va.: Any idea why Brad Wilkerson has only 3 HRs this season? While I realize he won't hit 40, I figured he'd have at least 5 by now. Barry Svrluga: He figured he'd have at least five by now, too. The big ballpark at RFK -- particularly to the alleys, where Wilkerson hits a lot of balls -- has something to do with it, but considering he has only two on the road, that's not the whole problem. His right forearm has really been causing him problems for the past two or three weeks, and he can't get the drive he needs with the bottom hand. In truth, his homer numbers shouldn't matter that much. His leadoff double today gives him 17 on the year, one ahead of Atlanta's Marcus Giles for the National League lead. If he hits 40 doubles and 15-25 homers, that's fine. The strikeouts, though, need to go. Barry Svrluga: The good: Jose Guillen leads off the sixth with his ninth homer of the year, cutting it to 6-2. The bad: Brendan Harris, playing third to give Vinny Castilla a rest, grounds into a 6-4-3 double play a batter later. Alexandria Eschate: With Castilla, Baerga, and Blanco already seeing time at 3rd, how much will Brendan Harris play? Is he up for good or bound back for New Orleans? Barry Svrluga: As I just mentioned, Harris is in the lineup today for Castilla, the idea being to let Vinny rest his slightly sore left knee today and on tomorrow's off day. It's affecting him a bit at the plate. Long-term, though, Harris shouldn't be here for long. Unless, of course, there are more injuries, which, with this club, there always seem to be. Arlington, Va.: Does Vinny Castilla know how to bunt. In several late inning situations with a runner on first, not outs and a run crucial, he has popped out without trying to bunt. Barry Svrluga: Vinny is not much of a bunter. You don't lead the NL in RBI (as Castilla did last year) by bunting. But in my opinion, this team bunts too much anyway. The first inning today is a good example. Now, Jamey Carroll's different than Castilla, but still. Reed, McLean, Va.: Keep up the fantastic work, Barry. True about the merchandise, but then it seems there are just as many "new" Red Sox "fans" as there are people in the greater Washington area, so maybe it does mean something. Do you think Harris can stick with the big club? He seems to have some decent power and ability to play 2nd or 3rd. I care because he's the only fellow W and M alum in MLB right now. The Tribe needs to support each other. Barry Svrluga: Don't you have lefty prospect Bill Bray on the way, too? See above for Harris. Doesn't have the range to play second. Showed nice pop with the pinch-hit homer the other night. 15th and M: Why is Castilla resting, tomorrow is on off day? We need Vinny's bat today!; Barry Svrluga: Two days of rest in a row for a guy who's 37 can mean something. Alexandria, Va.: I noted that a few days ago, the Reds designated D'Angelo Jimenez for assignment. he's still young (only 27), is a career .269 hitter coming into this season, has speed, plays the middle infield and can draw a walk (82 last year against 563 ABs). Will anyone claim him and the remainder of his $2.87M contract this year -- if he clears waivers, do we have a shot at him? Any word out of Cincy on this? Barry Svrluga: The Nationals, like other teams, would have a shot at Jimenez. The word, though: He's bad for the clubhouse. And even though this team is struggling big-time to start the road trip, they don't want any bad-for-the-clubhouse guys right now. The chemistry, for now, is still good. Rosslyn, Va.: Frank Robinson's management style puzzles me. He closes the door on Endy Chavez and Zach Day. He gives an endless number of chances to Cristian Guzman and Claudio Vargas. He jerks around guys like Tomo Ohka and Ryan Church pulling them in/out of the rotation/lineup. I know he's a Hall of Famer, but he was a Hall of Fame PLAYER. As a field manager, he seems inconsistent at best. You travel with the team, am I wrong in this assessment? (And please don't use the "manage by gut" answer) Barry Svrluga: The only reason I would use the "manage by gut" answer is because that's how Robinson describes his style. That in no way means I endorse it. In fact, I think it's kind of hard to defend, given all the information and analysis that's out there for digestion these days. Indeed, Robinson makes some curious moves, and I'll likely deal with some of them in the game story for tomorrow's paper. I kept asking Robinson when Church would get a chance against lefties. Well, last night he got one, and he struck out twice -- leaving five runners on base in the process -- before they pinch hit for him with Marlon Byrd. I think Vargas's "endless" number of chances ended today, after his fourth start. Guzman is horrible right now, no question. But they're paying him $16.8 million over the next four years, and they're not going to sit him. Robinson said so the other day. Barry Svrluga: Babe Ruth, I mean Ryan Freel, just homered off Hector Carrasco to lead off the Reds sixth. Freel now 4 for 4 with two doubles, a homer and three runs scored. Reds 7, Nationals 2. Washington, D.C.: I know it is hard to say without knowing who the new ownership group will be, but how do you like Bowden's chances of being GM next year? Barry Svrluga: It absolutely depends on the new owner and how he/she/they mesh with Bowden's flamboyant personality. It also depends on how the team does the rest of this year. He could make his personality a non-issue if the team, somehow, stays in contention for a wild-card spot (which, down 7-2 to the awful Reds and about to be swept, seems unlikely at this point). Washington, D.C.: Is Ryan Freel the greatest player of all time? How bad is Ken Griffey? Barry Svrluga: I have to say, over the last three days, about the only interesting development has been watching Ken Griffey Jr. and seeing how he's simply not even close to the player he once was. He went back on a ball hit by Guillen in the fourth, and couldn't even come close to getting to it, a double. In the old days, that's an out. Last night was Ken Griffey Jr. bobblehead night in Cincy. The doll might be able to make more plays. Washington, D.C.: What would our lineup have been today if everyone was healthy? Barry Svrluga: Wilkerson -- CF Rosslyn, Va.: Frank Robinson just mentioned that John Patterson is going on the DL retro to last week. He mentioned the Nats would be adding a bat for the bench? Will it be Wil Cordero? Barry Svrluga: Is he sitting in your house? I thought he was here. Tyrell Godwin will be adding his pair of cleats, not so much a bat, to the roster in St. Louis. Fighting my way back to Coney Island: Love your work, Barry. It's fitting that the area's #1 team has the area's #1 beat writer. Any news on the mound? Some seem to think that pitchers are merely using it as an excuse, but when guys on both sides are complaining, it makes me think there's a real problem. Is this going to get fixed? Barry Svrluga: Thanks very much. It's great to have the No. 1 question from the No. 1 asker. Hope you find Coney Island. They're really trying with the mound, but they just can't seem to get it right, and some of the more finicky pitchers have allowed it to get into their heads. They completely rebuilt it earlier this month, but I'm not sure it'll ever be perfect this year. Alexandria, Va.: Freel's 4-4. Time to plunk him? This is really ugly, Bar. Can it get worse? Barry Svrluga: It could get uglier, Alex. Think sweep in St. Louis? That team's good enough to do it, even with Hernandez and Loaiza pitching two of the three games. Washington, D.C.: I don't understand how the Nats are surprised about Guzman -- anyone who saw Minnesota the last few years knew he was a lousy hitter (the 266 average was courtesy of atsro-turf singles and he never walks) and an erratic fielder. Giving this guy a 4 year deal for over 18 mill should be a firing offense. Barry Svrluga: It's four years, $16.8 million. Listen, I'm not an apologist for Cristian Guzman, who has been awful and hopeless offensively. But a .266 average over a six-year career isn't an accident. Did turf have something to do with his success? Sure. He's hitting .279 in his career on turf. But he's also hitting .249 on grass. Right now, the Nationals would take .249 for the year -- considering he'd have to hit about .270 or .280 the rest of the way to make that happen. He's the easiest out in the league right now, though. Banging My Head Against the Wall, Va.: Hello St. Barry ... I'm listening to the game right now and I cannot take it anymore. Why does Frank Robinson continually bunt with his #2 hitter in the first inning? Moving a runner one base in the first inning at the expense of an out is ridiculous. The Nationals don't need to be wasting outs so early in the game. Barry Svrluga: You said it, Banging, not me. (Interesting name, by the way.) Silver Spring, Md.: Which Nat will be selected for the All-Star game? Any chance more than one player will make it? Impressive that you are doing this chat and watching the game. Barry Svrluga: I'm banking on my preseason pick, Livan Hernandez, but no one else. Throws so many innings, could easily have 10 wins at the break, not likely to have his ERA go much higher than it is now. Washington, D.C.: So it seems like we're in a viscous cycle, no offense, and poor pitching. It is going to be tough to break this cycle isn't it? Barry Svrluga: Yes, young Skywalker, it is. You have learned much. Oyosoos, British Columbia: Over the weekend, Robinson said this about Vargas: "Everybody is trying to win today, and this year ... Too much emphasis is put on winning. You have to teach and develop, even at this level. If you have the talent, you're going to win your share of ball games. That's why you have to stick with a guy like Vargas. You can't give him just one or two starts and then pull him out because then the guy is in a bad mental state." That's all well and good, and I don't necessarily disagree. But why were Ohka and Day hung out to dry? Why was Endy traded, but Guzman still plays? Why does the red-hot (before last night) Church not get more playing time? I respect Frank a lot, but I just don't see any rhyme or reason to his madness. Barry Svrluga: The Vargas decision today had to be made, and I really think it'll be the last time he starts. But Patterson was put on the DL, Ohka pitched on Sunday and wasn't ready, Armas on Saturday and wasn't ready. Day just entered the game in the seventh, but there's no way they could've known last night whether his hand would be well enough to pitch today. The Rauch part, I can't answer, other than Robinson said he doesn't want to keep moving him back and forth and back and forth (he started for New Orleans, has relieved up here) because it tired his arm some. Those are some of the realities, and some of Robinson's perspectives. You are right to question. Washington, D.C.: That solo shot by Guillen to make it 6-2 is a big part of the problem -- Guillen doesn't have very good numbers when it comes to men in scoring position. I think he's batting well below .200. His low RBI numbers reflect that he's hasn't been a very good clutch hitter this year. I LOVE this team, but I had to point that out anyway ... Barry Svrluga: Indeed, you're correct. Coming into today, Guillen was hitting just .156 with runners in scoring position. No one's more upset about that than him. Washington, D.C.: If you had to choose between Barry Bonds 2001 and Ryan Freel May 25, 2005 for one at bat to win a game, who would you choose? Barry Svrluga: Considering, to the best of my recollection, a few pitchers got Bonds out in 2001, and no pitchers have gotten Freel out on May 25, 2005, it's a no-brainer. Washington, D.C.: Has the Nationals' training staff come under any fire for the number of injuries suffered thus far? Or is this just bad luck? Barry Svrluga: I asked about this the other day, and it's really hard to say without a degree in medical science. Robinson said he's asked the athletic training staff about how they're stretching, etc., but people seem to think it's some kind of coincidence. Can you assume, because a team has a rash of injuries, that its training staff isn't up to snuff? Tough to say. Try the Chili: Might as well, sounds like the game is pretty much over. Barry Svrluga: You know ... that's not a bad thought. Cleveland Park, Washington, D.C.: I stood in line for Star Wars just because I was sure Darth Vader was going to turn out to be Peter Angelos in the end. I mean how else besides using a Jedi mind trick can you explain his ability to steal the Nationals' TV rights -- their second highest income generator? For his next trick, I wonder if Angelos can figure out how to wrestle 90 percent of the DVD rights for Star Wars away from George Lucas. Hmmm, a sly one, Angelos is. May the force-out be with you. Barry Svrluga: Cleveland Park, this is an outstanding question. I will let it stand. Hey barry: I think the guy who bashed Robinson as a manager was a little out of line. A lot of the guys Robinson pulled DESERVED it: Endy seemed to have an attitude problem from Spring Training on, and refused to change his approach. Ohka had velocity issues, and Zach wasn't throwing strikes and was walking PITCHERS, for cryin' out loud. All of these guys deserved to sit! Further, he's not sitting Guzman because they have no one else on the team who can play SS well. Pleeeze, the team goes into a slump, and everyone wants to pick on Robinson all of a sudden. Barry Svrluga: Thanks for chiming in from the dugout, Frank. (Seriously, those are exactly the reasons Robinson gives.) Barry Svrluga: Folks, I'm sorry, but that'll have to be it. It's the top of the eighth, and ... ... woah, Guillen just hit his second homer of the day. Alas, another solo shot, and it's now just 7-3. Thanks again for all your questions. Come back next week when we'll be back at home, seeing if the team can hold it together against the best in the N.L. East -- Atlanta and Florida. Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Join live discussions from the Washington Post. Feature topics include national, world and DC area news, politics, elections, campaigns, government policy, tech regulation, travel, entertainment, cars, and real estate.

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CLICK & CLACK : Hydrogen Hits and Myths

Q Dear Tom and Ray: I have been wondering about the safety of hydrogen fuel cells and the cars that plan to use them. While I'm sure that the volume of the stored fuel would be less than for, say, the space shuttle Challenger, I know that hydrogen is extremely flammable in the presence of oxygen. I am wondering if a traffic accident with one of these vehicles poses the potential for a conflagration? Have any tests been conducted? -- Walt A TOM: Tests? Well, there's the Hindenburg. RAY: Actually, the hydrogen in the Hindenburg was contained in a huge cloth bag -- not exactly the height of safety engineering. So that's not really a fair analogy to today's composite hydrogen holding tanks. TOM: Hydrogen has some advantages over gasoline, too. In the event of a leak, it disappears very quickly -- and straight up, into the atmosphere, since it's lighter than air. It doesn't spill and hang around, and it's not toxic to humans and animals, the way gasoline or diesel fuel is. But given a spark, it certainly can create the world's most exciting Roman candle! RAY: And yes, there have been real tests of the tanks that hold both liquid and gaseous hydrogen. Engineers obviously believe they are safe enough to be used in vehicles. Do we know, for a fact, that they're right? No. TOM: Like most new technologies, on-board hydrogen has been tested in all of the situations in which engineers can predict it might fail. But inevitably, they can't predict everything. And there will be surprises once it comes into widespread use. RAY: So I think, in general, hydrogen fuel cells will be safe, if and when they debut in cars. But I won't be surprised if we discover, with some unfortunate accidents, some ways they can be made safer. And personally, what worries me more than the cars are the refueling stations. I am 16 years old, and right now I drive a 2002 New Beetle. But ever since I was a little girl, I've wanted a '68 Mustang convertible. My dad has always loved the idea. My mom, on the other hand, does not think they're very safe, because they don't have air bags, and some don't even have seat belts. So I was wondering if you could help me out a bit by saying that you can install seat belts and air bags in an old car like that. -- Alex RAY: Well, we have to say your mom is right, Alex. While it did have lap belts, by today's standards the '68 Mustang is a terribly unsafe car. It handles horribly, brakes poorly, rides like a buckboard, has almost no structural crash protection and has none of the safety equipment that your 2002 VW has. It also drinks gas the way my brother drinks espresso macchiatos. TOM: Can you retrofit air bags and shoulder belts into a '68 Mustang convertible? I suppose anything is possible. But it's completely impractical, and would be enormously expensive. Just for fun, we calculated the cost of installing all this safety equipment, and the total came to $23,890, which happens to be the base price of a 2005 Mustang convertible. So, do whatever you think is best, Alex. Got a question about cars? Write to Click & Clack in care of The Post, or e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk Web site athttp://www.cartalk.com. 2005by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman

Q Dear Tom and Ray: I have been wondering about the safety of hydrogen fuel cells and the cars that plan to use them. While I'm sure that the volume of the stored fuel would be less than for, say, the space shuttle Challenger, I know that hydrogen is extremely flammable in the presence of oxygen. I...

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Supply of Oil-Based Paint Thins as New Rule Takes Effect

Carlos Diez felt a little extreme when he stockpiled 1,000 gallons of oil-based house paint last November. But with his stash of the precious glossy dwindling, he's going a bit crazy again, stopping at any store he thinks might have some cans squirreled away. "I feel like an addict. I went to Strosniders last week in Bethesda. They had about 40 gallons. I bought all 40 gallons," he said. "I've been talking to everyone. I say, 'You have paint? What color?' If it's a color I think I can use, I buy it." When his stockpile is gone, he said, "I don't know what I'm gonna do." What he'll probably do is switch to latex paint, as so many other painters in the area have done because of a new, but largely unpublicized, regulation restricting the sale of oil-based, or alkyd, paint in the mid-Atlantic region. It's a measure aimed at reducing ground-level ozone pollution, but it's one that many consumers and painters were unaware of until oil paint just started vanishing. "I will have to say that 75 percent of them don't have a clue," about the new rule, said Edgardo Lopez, assistant manager of the Northern Virginia paint store Alexandria Paint Co. "Twenty-five percent have heard a little bit but thought it was a myth." Similar rules have been in effect for a while in California, and restrictive oil-paint laws are being crafted in many northern states. But the mid-Atlantic region has not made as much progress reducing overall pollution as New England has, so the paint restrictions kicked in first in this area. Since Jan. 1, stores in the District, Northern Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York have not been able to order most of the oil-based paints commonly used in household and commercial applications. Paint stores are allowed to sell the alkyds they had on the shelves when the rule took effect, and some stores piled up their stockrooms in anticipation of the change. But those reserves are slowly depleting, just as painting season arrives. That has created a burgeoning market for imports -- from southern Virginia, where the restrictions are not in place because the pollution there is not as bad. At the Virginia Paint Co. Benjamin Moore store in Fredericksburg, there has been a spike in oil paint sales. "It's been growing as they sell out of inventory in Northern Virginia," said Ted Arthur, outside sales representative for the store. "We're starting to see that influx of customers here to get that oil-based product, definitely." Not all painters are wedded to oil-based paint, as it smells, it's harder to clean up and it dries so hard that it can crack rather than breathe with the typical expansion and contraction that weather can cause. There have also been great strides in the quality of water-soluble latex paint in recent years, in part because manufacturers have known for at least a decade that this regulation was coming. Oil paint accounted for 16.5 percent of the market in 2003, according to the Commerce Department, down from 18 percent in 1997. Because many painters now use latex, especially for exterior jobs, little information about this change was passed on to painters and consumers. "This was supposed to be relatively seamless for them," said Christopher Recchia, executive director of the Ozone Transport Commission, an organization created under the Clean Air Act and charged with helping Eastern states develop regulations to prevent further diminishing of the ozone. "For the most part, you can go and buy these products that not only work as well as the other products, but they are environmentally safer."

Measure aims at reducing ground-level ozone pollution, but it's one that many were unaware of until the product started disappearing.

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Semi-Respectable Ethanol

ETHANOL BEGAN as a political product. The idea of powering automobiles with alcohol distilled from corn acquired traction mainly because Archer Daniels Midland Co., the leading ethanol producer, is a big financier of politicians and because Iowa, which serves as Ethanol HQ, hosts that odd and oddly influential event known as the presidential caucuses. But disreputable origins do not rule out a respectable maturity. Like the young delinquent who makes good, ethanol has put on a suit, acquired sophisticated friends and become a pillar of society. Almost. Ethanol's new acceptability reflects the disgrace of its rivals. Nobody likes the idea of relying exclusively on oil, partly because of the terrorism connection in the Middle East and partly because gasoline is so expensive; it's now cheaper to fill your car with ethanol in some parts of corn country. Meanwhile a supposedly green additive to gasoline called MTBE has been found to pollute groundwater; ethanol, which reduces sulfur and carbon monoxide emissions (albeit at the expense of some extra smog), is taking its place. As a result, U.S. production of corn-based ethanol is growing at 30 percent a year, and other countries are headed in the same direction. A few years ago, this expansion would have seemed ridiculous. Ethanol was reckoned to be a net energy loser: It took more energy to produce a gallon of the stuff than you could get out of it by burning it. But that's changed thanks to new methods of growing corn, which use less energy-intensive fertilizer, and thanks to more efficient ethanol distilleries. Now researchers at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois report that you get 25 percent more energy out of a gallon of ethanol than it takes to grow the corn, transport it and distill it. Skeptical researchers still say there's a net energy loss, but they concede that this loss is much smaller than was once supposed. And everyone agrees that next-generation ethanol, made from grass or other raw materials that don't need fertilizer, promises a clear reduction in the use of fossil fuels and a win for the environment. This good news could have bad consequences, however. The ethanol lobby wants to use the energy legislation pending in Congress to require a floor for national ethanol consumption, an absurd piece of central planning. Moreover, the lobby wants to use its new respectability to defend its subsidies, which remain indefensible. If Congress wants to promote alternatives to oil (because of terrorism) or to all hydrocarbons (because of global warming), it should tax these disfavored forms of energy and let the market figure out which alternatives make sense. Instead, it lavishes a tax break of 54 cents on each gallon of ethanol, a subsidy that comes on top of the federal dollars that flow separately to corn growers. Ethanol's continuing political nature is reflected in trade policy. If ethanol were part of a serious terrorism or environmental strategy, there would be no reason to require that the ethanol be made domestically. But cheap Brazilian ethanol faces a steep tariff. Despite the improving efficiency of production and despite the genuinely good reasons to break dependency on oil, the nation's ethanol policy really isn't driven by these things. It really is about pork.

ETHANOL BEGAN as a political product. The idea of powering automobiles with alcohol distilled from corn acquired traction mainly because Archer Daniels Midland Co., the leading ethanol producer, is a big financier of politicians and because Iowa, which serves as Ethanol HQ, hosts that odd and oddly...

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A Last-Minute Deal on Judicial Nominees

Fourteen Republican and Democratic senators broke with their party leaders last night to avert a showdown vote over judicial nominees, agreeing to votes on some of President Bush's nominees while preserving the right to filibuster others in "extraordinary circumstances." The dramatic announcement caught Senate leaders by surprise and came on the eve of a scheduled vote to ban filibusters of judicial nominees, the "nuclear option" that has dominated Senate discussions for weeks. The deal clears the way for prompt confirmation of three appellate court nominees -- Priscilla R. Owen, Janice Rogers Brown and William H. Pryor Jr. Democratic leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) called the pact "a significant victory for our country." But Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said "it has some good news, and it has some disappointing news." Frist, who was under pressure from conservative groups and colleagues to ban judicial filibusters, said that each of Bush's judicial nominees deserves an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor and that the agreement "falls short of that principle." But he and Reid had no choice but to accept the agreement's outline. The bipartisan negotiators, who signed a two-page "memorandum of understanding," have the votes both to prevent judicial filibusters without banning them and to defeat efforts to invoke the nuclear option, regardless of the views of their Democratic and GOP colleagues, the White House and outside groups on the left and right. The action represents an unusual attempt to wrest power from the leadership. The negotiators largely credited Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), and said they received significant support from veteran senators John W. Warner (R-Va.) and Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.). Their agreement calls for Democrats to drop filibusters of three appellate court nominees they have long opposed: Owen, of Texas; Brown, of California; and Pryor, of Alabama. It does not protect two other contested nominees -- William G. Myers III of Idaho and Henry Saad of Michigan -- who will be filibustered or withdrawn, negotiators said. On the more difficult issue of future judicial fights, the memo's signers vowed to filibuster nominees only "under extraordinary circumstances, and each signatory must use his or her own discretion and judgment in determining whether such circumstances exist." The paragraph retaining the right to filibuster -- considered the pact's most difficult question -- states: "In light of the spirit and continuing commitments made in this agreement, we commit to oppose the rules changes in the 109th Congress," which extends through 2006. Several Democrats quickly declared victory, saying the language left Republicans no room to ban judicial filibusters. "The nuclear option is off the table," Democratic Whip Richard J. Durbin (Ill.) said on the Senate floor, moments after the negotiators announced their deal at a crowded news conference. In a sharp comment aimed at the White House, Reid said: "Abuse of power will not be tolerated, and attempts to trample the Constitution and grab absolute control are over. We are a separate and equal branch of government. That is our Founding Fathers' vision, and one we hold dear." But Republicans said they are free to back a ban if they believe Democrats act in bad faith and filibuster a nominee whose credentials do not amount to an "extraordinary" circumstance. "We don't think we're going to get there," said Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), adding that he will not hesitate to vote to ban judicial filibusters if he concludes the Democrats are abusing the right. At one point last week, negotiators considered language saying Republicans would not trigger the nuclear option, "provided that there is good faith compliance with the commitments set forth in" the "extraordinary circumstances" provision on the future use of the filibuster. Leaders of both parties said the pact's greatest implications will surface when Bush fills a Supreme Court vacancy, which many expect this summer. Democrats, who hold 44 of the Senate's 100 seats, were eager to retain filibuster powers in hopes of dissuading Bush from nominating a staunch conservative.

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Cholesterol Drug Crestor Poses Risks, Journal Says

The powerful cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor is significantly more likely than other statins to cause muscle deterioration that can lead to kidney disease and failure, according to a study in the American Heart Association's journal, Circulation. The conclusion is at odds with the most recent recommendation of the Food and Drug Administration, which in March rejected a citizen's petition to remove Crestor from the market. At the time, the FDA said Crestor, which has been aggressively marketed by AstraZeneca LP, appeared to be no more dangerous than other statins for most people. Based on the number of side effects reported to the FDA, however, the researchers said yesterday that Crestor was two to six times as likely to cause complications over a one-year period as three other statins on the market. Although the number of serious side effects reported by Crestor users was small, the study authors said the higher rate convinced them that doctors should try their patients on other statins and only turn to Crestor as a last resort. The study "raises concerns about the safety of this drug at the range of doses used in common clinical practice," the study concludes. "It would seem prudent at the current time for health care providers to consider other statins as first-line therapy." AstraZeneca defended its billion-dollar-a-year drug, saying "we strongly disagree with the conclusions of this study." In a statement, the company said the FDA's voluntary system for soliciting reports of complications, called "adverse events," does not confirm the accuracy of the accounts it gets and so cannot be used to determine a drug's risks. The company cited the FDA's recent conclusion that based on all the evidence available, Crestor does not pose an unacceptable risk. "AstraZeneca again reaffirms that the safety profile of Crestor is in line with other marketed statins, and is a highly effective cholesterol-lowering therapy," it said. With drug safety an increasingly hot topic with the public, doctors and members of Congress, the Circulation paper quickly became a new source of controversy. Sidney M. Wolfe of Public Citizen Health Research Group, who filed the petition rejected by the FDA, said the study confirmed his conclusions. "This should be very embarrassing to the FDA," Wolfe said. He said that unlike the arthritis painkillers Vioxx and Bextra, which were recently taken off the market because of harmful side effects, Crestor's potential to cause muscle and kidney damage was known before the drug was approved. "Short of having the drug taken off the market, I don't think that anything could contribute to the end of a drug more than this paper," Wolfe said. Scott M. Grundy, a University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center researcher long associated with efforts to reduce cholesterol levels to prevent heart disease, defended the drug. Grundy, in a commentary accompanying the research paper, said he was not convinced that the risks from the higher potency of Crestor outweighed its possible benefits to patients with especially high cholesterol levels. The American Heart Association -- which did not take a position on either the study or the accompanying commentary -- held a teleconference yesterday to discuss the study and its view that patients should continue on whatever statins their doctors prescribe. Grundy said he would prescribe Crestor now as readily as any other statin. But Richard H. Karas of Tufts-New England Medical Center, lead author of the Circulation paper, said he would recommend Crestor only as a last resort. Both Karas and Grundy have received research contracts and speaking fees from statin makers, including AstraZeneca. The heart association also receives considerable financial support from drug companies. Crestor, which was approved by the FDA in 2003, is agreed to be the most potent statin on the market. Its higher strength, however, does not make a dramatic difference in studies. While statins such as Lipitor, Zocor and Pravachol lower LDL -- or harmful -- cholesterol by 50 to 55 percent, Crestor decreases it by 55 to 60 percent, said Grundy and Karas. In the new study, doctors of patients taking Crestor were significantly more likely to report complications of kidney disease and rhabdomylosis, a muscle deterioration that releases toxins into the blood that can cause renal failure. The overall number was small -- 145 muscle or kidney problems out of 5.2 million prescriptions during the drug's first year on the market -- but the number was substantially higher than for other statins. In 2001, the FDA took Baycol, a considerably more powerful statin than Crestor, off the market because of similar side effects. In a congressional hearing last December, FDA drug safety officer and whistle-blower David Graham identified Crestor as one of five drugs now on the market that he believed posed serious safety problems that were not balanced by their benefits. The FDA yesterday referred callers to its March conclusions that Crestor is no more hazardous than other statins.

Study says cholesterol-lowering drug is significantly more likely than other statins to cause muscle deterioration that can lead to kidney disease and failure.

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Bombings Across Iraq Kill More Than 50 People

BAGHDAD, May 23 -- Bombings targeting U.S. and Iraqi forces and Shiite Arab civilians at worship, at lunch, at home and on the road killed more than 50 people across Iraq on Monday, officials said, heightening sectarian tensions and taking the death toll past 600 since a new government was installed less than a month ago. Iraq's Shiite-led administration, meanwhile, tried to portray itself as taking control of security. Iraqi television aired extended broadcasts of the trial of three accused insurgents facing the death penalty, and a new music video introduced on state TV featured Abul Waleed, commander of a feared police commando unit, saying: "We will cut off the arms" of terrorists. The U.S. military reported the deaths of five American troops Sunday -- three killed in two attacks in Mosul and a fourth killed in a car bombing in Tikrit, north of Baghdad. Another soldier died in a vehicle accident near Kirkuk, the military said. Monday's violence followed a lull in bombings that lasted several days and the first significant overtures this weekend by Sunni Arab leaders to end a Sunni boycott of politics that had lasted more than two years. Iraq's disgruntled Sunni minority, which long dominated the country's political and military leadership but was ousted from power along with Saddam Hussein in early 2003, has been at the forefront of the insurgency. Americans and Iraqis have hoped that drawing Sunnis into the new political process would quell the violence, but the issue remains unresolved. Insurgent attacks have intensified since the government of Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari took office at the end of April. In the deadliest of Monday's attacks, two bombings killed 30 people in the volatile northern town of Tall Afar, hospital officials said. The first bomb exploded late Monday outside the home of a Shiite tribal leader, according to an emergency room director who identified himself only as Haidar and a hospital director who said his name was Saleh. A second bomb exploded as crowds gathered to help the wounded from the first blast, the medical officials said. The second bomb claimed most of the victims. Another car bomb exploded late Monday outside a Shiite mosque at Mahmudiyah, about 15 miles south of Baghdad. The attack killed at least 10 people and injured 30, the Associated Press quoted hospital officials as saying. At lunchtime, a car bomb exploded outside a cafe frequented by workers in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood of north Baghdad, killing at least five people, hospital officials said. The bomb was detonated by remote control, police said. While the intended targets appeared to have been police who also gather at the cafe, witnesses said the victims were civilians. "I swear to God, I will not enter any restaurant if I see any policemen sitting there," laborer Saleem Nima said in a street littered with metal shards and body parts. Shopkeepers were already sweeping up shattered glass. "There is no safe place in Baghdad, not even your bedroom," Nima said.

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Justices to Hear N.H. Abortion Notification Challenge

As if the Senate negotiations over filibusters and the federal judiciary were not intense enough, the Supreme Court issued a reminder yesterday of its power over the pivotal issue in the fight: abortion. In a one-line order, the court said it would rule on the constitutionality of a New Hampshire law that requires an abortion provider to give a minor's parents 48 hours' notice before the procedure, unless a judge grants an exception or the girl's life is at risk. But, unlike parental notification or consent laws in most other states, the law makes no exception for cases in which the health of the pregnant girl is at risk. The question for the Supreme Court is whether that makes the New Hampshire law unconstitutional. Though the case presents no direct challenge to the broad abortion right recognized in Roe v. Wade , and will not be argued until next fall -- with a ruling due by mid-2006 -- both sides in the filibuster debate said it shows that the stakes go well beyond the appeals court nominations now in contention. "This is something we will bring up to our constituents as to why the Supreme Court battles are so important," said Wendy Wright, senior political director of Concerned Women for America, which supported an end to Democratic filibusters of President Bush's nominations for the courts. Marcia D. Greenberger, co-president of the National Women's Law Center, which opposed Republican efforts to eliminate the filibuster, said: "If the composition of the court changes, it's hard to predict if new justices will apply the law we've come to rely on." The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit, based in Boston, ruled last year that the New Hampshire law is unconstitutional under a 1992 Supreme Court decision that said states may not impose any "undue burden" on the right to abortion. The Supreme Court defined that as a law that "in a large fraction of cases" puts a "substantial obstacle" in the way of someone seeking an abortion. In its appeal, however, New Hampshire said the 1st Circuit applied the wrong legal standard. It cited a 1987 Supreme Court ruling that suggests opponents of the law must show that the law would impinge on abortion rights not just in some or most cases but in all cases. While this is a seemingly technical point, the court's ruling on it could have a far-reaching impact. If the justices affirm the ruling of the 1st Circuit, striking down the law, the effect will be to fortify and entrench Supreme Court abortion rights precedents -- before Bush has the chance to appoint multiple justices who may not favor abortion rights. There will be little change in the balance on the court if Bush replaces the ailing chief justice, William H. Rehnquist, between now and a decision in the New Hampshire case, known as Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood , No. 04-1144. Rehnquist is already reliably opposed to abortion rights. But if the court were to uphold the New Hampshire law, it would open the door to other states to adopt similar legislation. And opponents could not sue until a person pressed a claim for an injury she blamed on the law. At present, 33 states, including Virginia and Maryland, have a parental notice or consent law for parents of girls younger than 18 seeking an abortion. Eight of those states have provisions similar to those in the New Hampshire law, according to lawyers at the National Women's Law Center. Six states and the District have no law. In 10 other states, parental involvement laws have been adopted but are not being enforced because of legal disputes. One of those states is Idaho, whose law was struck down last year by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, based in San Francisco, because its health exception was too limited. The Supreme Court declined to hear Idaho's appeal in March -- making yesterday's decision to hear New Hampshire's appeal encouraging to its supporters. "Since the court is hearing a case where the law was struck down, that gives us hope that they want to correct a mistake," Wright said. A ruling that abortion regulations do not necessarily have to have a health exception could also affect the new federal ban on the late-term procedure critics call "partial birth" abortion. That ban, enacted by Congress with Bush's support in 2003, included no exception to protect the mother's health. Instead, Congress included findings that such an exception was unnecessary. It has yet to go into effect, however, because three federal district courts have ruled it unconstitutional. Those rulings, now on appeal in three circuit courts, cited the Supreme Court's 2000 decision striking down a Nebraska ban on partial-birth abortion because it lacked a sufficient health exception.

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Alternative Stem Cell Bill Added to Debate

With a closely divided House poised to vote today on whether to expand federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research, opponents are offering fence-sitters what they say is an embryo-friendly alternative: a bill that would foster the use of stem cells from umbilical cords discarded after birth. The Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act -- introduced by Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.), chairman of the House Pro-Life Caucus -- would establish a network of blood banks to help make cord blood cells readily available for patients and research. The bill is set for a House vote this morning in advance of a vote on the hotly contested Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. That bill would boost federal research spending on cells taken from live human embryos slated for disposal at fertility clinics. The pairing of the votes raises a scientific question: Are stem cells from umbilical cords reasonable substitutes for embryonic stem cells, which can give rise to all of the body's 200 or so cell types, including nerve, liver, skin, bone, heart muscle and the pancreas, the organ that goes awry in diabetes? Opponents of embryonic stem cell research have strongly implied the answer is yes. "Published studies have shown that cord blood stem cells have the capacity to change into other cell types, which give them the potential to treat . . . debilitating conditions such as spinal cord injury, Parkinson's, diabetes and heart disease," Smith said in a recent statement. But several researchers said that statement stretches the truth of what is known about umbilical cord cells. Although scientists do dream of coaxing umbilical cells to produce a wide array of other cells, the only thing they can reliably give rise to today are the components of blood -- red cells, white cells and platelets. Umbilical and embryonic stem cells "are not in any way interchangeable," said David Scadden, co-director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and chief of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine and Technology. Umbilical cord cells, squeezed harmlessly from discarded umbilical cords and frozen for later use, are clearly of great medical value. Since 1988, doctors have transplanted them into thousands of patients whose bone marrow had succumbed to disease or been obliterated by chemotherapy. After being transfused into a patient's vein, cord cells work their way into the marrow, where they produce a constant supply of fresh blood for the rest of the patient's life. Opponents of embryo cell research often correctly note that dozens of diseases have been cured with umbilical cord cells. What is not often emphasized is that all are diseases of the blood. Still, there are some hints that umbilical cord cells may have the potential to do more. Some blood disease patients treated with the cells have shown improvements in other organs -- perhaps just from having healthier blood but perhaps because the umbilical cord cells helped regenerate those organs. A few laboratory experiments have also suggested that cord blood may contain very rare cells that can make more than just blood. At least three teams have published preliminary evidence that cord blood may contain a kind of stem cell that can give rise to bone and fat cells and nerve-nurturing cells called microglia. But at best these stem cells are extremely rare, difficult to isolate and almost impossible to keep alive in culture dishes. Moreover, it is still not clear whether the cells they gave rise to are really bone, fat and microglia or simply have some of the cellular markers of those kinds of cells. "The bottom line as far as I'm concerned is we just don't know at this point what each can do, and we ought to be investigating both," said Joanne Kurtzberg, director of the pediatric blood and marrow transplant program at Duke University Medical Center. The cord blood bill "is not an alternative bill. It's an additional bill," said Elizabeth Wenk, spokeswoman for Rep. Michael N. Castle (R-Del.), who introduced the embryonic stem cell bill with Diana DeGette (D-Colo.). "It's something we'd encourage all members to support because all avenues of stem cell research need to be explored."

Opponents of embryonic stem cell research are offering Congress a bill that would foster the use of stem cells from umbilical cords discarded after birth.

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Good Morning, America

On the morning of my 49th birthday, my wife rouses me dark and early. A purplish smear has just started spreading itself upward across the eastern sky, and if I hurry, she tells me, I can still be the first to see the sunrise. Not just the first in our family of four, mind you, but the first in the entire nation. That's because we had gone to bed in the sleepy Way DownEast town of Lubec, Maine, the easternmost town in the continental United States. I fumble into my clothes, then hop into the car for the 10-minute drive to the West Quoddy Head lighthouse, which stands atop Quoddy Head, America's easternmost point. I am in time to beat the sun -- but not an even more disheveled, even more aging hippie from Vermont who has apparently spent the night in his equally disheveled and aging mustard-yellow VW van. I'm as upset to see him as he is to see me, but we manage to exchange a few pleasantries before staking out opposite sides of the squat, horizontal red-and-white striped lighthouse to watch the sun gloriously emerge over New Brunswick's Grand Manan Island, nine miles offshore. I take some consolation in knowing that at least I have claimed the eastern side. My inspiration for journeying all the way out to this -- the tattered thumb of the Maine mitten, about 110 miles northeast of Bar Harbor -- had been its cartographical extremity. But once we had left the Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island crowds behind, I began to realize what a truly inspired choice it had been. This is real DownEast Maine, a sparsely populated, predominantly working-class area of small farms and craftsmen -- the way the touristy Mid-Coast used to be 30 or 40 years ago. And there is more to distinguish northeastern-most Washington County (aka "America's Sunrise County") than just its location. As the guidebooks are quick to point out, it is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined. It is also home to the highest tides (up to 28 feet) in the continental United States and the vast majority of Maine's wild blueberry barrens. Alas, time and the limited durability of our twin 4-year-old daughters prevented us from fully exploring the many natural wonders of what is now known promotionally as Maine's Bold Coast. But it didn't keep us from seeing all the highlights, natural and man-made. My dawn's-early-light experience complete, I make my way back to our motel, stopping briefly to chat with a pair of birders who have set up telescopes overlooking the tidal flats bordering Lubec Narrows. With an average mean tidal difference of 17 1/2 feet, there is nearly half a mile of freshly exposed mud and grasslands for shorebirds to exploit. Feeling hungry myself, I gather up the family and we make our way to Murphy's Village Restaurant for blueberry pancakes and muffins. We'd eaten dinner here the night before while a trio of local musicians had fielded requests from the standing-room-only crowd in the main dining room. By now it's barely 8 a.m., so we take advantage of the time difference (Atlantic vs. Eastern) to drive across the humpbacked FDR Memorial Bridge to Campobello Island in New Brunswick, where the Roosevelt Cottage -- a three-story, vermillion-colored, 34-room gambrel mansion overlooking Passamaquoddy Bay -- has just opened. This is not the cottage where the young FDR spent his summers (that was torn down), but the one his widowed mother, Sara, bought for him, his wife Eleanor and their children in 1909. It was here, in August 1921, that the 39-year-old failed vice presidential candidate succumbed to poliomyelitis after a day of hiking and picnicking, followed by an invigorating swim in the brisk bay waters. For years, it was thought that that swim had triggered FDR's attack, and our sixtyish local tour guide Betty recalled how her own mother had forbade her to go in the water. Today, however, it is believed that the future president contracted the crippling disease at a Boy Scout camp in New York that he had visited several weeks before arriving at Campobello and that the waters of Passamaquoddy are perfectly safe. Perhaps so. But at a chilly 51 degrees in the middle of August, why take the chance? In any case, we have a rendezvous with navigational destiny at the East Quoddy Lighthouse, Campobello Island's other marquis attraction. Unknowingly, we have timed our arrival perfectly: The lighthouse, which sits atop a rocky islet off the northern tip of the island, is only accessible at low tide -- and even then, via a series of steep metal ladders that traverse a rocky, slippery beach. Built in 1829, the lighthouse sports a giant St. George's Cross. It is almost noon, and the dawn's promise of a brilliant summer's day has been broken by thick gray clouds and a thin, swirling fog. The latter, however, proves to be ideal for an easy, hour-long hike back at majestic Quoddy Head State Park. The path leads us along the edges of dramatic, 50-foot sea cliffs -- the multicolored lobster buoys riding the dark swells far below -- and then through equally eerie stunted forests of wind-bowed pines. Back in Lubec, we hunt around for someplace still serving lunch. In the 1950s, Lubec (named for the northern German port) had been America's sardine capital, with more than 20 canneries. The last one closed in 2001, taking with it much of Water Street's commercial vitality. But the sprawling wooden mansions of those once prosperous fishing captains have been converted to B&Bs, and Lubec now maintains a summer tourist trade, anchored to the SummerKeys adult music camp. We finally find a restaurant, Phinney's Seaview, overlooking Cobscook Bay, and naturally, I order sardines. As the herring swims, Eastport is only three miles north of Lubec, but our overland journey there requires a 43-mile drive around multi-tentacled Cobscook Bay. Located on Moose Island (a causeway yields access from the Maine-land), Eastport contents itself with the title of America's easternmost city, a somewhat curious claim since Eastport has fewer year-round residents than its cross-bay rival.

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Michael Dirda

The Dangerous Life of the Baroness Budberg By Nina Berberova. Translated from the Russian by Marian Schwartz and Richard D. Sylvester New York Review. 360 pp. $24.95 "Moura? Moura Budberg? Now where have I heard that name before?" So many serious readers will ask themselves, as they glance at the cover of this book, then pause to study the attractive if somewhat round-cheeked face pictured there. The woman's smile looks coy, even pixieish, while her eyes stare out aslant, at once lively, tender and shrewd. The man next to her sports a heavy, brush mustache, and was once world-famous: the Russian writer Maxim Gorky. Over the course of her long life, Moura Zakrevskaya (1892-1974) was to take on many identities. Born the daughter of a former Russian senator and state council member for St. Petersburg, she married twice, becoming initially the Countess Benckendorff and then the Baroness Budberg. During the upheavals before, during and after the Russian Revolution, she fell in love with the celebrated British agent Robert Bruce Lockhart, the man who nearly toppled the Bolshevik government (with the aid of the notorious Sidney Reilly, "ace of spies"). Later, she joined Gorky's household as his secretary and mistress. Finally, in the 1930s, she lived with H.G. Wells and cared for him through his final illness. For the last 20 years of her own life, she was an enigmatic presence on the London cultural scene -- mysterious, hard-drinking, increasingly obese, known as a translator, suspected of being a spy. But for whom? One thing is certain: Moura was an "iron woman," and did whatever was necessary to survive and protect those she loved. After Dora Kaplan's attempted assassination of Lenin in 1918, Lockhart was jailed and faced probable execution, but Moura somehow convinced Yakov Peters, the Cheka deputy in charge of the Lubyanka prison, to allow the English agent to go home to England. How? She had no money, no connections, no power. Maxim Gorky once told a story about a very similar Cheka official who longed to make love to a countess and during the Red Terror finally found his chance. Moura was sensuously beautiful -- and the widow of a count beaten to death during the Revolution. What mattered was to save Lockhart. No surprise, then, that the urbane Peters was seen holding Moura by the hand as she was released from her own cell in the Lubyanka. Years later -- after Peters had been "purged" by Stalin -- Nina Berberova was present (in Sorrento, with Vesuvius in the background) when Moura was asked about the men around her former lover. Reilly, she murmured, was "brave," but the jailer Peters was -- and she paused for a long moment -- "kind." Once Lockhart was safely back in England, Moura sold her diamond engagement earrings, the last of her possessions, and bought a ticket to Petrograd, where she resided briefly with a lieutenant general. There, she eventually wangled an invitation to Gorky's house, where she might have met Pavlov, Dr. Voronov (who developed the monkey-gland treatment that was to reinvigorate the elderly Yeats), Evgeny Zamyatin (author of We , which inspired Orwell's 1984 ), the singer Chaliapin, and many other leading intellectuals and cultural figures of the time, among them the visiting H.G. Wells. The English novelist shared with Gorky a belief in human progress and social betterment through mass education. Alas, in their later works, both writers fell into polemics and didacticism. As Berberova, herself a distinguished novelist, bluntly says of Gorky: "He wrote thirty volumes but he never understood that literature offers only an indirect answer to life, that art involves play and mystery, that there is a riddle in art that has nothing to do with flaying an opponent, humorless glorification, righteous living, or radical convictions. That riddle is as impossible to explain to someone who has not experienced it as it would be to explain a rainbow to someone blind from birth or an orgasm to a virgin." Early in the 1920s, Moura decided to visit her two children (by her dead husband), whom she had not seen in several years, and so traveled -- without any papers -- to Talinn, the capital of Estonia. As she was about to hail a cab, she was arrested, interrogated and thrown into jail as a Soviet spy. Eventually, she cut a deal with her lawyer. An aristocratic Estonian wastrel was in need of cash and in exchange for it was willing to marry Moura, thus giving her an Estonian passport -- and the chance to travel freely around Europe as the new "Baroness Budberg." Moura could get money from the infatuated and generous Gorky, who was going to live in Sicily for a few years because of his poor health. An iron woman does what she has to.

MOURA The Dangerous Life of the Baroness Budberg By Nina Berberova. Translated from the Russian by

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No Scarcity Of Suitors For Walter Reed Site

The Pentagon's proposal to close Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Northwest Washington could touch off intense competition for a rare prize: more than 100 acres in a city where real estate values are soaring and space for new development is scarce. Barely a week after the Pentagon said it planned to close the 96-year-old hospital between Rock Creek Park and Georgia Avenue, real estate brokers, D.C. planners, developers and politicians were laying claim to the property, a sign of the complicated discussions that ensue when the federal government pulls up stakes. The 113-acre complex is in the middle of an increasingly affluent neighborhood convenient to downtown and also is near the burgeoning commercial area of Silver Spring -- factors that argue for dense residential, retail or office development. But it is also a historic place, where war heroes and presidents have recuperated, and its redevelopment could trigger a preservation fight. And as a federal property, its decommissioning as a military hospital would be governed by tight restrictions, such as that the campus must first be offered to other government agencies. D.C. officials and neighborhood residents also would want a say. "What's attractive about Walter Reed is its size," said Thomas R. Maskey, a senior vice president at Peterson Cos., a Northern Virginia developer of mixed-use projects. "There's not 113 acres anywhere around here that's going to be available. The size allows you to do a lot of different things that can really have an impact." With congressional review of the Pentagon's base-closing plan ahead, it could be years before Walter Reed closes, and it may not happen at all if local officials succeed in blocking the proposed transfer of hospital staff to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda and Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County. And it could take years more before a plan for the property took shape. "There's a lot of legwork that has to be done before you can break ground and start redeveloping a site," said Tim Ford, executive director of the Association of Defense Communities, a nonprofit group that tracks base closings and redevelopments across the country. "Just getting the land from the federal government is tough." The Washington region is no stranger to the federal government rearranging its land use, but the aftermath isn't always consistent. The Cameron Station military base in Alexandria was quickly redeveloped into a mostly residential neighborhood after it was closed in the late 1990s. The District, in contrast, has been in a protracted debate over the fate of the federally operated and largely defunct St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Southeast. The 40-acre Southeast Federal Center was turned over to the District -- sort of. It is being redeveloped as a new headquarters for the Transportation Department, with some of the property slated for a private housing, retail and office development. Walter Reed, based on its size, history and location, would probably pose an even more complicated development problem. Ford said that when the military vacated its prime piece of real estate in San Francisco's Presidio, for example, there was a "constant battle" among residents, developers and D.C. officials before a compromise was reached to keep part of the 1,480-acre site as parkland and use other parts for commercial space. Developers said there would be no shortage of interest or ideas for the Walter Reed campus, which brokers said is worth $80 million to $100 million. Developer John Shooshan of Arlington, who has done office buildings and housing projects, said that because Walter Reed sits in a mostly residential area, bordering Rock Creek Park, it could be developed into a combination of single-family homes, condominiums and apartments.

The Pentagon's proposal to close Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Northwest Washington could touch off intense competition for a rare prize: more than 100 acres in a city where real estate values are soaring and space for new development is scarce. The General Services Administration, the real......

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Game Sequels, Movie Tie-Ins Dominate E3

LOS ANGELES -- George Cano was a little disappointed. The 25-year-old video game fan flew from Alabama and shelled out $275 for a ticket to this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, the video game industry's big, loud, annual shindig -- but he had not found any new games that particularly turned him on by Thursday afternoon. "It's a little dull for me around here," he said, hitting the show floor in search of cool new games while a friend stood in a three-hour line to see a trailer for Nintendo's new Zelda game. Cano came to the show with the hopes of checking out new game systems from Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft -- but, to his dismay, most of the next-generation gear was being shown off only to those with connections or a lot of patience. He had seen the new Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 only on the screen of a computer, back in his hotel room. If he had made his way to a demonstration of those two consoles or Nintendo's Revolution, he still would not have learned all that much. Sony and Microsoft showed off prototypes and long lists of tech specs, and Nintendo offered images of what it thinks its due-next-year Revolution will look like -- but none of these companies announced prices or release dates. For some gamers still building their Xbox game library, Microsoft's announcement that the Xbox 360 will ship by the holiday season this year seems premature. "It seems like they're rushing," said Redlands, Calif., game fan Arshad Jiffry as he played a new fighting game from Electronic Arts on the show floor. The Nintendo question was another popular topic of debate: Next to Sony and Microsoft's broadband-connected, digital-media-enabled systems, can Nintendo's relatively simpler Revolution regain the ground the company has lost to the Xbox and PlayStation 2? Nintendo's games, however, drew plenty of interest -- for instance, Nintendogs, a title for the Nintendo DS handheld that lets you take care of a virtual pooch. Take your digital pug on a walk in the game and the DS's wireless connection will allow you to meet up with other "nintendog" owners. That level of creativity (or just strangeness) was hard to find in general in a show dominated by sequels and tie-in titles. Old game franchises are still going strong-- the floor featured demos of a new Tony Hawk game, the latest Quake sequel, four new Mario games and a new Civilization game on the way from local shop Firaxis. Other new titles aim to cash in on popular offline trends -- for example, World Championship Poker 2, from Crave Entertainment. (Crave's other big title at the show was the Bible Game, which quizzes players on biblical trivia.) More than one game publishing executive at the show said they were putting out fewer games. Philip W. O'Neil, chief operating officer of Vivendi Universal Games, said his company had half as many titles at the show as at last year's. "We're really pruning our portfolio," he said. Vivendi Universal is betting heavily on a game starring rapper 50 Cent -- which the company aims to release at the same time as a 50 Cent movie and album. Publishers also plan to have several movie-themed games land on store shelves as their companion flicks arrive in theaters. This year's batch includes games based on Peter Jackson's "King Kong," "Batman Begins" and "Fantastic Four." But video game makers are digging deeper than ever into Hollywood's back catalogue for intellectual property to explore and exploit. This year '70s movies are particularly big, with "The Godfather," "Jaws," "Dirty Harry," "The Warriors" and even Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" getting the game treatment. Richard Robledo, Taxi Driver's lead designer at Papaya Studio, explained his game as a colleague led alienated antihero Travis Bickle on a murderous rampage. The story line: It's two months after the events in the movie, and Bickle once again becomes obsessed with Betsy, the Cybill Shepherd character, when she gets kidnapped. Robledo's team had been working on a game about a taxi driver when publisher Majesco Entertainment negotiated the rights to the film and had Robledo's team switch a few gears. At this rate, a first-person shooter based on "Citizen Kane" may not be far off.

George Cano came to the Electronic Entertainment Expo with the hopes of checking out new game systems from Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft -- but, to his dismay, most of the next-generation gear was being shown off only to those with connections or a lot of patience.

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D.C. Plans Greater Physician Oversight

District lawmakers said yesterday that they will beef up the staff that investigates medical complaints and processes licenses in an effort to strengthen discipline and oversight of doctors and other health care providers. The city will hire three investigators and two licensing specialists and transfer two lawyers from the attorney general's office, said Neil O. Albert, deputy mayor for children, youth, families and elders. All seven will work for the Health Regulation Administration, which oversees the Board of Medicine. The announcement came just before the start of a three-hour public hearing on the performance of the Board of Medicine and its oversight of city doctors. Council member David A. Catania (I-At Large), chairman of the council's Committee on Health, said he scheduled the hearing after a series of Washington Post articles last month reported that the District's 11-member medical board rarely disciplines troubled doctors, including those who have been punished in other states for criminal convictions, questionable medical care or sexual misconduct. "The system's broken, let's all be honest about it," Catania said. "Everyone just needs to acknowledge their responsibility." Medical board officials, several of whom testified yesterday, defended their performance. "Nobody slips through the cracks," said William E. Matory, a physician and chairman of the medical board. But board officials have said that they have just two people to investigate about 45,800 health care licensees and must share those investigators with more than 20 District boards and commissions. By comparison, Virginia has 50 full-time and nine part-time investigators, and Maryland has eight investigators. "I think they now recognize there's been a staffing shortage," Albert said. "I don't think they did before." Catania said the District has been "lazy and lax" in its responsibilities to ensure that the public is protected from troubled doctors. The council will redirect nearly $500,000 from the Department of Health for the new hires, Catania said, and the funds will be available Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year. Yesterday's hearing included testimony from physicians, lawyers and residents who said the medical board's inability to discipline doctors is long-standing. "The behavior of the troubled physicians profiled in the Post series is completely unacceptable," said Victor Freeman, a physician and president of the Medical Society of the District of Columbia. "Patients were clearly and tragically at risk. The Medical Society and our members remain disturbed that such actions apparently went undetected by the Board of Medicine for too long and then, when identified, were not addressed promptly and aggressively." Sidney M. Wolfe, a physician and director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, urged lawmakers to put more information about a doctor's history on the Internet. For too long, he said, the public has been "kept in the dark" about a doctor's competence. "They are kept ignorant . . . of prior criminal convictions or whether their surgeon ever removed the wrong organ or operated under the influence of a judgment-impairing narcotic," Wolfe said. Unlike Virginia, Maryland and many other states, the District does not include disciplinary action against a physician on its Web site. Evonne Barber, testifying from a wheelchair, told the committee of her repeated complaints to a District vascular surgeon of pain in her legs. After five months of complaints, she said, the surgeon treated her in the hospital and discharged her. Two weeks later, the pain returned and she was diagnosed with an infection and clots, something she said the surgeon should have discovered earlier. Since then, both of her legs have been amputated. She did not know at the time that the surgeon had been investigated by the Maryland medical board for questionable medical care of five patients, one of whom died, records show. "I could not have found out this information by looking on the District of Columbia Web site," Barber said. Catania also said doctors who abuse drugs and alcohol should be removed from practice until they get help. More than two dozen physicians with substance abuse problems known to the D.C. medical board between 1999 and 2004 have not been disciplined, even though six lost their licenses in other states.

District lawmakers said yesterday that they will beef up the staff that investigates medical complaints and processes licenses in an effort to strengthen discipline and oversight of doctors and other health care providers.

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Excessive Sweat: Cut It Out

Jennie Anthony negotiates for a living. But until recently, closing a deal with a handshake was out of the question. The Philadelphia mortgage banker preferred to keep her hands buried in her pockets, gripped around a wad of tissues. Otherwise, she said, "my hands dripped like faucets." Because sweat also poured from her armpits, Anthony, 31, wore only clothes that were black or white -- the two colors that best concealed ever-present sweat rings under her arms. Sandals were out as footwear because her feet always were sopping. Such heavy sweating, called hyperhidrosis, is the result of a supercharged sympathetic nervous system -- a network of nerves in the chest. While for most people, stimulation of those nerves by heat or nervous tension is needed to cause perspiration, millions with hyperhidrosis sweat for no reason at all. "I would sweat at the drop of a hat -- winter or summer, hot or cold," said Anthony. "It didn't matter what I was wearing. I would even sweat if I was freezing cold." No one knows what causes hyperhidrosis. But last June, Anthony got relief for the symptoms through a minimally invasive surgery that blocks the nerve impulses that cause sweating in the hands and underarms. During the hour-long operation, known as endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS), thoracic surgeon Blair Marshall made two tiny needle holes under each arm and inserted a tiny camera and instruments to locate, and then sever, the sympathetic nerve chain. Once designated ganglions, or nerve cell masses, are cut, the overcharged "sweat" signals don't get sent to places like the arms, hands and feet. Then Anthony went straight home. Marshall, who performed Anthony's procedure in Philadelphia, brought the procedure to Georgetown University Hospital late last year. Today Georgetown is one of only a few hospitals nationwide performing ETS on an outpatient basis. (George Washington University Hospital has been offering ETS since the 1990s. But the procedure done there involves removing--rather than just severing--the sweat-triggering nerves, and patients are generally kept overnight to reduce the risk of complications stemming from bleeding, according to Farid Gharagozloo, the hospital's chief of cardiothoracic surgery.) Besides Anthony, Marshall counts among her patients a golfer whose palms were so sweaty she wore two gloves on one hand and a graphic artist who ruined a set of prints by sweating on them. She said she's also operated on several cheerleaders and a promising young basketball player whose hands were so slippery he had difficulty holding onto the ball. The condition appears to be more common among Asians than other ethnic or racial groups, said Marshall: As many as one in five Asians may have hyperhidrosis, compared with one in 100 for the population, at large, she said. The surgical technique Marshall uses was developed in China, where the procedure is common. The condition often runs in families -- suggesting a genetic link -- although it's also possible that parents with the condition are more likely than others to recognize it in their children and report it to a physician. Most adults diagnosed with the condition say they have had it as long as they can remember, even as children, Marshall said. Marshall said most patients spend years trying out nonsurgical remedies to control their sweating, including specially formulated ointments and salves, prescription-strength antiperspirants and anticholinergic medications (drugs that block sweat production) before they consider surgery. Since last July, some have also been trying Botox. (See sidebar.) But such treatments generally provide only temporary relief, if any. And some of the oral medications have unpleasant side effects such as dry mouth and constipation. By the time she learned about ETS by searching the Web, Anthony said, she had exhausted all then-available alternatives. "I tried them all -- the Drysol [a prescription-strength antiperspirant], the baths [iontopheresis, a treatment where patients immerse their hands in water through which a mild electric current is passed]. Nothing worked," she said. "They would just leave my skin irritated and raw." Marshall and other experts say complications associated with ETS are uncommon, and most patients can return to normal activities within a day or two. Still, there are risks, including damage to adjacent nerves or blood vessels, and not all surgeries are effective. One of Marshall's most recent hyperhidrosis patients -- a 25-year-old Washington lawyer who agreed to be interviewed on the condition that her name not be published -- said she felt tightness in her chest for several days after the procedure, but the pain wasn't severe. "My chest just hurt. It was as if I had been coughing a lot," she said. Anthony was among the 5 percent or so of patients who suffer a punctured lung during the procedure -- a risk she said she had been warned about. Although she was able to go home from the hospital the same day as the surgery, the complication prolonged her recovery several days and made it more painful than she expected. "I was out of work for about a week and sore for a total of two weeks," she said. Other risks of the surgery, each affecting about 1 percent of patients, according to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, include pneumothorax (a small but potentially lethal bubble in or near the lungs) and Horner's syndrome (a droopy eyelid caused by nerve damage). And as with any surgery, there is also the risk of bleeding, infection or allergic reaction to anesthetic agents or drugs. Marshall said she warns all her ETS patients to expect some compensatory sweating after the surgery, particularly behind the knees, at the lower back or at the abdomen. In some cases this compensatory sweating may improve over time, but Marshall says she makes no promises. "There could be 1 or 2 percent who are made miserable by compensatory sweating," she said. Dry hands can be another annoying side effect, requiring many patients to apply lotion frequently. Stopping the drip doesn't come cheap. At Georgetown, the procedure costs as much as $20,000, a hospital official there said. Insurance coverage varies. While Anthony's procedure was fully covered, the Washington lawyer, who is still tallying costs from her procedure last month, expects to pay about $7,000 out-of-pocket. But she said the expense was worth it: "If I could have had the procedure done 10 years ago, I would have," she said. With her surgery, Anthony got an added bonus: Her feet now stay much drier -- a benefit that affects about half of all patients. But the achievement of her primary objective is what satisfies her most. Said Anthony, "I love the fact that I can now shake hands with people and not feel like a freak." · Rita Zeidner last wrote for the Health section about sports therapy for American soldiers injured in Iraq.

Jennie Anthony negotiates for a living. But until recently, closing a deal with a handshake was out of the question. Besides Anthony, Marshall counts among her patients a golfer whose palms were so sweaty she wore two gloves on one hand and a graphic artist who ruined a set of prints by sweating...

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High Court Rejects Case of Mexican Death Row Inmate

A complex dispute over international law in U.S. death-penalty cases headed back to the state courts yesterday, as the Supreme Court dismissed the case of a Mexican death row inmate who says Texas violated his rights under a U.S.-ratified treaty by trying and sentencing him without first giving him access to diplomats from his home country. In a brief, unsigned opinion, the court said it would be "unwise" for it to resolve the case now -- both because new procedural issues have cropped up and because President Bush has instructed state courts to hold new hearings for the Mexican, Jose Ernesto Medellin, and 50 others, as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) had ordered last year. It was a victory of sorts for the Bush administration, which had been eager to prevent the matter from coming to a head at the Supreme Court. The issue of U.S. compliance with the ICJ had attracted worldwide attention, much of it unfavorable, to the Bush administration's perceived unilateralism in world affairs. It also had irritated President Vicente Fox of Mexico and had sparked disputes within the administration between supporters and opponents of international law. The Justice Department finessed the situation with the unusual proposal for a presidential instruction to the states -- just a month before the March 28 oral argument in the case. To avoid such cases in the future, the administration then said the United States would no longer be bound by the ICJ's rulings on its compliance with the Vienna Conventions, the consular access treaty that Medellin contends was violated in his case. Medellin's lawyers have already filed papers in Texas seeking to enforce the president's determination, which was issued on Feb. 28. The case will now go forward, with the possibility of Supreme Court review once Texas litigation concludes. The court's decision yesterday has the effect of giving Texas's courts first crack at a major question of constitutional law: whether Bush had the power to issue his Feb. 28 determination. Texas has already said no. It argued in a Supreme Court brief that its former governor is attempting to impose on a sovereign state not only his will but also the will of a foreign court. The ICJ ruled last year that the United States had violated Medellin's rights and should provide him with a new sentencing hearing. A ruling by the Supreme Court enforcing the ICJ's decision would have laid an important precedent in favor of the authority of international law generally. But Texas noted that Medellin forfeited his right to invoke the Vienna Conventions by not asserting it until 1998, rather than at his trial in 1994. In February, however, Bush intervened in this looming clash between global law and Texas law, issuing a determination that he alone, as the country's chief diplomat, has the power to decide how the country should react to the international court's rulings. He instructed state courts to give the Mexicans new hearings, as the ICJ had proposed, and told the Supreme Court it should bow out.

A complex dispute over international law in U.S. death-penalty cases headed back to the state courts yesterday, as the Supreme Court dismissed the case of a Mexican death row inmate who says Texas violated his rights under a U.S.-ratified treaty by trying and sentencing him without first giving him...

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Senate Panel Set to Debate Patriot Act

The long political battle over the USA Patriot Act will enter a new phase this week as the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence debates whether to approve a bill that not only would renew the anti-terrorism law, but also would give the FBI significant new powers in conducting counterterrorism and counterintelligence investigations. Legislation proposed by committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) would allow the FBI to subpoena records in intelligence probes without the approval of a judge or grand jury and would make it easier for the bureau to get copies of mail, according to committee aides and a draft copy of the bill. Civil liberties groups vowed yesterday to fight the proposals, arguing that they pose significant threats to individual privacy rights and that the government's anti-terrorism powers need to be pared. James Dempsey, executive director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, said in a conference call with reporters that the bill would give the FBI new powers that have been "long sought, and rejected" by Congress because of civil liberties concerns. Representatives from both sides of the debate are slated to testify before the committee today, although aides said the ongoing Senate battle over judicial filibusters could force a postponement. The intelligence committee has also scheduled a closed-door markup session on Roberts's proposal Thursday -- prompting further objections from critics who say the process should be held in public. Although Roberts's bill is the first one likely to advance in Congress, its fate is far from certain. Both the House and Senate judiciary committees are debating their own Patriot Act changes. The Patriot Act, passed after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, has been the subject of numerous hearings in recent months as lawmakers debate whether to renew 16 provisions that are set to expire by year's end.

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Congress Won't Stop 10-Year Cisneros Probe

Congress has refused to halt spending on a decade-old investigation of Henry Cisneros, former secretary of housing and urban development, despite Democratic senators' attempt to stop it. A Senate provision that would have ended spending on the probe next month was killed during closed-door negotiations on a broader bill paying for U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.). The bill for the Cisneros investigation had reached nearly $21 million at the end of September. Independent counsel David Barrett said much of the spending goes to overhead costs, such as rent, which is required by law to ensure the independence of his probe. "Even waste has a constituency," said Dorgan, who sponsored the measure to end the spending. Cisneros admitted in 1999 that, when being considered for a Cabinet job, he lied to the FBI about how much he paid a former mistress. Cisneros, housing secretary from 1993 to 1996, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was fined $10,000. President Bill Clinton pardoned him in January 2001.

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Bush Rebuffs Karzai's Request on Troops

President Bush rebuffed Afghan President Hamid Karzai's effort to gain greater control over U.S. military operations in his country yesterday, as the two leaders endorsed an agreement allowing the United States to continue its policy of simply informing Afghan officials before launching raids in Afghanistan. "In terms of more say over our military, our relationship is one of cooperate and consult," Bush said. Bush also turned down Karzai's request for Afghanistan to take custody of its citizens being detained by the United States as suspected terrorists, saying that Afghanistan lacks facilities where the suspects "can be housed and fed and guarded." The United States is detaining hundreds of former Taliban fighters, many of whom were captured in Afghanistan after the U.S. invasion more than three years ago. News reports of abuse of some of the detainees by U.S. guards in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the Bagram military base in Afghanistan have ignited outrage in Afghanistan and other parts of the Islamic world. This led to Karzai's efforts to gain control of Afghans in U.S. custody. "Our policy, as you know, has been to work our way through those who are being held in Guantanamo and send them back to the host countries," Bush said at a White House news conference. "And we will do so over time with the Afghan government." The two leaders played down their disagreements when they emerged from a meeting to face reporters in the East Room of the White House. Instead, they talked about their newly signed strategic partnership, outlining the terms of continued U.S. economic and military help for Afghanistan as the nation struggles to establish a democratic government. Karzai said "Afghanistan will not suddenly stand on its own feet" even with ratification of a constitution, his own election as president and parliamentary elections scheduled for September. "Politically, we would have done the process . . . but in terms of the institutional strength, Afghanistan will continue to need a lot of support," he said. In a joint declaration between the two nations, the United States promised to provide much of that help. The United States will continue to train Afghan military and other security personnel, and it will maintain a military presence to battle the remnants of the Taliban regime and al Qaeda fighters once headquartered there. U.S. personnel will also help fight the nation's deeply entrenched illegal drug business. "I've got great faith in the future in Afghanistan," Bush said, as Karzai stood beside him. "First, I've got great faith in the ability of democracy to provide hope. And I've got faith in this man as a leader. He has shown tremendous courage in the face of difficult odds." The meeting between Bush and Karzai came amid heightened tension over U.S. treatment of Afghan prisoners and Kabul's problems in getting a handle on the nation's opium trade. The friction was exacerbated by a pair of reports in the New York Times in recent days. One article recounted allegations of brutality and abuse at the U.S. military base at Bagram, north of Kabul, and the other disclosed a recent U.S. embassy cable complaining that Karzai "has been unwilling to assert strong leadership" in fighting the production of poppy, the crop from which opium and heroin are produced. Afghanistan remains one of the world's largest opium exporters, and for years the nation has relied on drugs for the bulk of its economy. "There's too much poppy cultivation in Afghanistan," Bush said. Fearful of the backlash from farmers, Karzai resisted U.S. entreaties for an aerial spraying program to destroy poppy fields. A United Nations report last year found that poppy production in the country had skyrocketed, although Karzai more recently claimed substantial progress in reducing production through incentives to switch to other cash crops, including pomegranates and honeydew melons. "We are hoping that Afghanistan this year will have something between 20 to 30 percent reduction in poppies all over the country, and that is a lot," Karzai said. Three and a half years after U.S. and Afghan forces drove the radical Taliban government from power, the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan has begun to wear on some elements of that society. The country remains a dangerous place, particularly in remote areas where the government has less authority than tribal elders and regional warlords. New York-based Human Rights Watch said that the country's security situation has deteriorated significantly in recent weeks, with violent protests, a surge of political killings and attacks on humanitarian workers. Meanwhile, anti-American sentiment contributed to deadly riots that were set off after Newsweek reported -- and then retracted -- the desecration of the Koran at the Guantanamo Bay prison. As he set out for the United States last week, Karzai declared that the report on prisoner abuse "shocked me totally" and he vowed to press Bush to take "very, very strong action" against those responsible. In Bush's presence, however, Karzai moderated his language. First installed as president by a U.N. process orchestrated by the United States, Karzai has since won an election but still depends on U.S. support to hold on to power. The target of assassination attempts, he even relies on American bodyguards. The "Newsweek story is not America's story," said Karzai, who indicated that provocateurs opposed to his nation's partnership with the United States used the report to enflame the violent protests. The abuse allegations, he added, do "not reflect at all on American people." Staff writer Peter Baker contributed to this report.

President Bush rebuffed Afghan President Hamid Karzai's effort to gain greater control over U.S. military operations in his country yesterday, as the two leaders endorsed an agreement allowing the United States to continue its policy of simply informing Afghan officials before launching raids in Afghanistan.

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Lebanon Free of Syrian Troops

UNITED NATIONS, May 23 -- Syria's military forces have been "fully and completely withdrawn" from Lebanon with the exception of a Syrian battalion stationed in disputed territory that borders the two countries, according to a report by a U.N. verification mission. But the U.N. team said it was "unable to conclude with certainty" that all of Syria's intelligence operatives have left the country. U.N. officials said Syria's military departure was extensive enough to restrict Damascus's ability to dominate Lebanon's politics and intimidate its population, which officials charged Syria has done since it sent troops into Lebanon 29 years ago. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan provided an upbeat account of the team's findings, comparing it to the landmark withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon five years ago. He made no mention of the team's conclusion that it could not document Syria's assertion that it had removed its intelligence apparatus. "Yes, we have verified all the withdrawals," Annan told reporters after delivering the report to the president of the 15-nation Security Council. "I think the U.N. should be proud about it. . . . And so, in principle, Lebanon should be free of all foreign forces today." The United States, however, charged Monday that Syria has not fully withdrawn, and called on Damascus to fulfill its promise to do so. "We cannot rest. Syria must also remove its intelligence forces and allow the Lebanese people to be free," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Last September, the U.N. Security Council, led by France and the United States, adopted Resolution 1559, which demanded that all foreign forces, including Syria's, withdraw from Lebanon. It also called for the "disbanding and disarmament" of all local and foreign militias, including the Syrian- and Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. The resolution was adopted after Damascus pressed Lebanon's political leaders to amend the constitution to allow President Emile Lahoud, an ally of Syria, to remain in office for an additional three years. International pressure on Syria to withdraw gained momentum after the Feb. 14 assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri. The United Nations sent a team of international officers to Damascus and Beirut in April to verify assertions by the Syrian government that it had complied with the demand that it leave Lebanon. "After traveling more than 1,500 kilometers in Lebanon and visiting 133 former Syrian troops and military intelligence positions, the team found no Syrian military forces, assets or intelligence apparatus in Lebanese territory, with the exception of one Syrian battalion deployed near Deir Al Ashayr," the report said. The U.N. verification team was not able to go to all areas of Lebanon or confirm the full withdrawal of Syrian intelligence, particularly in light of the hundreds of thousands of Syrian workers in Lebanon. "Unless Syria takes out all workers and farmers, you will never be able to say they're all out. So we're unable to certify that intelligence is out. But military bases are vacated," a Western envoy said. The U.N. team said it was blocked by gunmen on May 4 from entering a Palestinian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley near the Syrian border to check reports of the presence of Syrian troops or equipment. The following day, the team encountered a battalion of Syrian troops at the foot of a mountain near Deir Al Ashayr. Syrian, Lebanese and French colonial maps locate the town on the Lebanese side of the border, which stretches across the top of the mountain. But Syrian officials said that the maps were mistaken, and Lebanese authorities said they would resolve the issue with Damascus.

U.N. team confirms complete troop withdrawal, but is unable to conclude whether Syria's intelligence agents remain.

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Report Details Role Of Moroccan on 9/11

BERLIN, May 23 -- A Moroccan man who remains at large was assigned by a top al Qaeda leader to travel to the United States to take part in the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackings, but was unable to obtain a visa, according to a new intelligence report provided to a German court by the U.S. government. After he failed to enter the United States, Zakariya Essabar took on another key assignment, according to the report. In late August 2001, he traveled from Germany to Pakistan bearing a simple verbal message for the al Qaeda leadership: "eleven nine," an alternate rendering of the date the plotters had chosen for the attack. Essabar was named as a fugitive by the German government shortly after Sept. 11, as investigators began to piece together the trail left by the Hamburg-based cell to which many of the hijackers allegedly belonged. While Essabar's role as a messenger and his efforts to get a visa have been reported before, the intelligence document describes his role in the plot as more important than previously disclosed, stating that he had been specifically groomed by the top leadership of al Qaeda to become a hijacker. The intelligence report is based on the interrogation of another central al Qaeda figure from Hamburg, Ramzi Binalshibh, a Yemeni citizen who was captured in Pakistan in 2002 and is being held by U.S. authorities at a secret location. A copy of the report was obtained by The Washington Post. Essabar was to locate an al Qaeda contact called Mukhtar in Pakistan, according to the report. After he had trouble finding Mukhtar, he "contacted Binalshibh at a call center in Germany" at a prearranged time and date. The report doesn't specify whether he eventually met with Mukhtar. While the document sheds some new light on how the plot developed, U.S. officials cautioned the German court that Binalshibh has given conflicting accounts about the involvement of Essabar and others in the conspiracy. According to the report, Binalshibh told his interrogators on two occasions that while Essabar was instructed by al Qaeda's military chief, Abu Hafs, one of several names used by Muhammad Atef, to acquire a U.S. visa, he did not know the purpose of the assignment. On another occasion, Binalshibh "claimed to know nothing" about Essabar at all, the report stated. There were 19 hijackers aboard the four planes that plunged from the skies on Sept. 11. While U.S. investigators have long suspected that there were plans for a 20th hijacker -- with five people assigned to each plane -- they have never answered the question of who that person was supposed to be. Zacarias Moussaoui, a French citizen who took flying lessons in Minnesota before the attacks, has also been described as a likely candidate by U.S. officials. Moussaoui pleaded guilty last month in U.S. District Court in Alexandria to taking part in a broad al Qaeda conspiracy leading up to Sept. 11, but denied that he was supposed to be one of the hijackers that day, saying instead that he was to fly a plane into the White House at a later date. According to U.S. and German officials, Binalshibh also tried early on to obtain a U.S. visa to participate in the attacks, but was rejected several times. The intelligence report about Essabar was delivered to German officials on May 9 for use in the retrial of Mounir Motassadeq, a Moroccan, who is facing more than 3,000 counts of accessory to murder, among other crimes, for his alleged role as a member of the Hamburg cell. The report is scheduled to be made public Tuesday in a Hamburg court. Motassadeq traveled with some of the hijackers to Afghanistan to receive military training at al Qaeda camps, and prosecutors say he later covered up for the hijackers' absence in Germany when they went to the United States. He was convicted in 2003 and sentenced to 15 years in prison, but the decision was overturned on appeal. The U.S. Justice Department provided a separate batch of intelligence reports last August based on interrogations of Binalshibh and the alleged central planner of the hijackings, Khalid Sheik Mohammed. Since then, German prosecutors and the judicial panel overseeing Motassadeq's retrial have pressed for more intelligence reports about the Hamburg cell and have complained about the U.S. government's refusal to allow al Qaeda operatives in its custody to appear as witnesses. The report given to the Germans earlier this month also includes summaries of statements given to interrogators by another suspected al Qaeda leader, a Mauritanian businessman named Mohamedou Ould Slahi. According to the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, known as the Sept. 11 commission, Slahi played an important part in events leading up to the attacks by encouraging members of the Hamburg cell to abandon plans to fight in Chechnya and instead go to Afghanistan, where investigators say they met Osama bin Laden and were recruited to become hijackers. U.S. officials have not officially acknowledged that Slahi was in their custody. His relatives said he was arrested in Mauritania on Sept. 27, 2001, and has not been seen since. His interrogation statements appear to be consistent with the Sept. 11 commission's description of his role. In a letter accompanying the Slahi and Binalshibh statements, Justice Department officials told German authorities that no more intelligence reports would be forthcoming for use in the Motassadeq trial. They said that U.S. federal prosecutors had filed a motion to give the Germans additional summaries of "statements made by enemy combatants," but that the request was rejected in April by Judge Leonie M. Brinkman of the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, who ruled that the disclosures could affect the sentencing phase of Moussaoui's trial. A jury is scheduled to decide next year whether Moussaoui should be sentenced to death.

World news headlines from the Washington Post, including international news and opinion from Africa, North/South America, Asia, Europe and Middle East. Features include world weather, news in Spanish, interactive maps, daily Yomiuri and Iraq coverage.

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Orioles Accuse Comcast of Intimidating Cable Prospects

The Baltimore Orioles accused Comcast Corporation yesterday of trying to intimidate cable and satellite companies from televising Washington Nationals and other sports programming produced by the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) -- co-owned by the Orioles and Major League Baseball -- according to a motion filed in Montgomery County Circuit Court. The Orioles' motion, which seeks to prevent Comcast from obtaining confidential financial information on the newly formed regional sports network, is in response to a lawsuit Comcast filed last month. In that suit, Comcast alleges that the Baltimore baseball club is in violation of its contract with Comcast by planning to put Orioles games on MASN beginning in 2007. In its court filing, the Orioles said Comcast "has already made improper use of . . . these proceedings by writing to approximately fifty entities, including present and prospective customers [of MASN], in a thinly disguised effort to intimidate those customers from entering into, or continuing with, business relationships with [MASN]." Comcast Executive Vice President David Cohen, who had not seen the motion, called it "spurious," and said: "All that Comcast SportsNet has done is to make Major League Baseball, the Baltimore Orioles and the distributors of Comcast SportsNet service aware of the flouting of our clear contractual rights. And we are entitled to do that. "If the Baltimore Orioles did not want us to communicate in this way, then they should have honored our contract." Comcast, which will broadcast about 80 Orioles games this season on its Comcast SportsNet subsidiary, is the largest cable company in the United States with 22 million subscribers. It has enormous clout in the broadcast industry. The motion also contains a letter from Orioles attorney William H. "Billy" Murphy Jr. to Comcast attorneys that offers an insight into the Orioles' defense of MASN. The network was created to compensate Orioles owner Peter Angelos for the effects of relocating the Nationals franchise to Washington. Comcast has said that its contract with the Orioles gives it the right to match any offer before the Orioles move to another network or "third party." But the Orioles claim they are not required to allow Comcast to match MASN's offer. "The Orioles haven't violated their agreement with Comcast," Murphy said in a telephone interview. "The Orioles have formed their own regional sports network, and that angers Comcast. There is no third party here." Access to television has become a crucial issue to the Nationals as the franchise seeks to develop a fan base in the Washington region. Satellite provider DirecTV carries 135 Nationals games to its 1.3 million customers in the region, and last week cable company RCN struck a deal with MASN to deliver a similar amount of games to its 185,000 customers in the area. MASN is also in negotiations with other cable companies and broadcasters. About 80 games will be broadcast this season over the air by UPN Channel 20 (WDCA) and Fox Channel 5 (WTTG). The Nationals will have difficulty getting broad distribution throughout the Washington-Baltimore region because Comcast, which is the dominant cable provider in the region, has not made room for the games on its channels. The company carries Nationals games on its WDCA, WTTG and ESPN channels, but the cable provider has not picked up the MASN channel. "Their unspoken position is that they won't televise Nationals games until they own a piece of MASN," Murphy said.

The Baltimore Orioles and owner Peter Angelos file a motion Monday against Comcast Corporation, accusing the cable company of intimidating other businesses into not working with the team's new sports programming channel, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.

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World Opinion Roundup: Laura Bush Visits the Middle East

Jefferson Morley is online Tuesdays at p.m. ET to answer your questions about the international media. Read the most recent World Opinion Roundup: First Lady's Sesame Street Adventure. Roundup brings the diversity of the global online media to your screen, presenting today's news and views from journalists, pundits and commentators from every continent. We'll talk about America in the eyes of the world, compare journalistic practices, analyze politics and perspectives, examine the nature of news and debate styles of journalism. We'll get to questions after this public service announcement: If you want to receive World Opinion Roundup via email, just send a message to [email protected] and put "subscribe" in the subject line. Your address will not be shared with any other party. Bethesda, Md.: The foreign media is spot on regarding American editors being cowed by this Administration. What little coverage there has been of the Downing St. memo has all been headlined "Tony Blair in Trouble" (a sure non-read) or the like. Nowhere here that I know of (including in The Post) -- has there appeared the headline "UK Memo: Bush Fixed Iraq Intel." It is cowardice like this that keeps the typical American in the delusional state they are in. I shudder to think how many of my countrymen still think Saddam was involved in 9/11. This is the Information Age? Jefferson Morley: I wrote about the Downing Street memo in my May 3 column and Walter Pincus did a piece for the Post on May 13. Given the credibility of the source and the implications of the information, this is a weak performance at best. Both the Post ombudsman and the New York Times' public editor have criticized the coverage. I'm trying to keep the story in public view but I don't know if any Post editors agree that it is important to pursue. I don't think cowardice is responsible but whatever rationalization is used, it is lame. The story needs to be pursued. Specifically, we the media should be pursuing the documentation of the July 2002 meeting and the recollection of the American participants. Why do they think that the British intelligence chief had the impression that the Americans were seeking to "fix" the facts on Iraqi WMD? Arlington, Va.: Is the U.S. likely to turn over Posada Carriles to Venezuela for trial? Has this dilemma been making the news in countries other than the U.S., Venezuela, Cuba ? Jefferson Morley: I think it is unlikely that the U.S. will turn over Posada Carriles to Venezuela. The problem for the Bush administration is that the most likely country to take him--El Salvador, where he once lived--has already said they don't want him. On the other hand, El Salvador is a small country that is totally dependent on staying in the good graces of the United States. If I had to predict what will happen I would say that the U.S. will put the squeeze on El Salvador and he will be deported there. Cabin John, Md.: In your opinion, is this administration simply keeping "on message" about stuff like the Newsweek article and the "few bad Arabs" purely for domestic consumption or are they well and truly out of touch with reality? Even the most cursory scanning of the English language press outside this country will reveal that there is a tremendous amount of animosity toward us and our policies for very concrete reasons that have little or nothing to do with "hating us for our freedoms". Jefferson Morley: I think it somewhere in between. I think they've realized that the U.S. loss of credibility in the last few years is having a real effect on the U.S. ability to act and that it is not going to go away because the administration feels successful in Iraq. Thus Bush is seeing three leaders from the Muslim world this week (the Afghan, Indonesian and Palestinian presidents) as well as sending Laura Bush to the Middle East. They are attempting to address the problem. But the problem, as those leaders are all telling Bush, is not one of public relations, but of policy. Karzai asked Bush to change the policy of detention of Afghan prisoners. Bush refused. So, I think the administration still believes in public relations solutions, not policy solutions. Munich, Germany: In last week's article regarding the uprising and shootings in Uzbekistan, you quoted the Khaleej Times when describing Karimov as a tottering tyrant. Do you still think that Karimov is a tottering tyrant? In an article in the Weekend edition of the Financial Times , Karimov, according to western diplomats in central Asia, is expected to survive this ordeal. Karimov reminds me of a typical African despot, the "Big Man," leading a nation of "Little People." He and his family, notably his daughter Gulnora, have attained incredible wealth, while the Uzbekistan people remain among the poorest in the world. Karimov continues to receive support from Russian President Putin, and even the Bush administration hasn't been convincing in its criticism of the shootings in Uzbekistan. This doesn't convince me that Karimov's days are numbered. Jefferson Morley: I think the Financial Times is more on the mark. Karimov's repression is effective. Opposition leaders cannot operate in the country. Grass-roots opponents are jailed--or killed--as soon as they emerge. If Karimov's days are numbered, the number probably has four digits. But that only means that when he does fall, he will fall harder. Cabin John, Md.: I read a couple days ago that Laura Bush was shouted down in Israel by protesters demanding the release of Jonathan Pollard (the traitorous U.S. Navy employee that sold military secrets for money). I can think of no other country whose citizens would have such extraordinary chutzpah. Not China. Not Saudi Arabia. Not France. Where is this insolent sense of entitlement coming from? Jefferson Morley: Israelis are used to wholehearted support from the United States. The Pollard case is one of the few where they don't get it. For the perspective of Israel's most liberal newspaper, Haaretz, see the link below. washingtonpost.com: The way to free Pollard (www.haaretz.com) Memphis, Tenn.: Bush sent his secret weapon (aka Laura) on the Middle East tour to help "win hearts and minds" but she doesn't seem to play as well in the Middle East as she does in Preoria. I realize the Bush team is putting on a "it's all good" public face -- but are they privately voicing any concerns? Being heckled by Israelis and Arabs in the same day doesn't seem to bode well for winning that "hearts and minds" war. Jefferson Morley: I was going to say the heckling is just a symptom but then the reality of Muslim women shouting at a U.S. First Lady "you don't belong here" is really quite extraordinary. Privately, I do think the White House realizes that America's low standing in world public opinion is a problem but as I said above, I don't think they believe the solutions lie in the area of policy. Not many people outside of the United States--even in the Arab reform movement that Bush claims to support--agree. Washington, D.C.: Have you seen commentary in the world press saying the U.S. is being defeated in Iraq? I am curious since overseas media are most likely less constrained in reporting about the war than our own media are. After all, overseas media don't have to worry about being called unpatriotic. Jefferson Morley: The New York Times recently quoted an unnamed military commander saying the U.S. mission in Iraq "could fail." This has been picked up by Monday Morning, a Lebanese newsweekly. (See link below) and others. There is a lot of commentary that U.S. mission there is doomed but that implies a longer time frame than "being defeated." I think that the U.S.'s ability to influence events is receding steadily and, to the average American news consumer, invisibly. Iraq: Tit-for-Tat Killings Cause Fear of Secterian Strife. Eugene Robinson put into words what has been troubling me about the media focus on Newsweek's reliance on an administration source who subsequently recanted his/her story: Using the Media for a Magic Trick. It's a magic trick, performed by the White House, to shift the focus away from its own -- some would say, significantly more serious -- shortcomings. Added bonus: it helps to discredit any future media criticism of the White House as "liberal BS". While most of the American press seems willing to fall for this apparent manipulation, is the rest of the world press so gullible? Believe it or not, I am not merely asking a rhetorical question; I HONESTLY have another motive for asking. If there is a clear difference in perception (U.S./foreign) about White House intentions, and the means used to achieve these goals, won't that aggravate any feelings out there that people in the U.S. just don't give a hoot about anyone else? It seems to me that if there is indeed a contrary opinion, and that the perception elsewhere is that the U.S. media is fabricating a "soothing" but ultimately false reality for Americans, the level of anger against America is sure to rise. In other words, failing to investigate the merits of any claim against the administration's treatment of prisoners because one of the stories reporting this alleged abuse used one questionable source is extremely negligent, both for the U.S. press and the American people who should be asking for accountability, and can only be described as wilful blindness. Jefferson Morley: Its a good question. The Newsweek fiasco has definitely raise the level of hostility to the U.S. media (as opposed to the Bush administration.) The U.S. media is seen as weak and unwilling to cross the White House. New York, N.Y.: Why doesn't the press use Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in their coverage of the war. A picture tells a thousand words, doesn't it? Jefferson Morley: Good question. Probably because they are too expensive. Further to the first poster's comment, I was also surprised that the day after the Galloway testimony, there was virtually nothing in the US media about it. And, his testimony is the only not included on the committee's web site. What a sad, scary place the world has become. Is there any reaction internationally to the non-coverage of his testimony? Jefferson Morley: No. The world media isn't as fascinated by the failures of the American press as we are. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Good afternoon, just following up on the comment from Bethesda, Md., it is astounding that impeachment proceedings have not been commenced - you have the smoking gun, run with it! Wasn't the current incumbent's predecessor impeached for sexual transgressions and lying about them? What we have here, to borrow from Galloway's brilliant performance, really is the "mother of all smokescreens" - don't the American people, and values of freedom, truth etc. deserve better? Jefferson Morley: I don't agree that the Downing Street Memo is a "smoking gun." But it's a very intriguing lead that ought to be followed up. Bethesda, Md.: I wonder when the president will get around to blaming all the -other- messengers of Koran abuse cases. According to the LA Times yesterday, this sort of thing has been alleged by dozens of parties as having happened in Cuba, Afghanistan and Iraq. I'm sure it's all a liberal media plot though - any embarrassing news is, these days. Jefferson Morley: Thanks for the link Bethesda. Tampa, Fla.: Would the failure to extradite Posada Carriles to Venezuela have any real consequences to us? Unless another country refuses to extradite someone we want for terrorism, Bush and the GOP have nothing to lose, and keep the south Florida Cuban vote. How strongly would other nations react to Bush not extraditing Carriles? Strongly enough to play the same game? This would enrage the Miami Haitian community, but they don't have the votes to matter in our system. Pretty pathetic. But to paraphrase a well-known Washington politician, you vote for us, or you're against us. Jefferson Morley: Depends on what you mean by "real consequences." Failure to extradite Posada will certainly be seen as hypocritical and arrogant in Latin America, a region of several hundred million people that the United States has some interest in. It might give other countries reason not to turn over terrorism suspects to us. And it could encourage other anti-Castro exiles to mount terror attacks on Cuba, by suggesting that they have impunity from U.S. law enforcement. washingtonpost.com: Big Day for Bush Foes. Kensington, Md.: I agree with you on the media's poor coverage of the Downing Street memo. It wasn't just "some guy," but the head of the MI6 who said Bush was fixing the intelligence to fit his policy. Are you aware of anyone in the U.S. media who has even tried to ask someone in the UK that question? I mean, isn't a war predicated on deceptions at least as significant as Newsweek failing to double-source a Koran abuse story? Jefferson Morley: I am not aware of any effort to solicit comments from British officials but I doubt they would comment. The memo was clearly leaked by someone hostile to Blair's policy and the revelations about the war clearly hurt Blair at the polls. The Brits, like the Americans, will circle the wagons on this one. Escanaba, Mich.: Thank you, Mr. Morley! Your response to the first questioner was well-put! I do wonder what has happened to investigative journalism! However, I do not think the media is cowed by the Admin; I think it has just become too tabloid, witness: Michael Jackson in his pajamas at court getting a whole lot more coverage than the British memo ... Also, it's interesting that it took a HIGH SCHOOL reporter to uncover the scandals regarding Army recruiting! Jefferson Morley: Cowed by political fear or co opted by perceived commercial gains. These alternative descriptions of the American journalist profession circa 2005 are not very attractive, are they? Anonymous: Is Cabin John joking? Israelis protest an aspect of U.S. policy (Pollard's imprisonment) and they are accused of an "insolent sense of entitlement." So now Israel is not allowed to disagree with the U.S.? Of course, there is no comment regarding Palestinians telling Bush to leave a religious site. Then again, they're only responsible for murdering U.S. government personnel attempting to facilitate Fulbright scholarships. Jefferson Morley: Thanks for your comment, Anonymous. But I must say the Palestinian women who were heckling Laura Bush were not responsible for the murder of the three Americans. Re: Galloway: In all fairness, the Galloway testimony was the lead story on the News Hour on PBS... Jefferson Morley: Thanks for pointing that out. But if it is true that Galloway's testimony isn't on the Senate Web site is telling. New York, N.Y.: Thanks for highlighting the Laura Bush boondoggle. I find it maddening to listen to sound bites about women's issues pouring forth from a woman who has not worked for a living in close to 30 years and who sits silently by while her husband's administration does everything it can to set back the reproductive freedoms of women around the world. And thank you for continuing to mention the "memo" -- over the weekend I heard Daniel Shorr tut-tutting about the memo being ignored (guess he only ignored it for three weeks). Jefferson Morley: I'm congenitally optimistic. I've got to believe that someone is going to pursue this story. The alternative is too depressing to contemplate. 20008: "murder of the three Americans" Jefferson Morley: I don't have a link handy and I don't remember the date. But the reader is referring to an incident a couple of years ago, in which a roadside bomb, planted by Palestinian militants, killed three Americans aid workers. Washington, D.C.: That is exactly right Jeff. The protesting Palestinians did not murder American officials. But neither did the protesting Israelis do anything other than protest. The point is that it has become acceptable to treat Israelis as an undifferentiated mass of people who can be criticized for everything and anything. The same is not true with respect to Palestinians. Why the double standard? Jefferson Morley: Your point that Israelis should not be criticized as "an undifferentiated mass of people who can be criticized for everything and anything" is well taken. But in your original post you said "they," referring to Palestinians and/or Palestinians heckling Laura Bush, were responsible for the murder of three Americans. Your second posting seems more careful and is welcome. The double standard occurs because people want to demonize their foes. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Why wait for someone else to pursue the story? Why don't you do it. Jefferson Morley: I am doing keeping the story in front of readers to the best of my ability. Jefferson Morley: Our time is up. If you want to receive World Opinion Roundup via email, just send a message to [email protected] and put "subscribe" in the subject line. Your address will not be shared with any other party. Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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Beach Rentals Still Within Reach

Newly divorced, Donna Welsh decided in April that she wanted to spend the whole summer at the beach "to find out what I want to do when I grow up," she said. In late April, her lawyer referred her to Jo-Ann Bacher, the rental manager at Jack Lingo Realty in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Welsh, who lives in Dover, Del., described her top priorities -- a house, not a condo, within walking distance of the boardwalk in Rehoboth. Bacher found it for her within 30 minutes. That result, so close to the start of the summer season, surprised Welsh. "I didn't expect to get it, especially not right at the beach," she said. As Welsh found out, it's still possible to find an assortment of summer rental options at most beach areas. "It used to be that if you didn't have a rental property by March, you were out of luck," said Sharon Palmer, manager of the rental division at Coldwell Banker Resort Realty, which rents properties in Delaware's Rehoboth Beach, Lewes and Dewey Beach. "In the past three years, there has been more available last minute . . . Some people have walked in in July and said, 'Hey, is there a place I can rent today?' and we usually can find one for them." Diana Corbett, the broker in charge of the rental division for Intracoastal Realty Corp. of Wilmington, N.C., said the same is true along the southeastern North Carolina beaches where her company rents properties. In recent years, "I have rented as late as July for August," she said. What's driving the availability of properties so late in the summer rental game? In large part, a growing national trend among vacationers to arrange trips at the last minute. A 2002 poll conducted by the District-based Travel Industry Association of America, a trade group, found that 64 percent of past-year leisure travelers planned at least one of their trips within two weeks of taking it. Twenty six percent of those surveyed planned all of their past-year leisure trips within a two-week time frame. Michael Sarka, executive director of Vacation Rental Managers Association of Santa Cruz, Calif., a trade organization, said many of his group's 500-plus members have noticed this trend. "There used to be a four- to six-month booking time," from the time the rental is reserved to the time the trip is taken. "Now what we are seeing nationally is people booking closer in, whether they are booking in California or Virginia Beach." Another factor leading to greater availability in recent years is the increasing number of investment properties bought in vacation areas by people who want to rent them out, Sarka said. According to data from the rental managers association, the inventory of rental homes among the group's members rose 7.5 percent in 2004 and will increase 8.7 percent this year. Before beginning to explore summer rental options, keep in mind that certain times, namely Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends, may be particularly hard to book. Also, don't count on getting a better price with last-minute booking. Owners occasionally negotiate or offer a discount at the last minute, meaning on a Wednesday before a Friday or Saturday weekly rental, but rarely before that, Corbett said. Still, Liz Applebaum, a real estate agent who lives in Bethesda and owns a condo in Dewey Beach, said summer renters can sometimes get a better deal by renting midweek, particularly when renting from an owner or a group of people who mostly use the property on weekends, or by making an offer that is below market rate. "The worst thing that can happen is they say no. If the say yes, you have more money for candy, food and rides on the beach," she said. Know your priorities, recommended Sarka. How important is an oceanfront location? Can you travel only during a particular July week? Do you absolutely need a certain number of bedrooms? Is price the big issue? Once your priorities are set, there are several ways to shop for a last-minute house or condo rental. You can start by looking at classified ads in newspapers and magazines in the Washington area or at your destination. The Internet is another good place to turn, including the Web pages of vacation areas or of realty companies at your destination. Many realty companies offer blueprints or virtual tours of specific properties "so you can look at them in the privacy of your own home at 3 a.m.," Corbett said. The sites show the rooms of a home and allow you to plug in criteria to narrow the search, including dates of travel, number of people in your group, how many bedrooms you need, location and amenities you prefer and other specifics. Real estate agents agree that seeing interior pictures of a home can be helpful in deciding whether a property is to your liking. "You might see a living room with a white leather couch, which could be a disaster with rambunctious kids," Corbett said. But some agents caution that no technology can replace seeing a summer rental in person in advance. "Absolutely come see it if you can," Coldwell Banker's Palmer said. She said local real estate agents can be a help for people who "don't know where they should stay or how much they should spend." Also, an agent may know which houses are about to come up for rental or learn of them before they are advertised. And they often know more about a property than is revealed online. For example, a house may appear to have a beautiful interior but be next to the town's dump. You can call the realty company to find an agent or contact the local Chamber of Commerce or tourism office for a referral. Of course, asking around among friends, family and colleagues is a time-tested strategy for finding summer rentals. That is how Chevy Chase resident Ellen McElroy found the Rehoboth house she is renting with two friends for 14 non-consecutive weeks between Memorial Day and October. "Someone knew someone who knew someone who recently bought a house," said McElroy, a tax lawyer in the District. She went to look at it in April and found that while it had little curb appeal, it was "perfect inside and in pristine condition," she said. Because many of the most desirable properties, especially the larger single-family and oceanfront homes, were scooped up last fall or winter, experts advise late renters to be flexible about their travel plans and preferences. Bethesda resident Judy Karger followed that strategy in her recent search for a summer rental in Emerald Isle, N.C. She had three possible summer weeks during which her family could travel there. Also, she didn't care if the weekly rental ran from Saturday to Saturday or Sunday to Sunday or whether it was oceanfront or oceanview. And she settled for a two-bedroom condo though she would have preferred a larger condo that might have been available had she booked earlier. "I wanted my kids to be able to walk to the beach, to mini golf and to the water slide, so I made a tradeoff for a property that isn't as big and may not be as pretty as some others," she said. Nevertheless, she is excited about her family's trip. "I was worried about booking last minute, so I'm happy with the outcome," she said.

Newly divorced, Donna Welsh decided in April that she wanted to spend the whole summer at the beach "to find out what I want to do when I grow up," she said.

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For Dead Sea, a Slow and Seemingly Inexorable Death

EIN GEDI, When the Ein Gedi Spa opened in 1986 to pamper visitors with massages, mud wraps and therapeutic swims, customers walked just a few steps from the main building to take their salty dip in the Dead Sea. Nineteen years later, the water level has dropped so drastically that the shoreline is three-quarters of a mile away. A red tractor hauls customers to the spa's beach and back in covered wagons. "The sea is just running out, and we keep running after it," said Boaz Ron, 44, manager of the resort. "In another 50 years, it could run out another kilometer." It may sound redundant, but the Dead Sea, one of the world's cultural and ecological treasures, is dying. In the last 50 years, the water level has dropped more than 80 feet and the sea has shrunk by more than a third, largely because the Jordan River has gone dry. In the next two decades, the sea is expected to fall at least 60 more feet, and experts say nothing will stop it. The decline has been particularly rapid since the 1970s, when the water began dropping three feet a year. That created a complex domino effect that is slowly destroying some of Israel's most cherished plant and wildlife reserves along the Dead Sea's shores, a key resting stop along the annual migration route for 500 million birds that fly between Europe and Africa. The receding waters have left huge mud flats with hundreds of sinkholes that threaten to collapse roads and buildings and have forced a development freeze on Israel's side of the sea, which lies on the border with Jordan. "I'm looking at the reality, and nothing will change in the next 20 to 40 years -- the sinkholes will continue opening even more, the infrastructure will be destroyed from stream erosion, the water level will drop and affect the ecosystem," said Galit Cohen, head of environmental policy at Israel's Environmental Ministry. "The forecast for the future is very bad." The main problem, experts agree, is that most of the water that once flowed into the sea -- the saltiest large body of water in the world and, at 1,371 feet below sea level, the lowest point on Earth -- is being diverted for drinking water and agriculture, so there is not enough to offset the high evaporation rate. In addition, Israeli and Jordanian industries on the south end of the sea are letting 180 million gallons of the mineral-rich water evaporate every day -- about 66 billion gallons a year -- to extract chemicals. "The situation of the Dead Sea is something that happened because there's a water shortage and it's needed for other uses," Cohen said. "You can say, 'Don't think of anything else. Let the Dead Sea have the water,' but no one will listen. They'll say, 'So we won't have water in Tel Aviv or the Negev or where?' " The best hope for a solution, some believe, is to pump salt water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea via a proposed 120-mile Red-Dead Canal, a $5 billion project that the Jordanian government is pursuing with international donors. The World Bank will help fund a $20 million study of the idea. But Israeli experts say similar proposals -- including a Med-Dead canal to pump water from the Mediterranean -- have been around for more than 30 years and are unlikely to work. According to Amos Bein of the Geological Survey of Israel, chemical and biological reactions produced by mixing Dead Sea water with seawater could change the blue color of the Dead Sea to white or red or create deadly gases. In the end, he said, the sea will continue falling about three feet a year for the next 150 years or so, until the water becomes so supersaturated with salt that evaporation effectively stops. At that point, according to Bein, the surface of the Dead Sea will be one-third smaller and about 434 feet lower than today. "It's possible to see the half-full part of the glass," he said. "The Dead Sea will never dry up."

EIN GEDI, When the Ein Gedi Spa opened in 1986 to pamper visitors with massages, mud wraps and therapeutic swims, customers walked just a few steps from the main building to take their salty dip in the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea covers about 250 square miles in a deep valley bordered by Israel,...

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Gloves Off As Senators Start Debate On Judges

The Senate opened a long-awaited debate on whether to ban filibusters of judicial nominees with vividly partisan attacks yesterday, as a small group of moderates worked behind the scenes for a compromise to avert the showdown. Senators from both parties filled the chamber all day with impassioned speeches about their constitutional duty to give the president "advice and consent" on judicial nominees. Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) set the tone with an opening speech that said Democrats want to "kill, to defeat, to assassinate these nominees." Democrats denounced his remarks. Even more intense action took place in small groups and closed meetings, as half a dozen GOP centrists, and an equal number of Democrats, tried to close a deal that would defuse the controversy. Aides familiar with the negotiations said they focused on two issues: the fate of seven pending appellate court nominees who were blocked from an up-or-down vote in Bush's first term and the more difficult issue of agreeing on how Democrats would treat the right to filibuster judicial nominees in coming months, when a Supreme Court vacancy might occur. The "six and six" proposal, as it is called, would obligate Democratic signatories to forswear backing a filibuster against future judicial nominees except in extraordinary circumstances. In return, the six GOP signers would agree to vote against efforts to ban judicial filibusters, the aides said. Such an arrangement would effectively end the crisis because Democrats would not have the votes they need to prevent votes on the nominees in question. At the same time, Frist would not have the 51 votes he needs to disallow filibusters of judicial nominations. It was unclear how the proposed accord would handle the seven pending Bush nominees. Under one scenario, all would receive confirmation votes -- and presumably be seated on various appeals courts -- except Henry W. Saad of Michigan and William G. Myers III of Idaho. Sources said Saad had made too many Democratic enemies, in part by accidentally sending a senator an e-mail that criticized the lawmaker. Myers, aides said, is a lower priority to Republican conservatives determined to secure confirmations for Priscilla Richman Owen of Texas, Janice Rogers Brown of California and William H. Pryor Jr. of Alabama. Senators participating in the negotiations included Democrats Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.), Ben Nelson (Neb.), Mark Pryor (Ark.), Robert C. Byrd (W.Va.), Mary Landrieu (La.) and Ken Salazar (Colo.). Republican negotiators included Olympia J. Snowe (Maine), John McCain (Ariz.), Mike DeWine (Ohio), John W. Warner (Va.), Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska). Warner hosted at least one meeting. "It's 200 years of tradition and precedent -- there are a lot of issues to consider," Snowe told reporters. The White House is taking the position that it wants no compromise and is insisting on an up-or-down vote on each of its nominees. Activist groups on the left and right have grown increasingly intent on helping to shape the judiciary in recent years, as rulings on abortion, school prayer and other topics have stirred controversy. Stakes are especially high this year, senators say, as many expect the first Supreme Court vacancy in more than a decade. The filibuster rarely figured in judicial fights until Bush's first term, when Democrats used it to keep 10 appellate court nominees from having confirmation votes. Under a filibuster, a determined minority can keep a measure or a nomination from being approved if it can muster 41 votes against. The Republicans want to eliminate the filibuster for judicial nominees, making it possible to approve judges with 51 votes -- an approach known as the "nuclear option" because of the potential impact on Senate comity. On the Senate floor yesterday, GOP leaders charged that Democrats have abused the filibuster by using it on several judicial nominations, which they said was not a part of Senate tradition. Democrats responded by saying the filibuster is a hallowed tool that protects minority rights. "I do not rise for party. I rise for principle," Frist said moments after calling up Owen's nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. When he spoke of killing nominees, however, Democratic Whip Richard J. Durbin (Ill.) hurried to the floor and admonished Frist to "choose words carefully." He cited the appearance yesterday morning before the Senate Judiciary Committee of U.S. District Judge Joan H. Lefkow, whose husband and mother were recently slain. Some Republicans are trying to convince Democrats that, even if every pending judge were given an up-or-down vote, it is not a foregone conclusion all seven would be confirmed. "Some of them wouldn't make it," Graham said. If all Democrats and independent James Jeffords (Vt.) vote against a nominee, six Republicans would have to join them -- or 11 Republicans would have to be absent -- for the nomination to fail in the Senate, where Republicans hold 55 seats. Other Republican senators simply want to vote on changing the rules on filibustering judicial nominations, because win or lose, the matter would be put to rest. "We need to clear it up," Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said. Hatch, along with other conservative GOP senators, does not want to compromise if it means choosing which nominees would be approved and which would be rejected. "I think there will be an uproar on our side if we throw anybody overboard," Hatch said. In a floor speech, Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) traced the politicization of the confirmation process to 1987, when Democrats took over the Senate and the confirmation rate for Circuit Court nominees fell to 65 percent, from 89 percent earlier in the Reagan administration. President George H.W. Bush's lower-court nominees took an average of 100 days to confirm, twice the average duration in the Carter administration. But when Republicans took control of the Senate during the Clinton presidency, "we exacerbated the pattern of delay and blocking nominations," Specter said, by pushing the average duration to 192 days for district court nominees and 262 days for circuit court nominees. Seventy of Clinton's nominees were blocked through holds or other procedural maneuvers. Then Democrats filibustered 10 of Bush's nominees, seven of whom have been renominated. "Against this background of bitter and angry recriminations, with each party serially trumpeting the other party to get even or really to dominate, the Senate now faces dual threats" -- the filibuster and the nuclear option, Specter said. It is a confrontation of "mutually assured destruction," he added. Staff writers Dan Balz and Spencer S. Hsu contributed to this report.

The Senate opened a long-awaited debate on whether to ban filibusters of judicial nominees with vividly partisan attacks Wednesday, as a small group of moderates worked behind the scenes for a compromise to avert the showdown.

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From Senator's 2003 Outburst, GOP Hatched 'Nuclear Option'

Six-term Sen. Ted Stevens is among the Senate's gruffest members on his best days, but on Feb. 26, 2003, he was downright angry. As Democrats blocked yet another one of President Bush's judicial nominees, he sat in a wooden chair in the Republican cloakroom and told a group of colleagues and aides, "We can put an end to this now!" He could march into the chamber, the Alaska Republican told them, assume the presiding officer's seat and rule that the minority party could not filibuster this or any future judicial nominee. The audacious idea sparked so much excitement that GOP aides dubbed it "the Hulk," after the fictional green muscleman featured on Stevens's necktie that night, Stevens confirmed in an interview. For months, "Hulk" was the Republicans' code word for a dramatic plan they wanted to hide from Democrats. Stevens's outburst gave voice to many Republicans' frustrations and birth to a strategy for shutting off debate on judicial nominees with a simple majority, rather than with the 60 votes now required, that is transfixing the Senate and promises a showdown next week unless a compromise is struck. Such a compromise has proved elusive for 27 months, even though many lawmakers think that Senate leaders and the White House could have averted a collision by backing off a bit at any number of crucial junctures. Instead, the partisan feuding over judicial nominees escalated into a constitutional face-off with far-reaching ramifications for the Senate, federal courts, White House powers and the futures of aspiring presidential candidates. The sharply partisan debate opened yesterday, with the Republican leader charging that Democrats want to "assassinate" nominees, and the Democratic leader denouncing the administration's "arrogant power." Stevens's hatching of the Hulk plan, later dubbed the "nuclear option," was surely a turning point. But there were other pivotal moments in the saga that triggered retaliatory actions by the two parties and led to the current crisis. In early 2003, Democrats were furious that Bush had resubmitted the name of appellate court nominee Charles W. Pickering Jr. of Mississippi. While they were still in power and controlled the Judiciary Committee, the Democrats in 2002 rejected Pickering's nomination, citing concerns about his civil rights record. Now in the minority, Democrats announced plans to filibuster Pickering. Republicans bristled, but many say the nuclear option probably would have stayed in the silo if things had stopped there. They didn't. Liberal Democrats began focusing on a second nominee, Miguel Estrada, a lawyer and a former assistant to the solicitor general. Unlike Pickering, he had never been a judge and did not have a long record of opinions and decisions. Liberals suspected he was a hard-core conservative, and they grew indignant when he declined to answer their questions fully and the White House refused to provide background documents. Democrats faced a crucial decision. Some wanted to add Estrada to their filibuster list, a move certain to inflame Republicans. At least a dozen Democrats balked, however, saying that Estrada's blank-slate record provided much less ammunition than did Pickering's, and that a broader filibuster strategy might invite retaliation from voters and GOP lawmakers. At a Tuesday luncheon for all 49 Democrats in the Capitol's ornate "LBJ room" in February 2003, Democratic leaders gave the floor to Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Estrada's sharpest critic. Schumer told his colleagues that Estrada and the White House had shown "total contempt" to the minority party. "We cannot let the courts be hijacked," Schumer, interviewed this week, recalled telling his colleagues. He and his allies prevailed, and the Estrada filibuster soon began. Republican leaders now realized Democrats were pursuing the extraordinary tactic of trying to block multiple nominees with their powers to delay action. Throughout Senate history, "unlimited debate" -- which can include filibusters -- has been permitted to block action on nominees and most legislation. Since 1975, 60 votes in the 100-member chamber have been required to shut off debate. Republicans held 51 seats in 2003, and 55 seats now. With the Estrada debate underway, Republicans threatened lawsuits and political retribution. But it was not until Stevens raised the "Hulk" option that serious talk of a historic rewrite of Senate precedents ensued. It gained momentum after Republicans found misplaced computer memos by Democratic staff members talking of even more possible filibusters -- suggesting that the Democrats had a secret plan for blocking several more candidates.

Six-term Sen. Ted Stevens is among the Senate's gruffest members on his best days, but on Feb. 26, 2003, he was downright angry. As Democrats blocked yet another one of President Bush's judicial nominees, he sat in a wooden chair in the Republican cloakroom and told a group of colleagues and aides,...

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Villaraigosa Wins Easily in L.A. Mayoral Runoff

LOS ANGELES, May 18 -- In its final exuberant days, the campaign of Antonio Villaraigosa was electrified by the buzz of history in the making, polls outlining his strong shot at becoming the city's first Latino mayor in modern times. But as the results came in late Tuesday, the high school dropout-turned-state Assembly speaker had made history of a completely unexpected kind. For in a metropolis fragmented by ethnicity, geography and social class -- where candidates have struggled to patch together a winning coalition -- Villaraigosa won big. He won the Latino vote -- and the black vote, and the white vote. He won the working-class neighborhoods, and the prosperous San Fernando Valley. The longtime liberal even captured much of the Republican vote. Villaraigosa's landslide victory over one-term incumbent James K. Hahn, a fellow Democrat -- capturing nearly 59 percent of the vote to the mayor's 41 percent in the nonpartisan election -- left many of his supporters giddy about his potential to unify a city where so many groups have long been at odds. The mayor-elect spoke to that promise at a visit Wednesday to a job-training center in the predominantly African American south end of town. "I intend to be a mayor for all Los Angeles," Villaraigosa, 52, said, after expressing pride in his Mexican heritage. "In this diverse city, that's the only way it can work." But in successfully appealing to so many voting blocs -- with different and conflicting demands -- Villaraigosa provided few specific clues to how he plans to deal with the complex woes of the nation's second-largest city. "Right now he's many things to many people," said Gregory Rodriguez, a fellow at the New America Foundation who has written extensively on L.A. politics. "Presumably he'll have to define himself more clearly." Villaraigosa's victory catapults him onto a national stage, as one of the country's top Hispanic elected officials. Los Angeles becomes only the second U.S. city of more than 1 million to elect a Latino mayor, after San Antonio, where Ed Garza is completing his second two-year term. (Henry G. Cisneros, the nation's first big-city Latino mayor, won office there when San Antonio was much smaller.) Twenty other Latinos are mayors of U.S. cities larger than 100,000. There are two Latinos in the Senate -- Mel Martinez (R) of Florida and Ken Salazar (D) of Colorado -- and one governor, Bill Richardson (D) of New Mexico. Villaraigosa's success has been heralded as a measure of the rise of Latino political power in Los Angeles, where residents of Hispanic origin make up more than 46 percent of the population. Yet Latino voters accounted for barely a quarter of Tuesday's turnout, requiring Villaraigosa -- like many other Hispanic politicians -- to appeal to a much broader base. In 2001, when he first ran for mayor, he bolstered his base of working-class Latino voters with the support of wealthy liberals from the city's posh west side, many of them titans of the entertainment business. But after coming out on top in a crowded first ballot, he lost in the runoff to Hahn -- a white city prosecutor who drew the support of both law-and-order-minded white conservatives and black voters loyal to his late father, a longtime county supervisor and civil rights pioneer. Hahn's administration, though, was soon wracked by two issues that alienated many of his supporters -- his fight to stop the Valley from seceding, and his decision to dismiss the city's African American police chief, Bernard C. Parks. Though Villaraigosa was widely regarded as the candidate of greater charisma, he benefited strongly from voter discontent with Hahn, whose city hall was also the target of investigations into alleged campaign and contracting improprieties. "There are a lot of people around who didn't want to say they were for Villaraigosa but were fed up with Hahn," said Joe Cerrell, a veteran Democratic consultant, who was not involved in the race. "Hahn is about as honorable a politician as I've ever met, but [voters perceive] that where there's smoke there's fire." Fernando J. Guerra, a professor at Loyola Marymount University who conducted exit polls here, said that Villaraigosa's wide support will give him an unusual ability to govern the city. (Asian American voters, according to Guerra's polling, were the only major ethnic group to turn out for Hahn.) "No one group can claim that they were the deciding factor, so he is not beholden to one geographic or broad demographic group," Guerra said. But Rodriguez said that the new mayor could be just as hobbled by the unofficial alliances that fueled his ascent. Villaraigosa, he noted, has yet to take a hard stance on some of the issues that divide his new base of support -- among them proposals to expand Los Angeles International Airport and the use of injunctions against gangs, a practice that some contend violates constitutional rights. A glowing but visibly weary Villaraigosa got an early start on the job Wednesday. He met with Police Chief William J. Bratton to pledge more manpower and more African American recruits, then greeted students at a job-training center. He cut his visit short, though, to rush off to a Valley high school where tensions between black and Latino students had erupted into a riot -- one of a few such melees in the city recently. Back in South Central, one voter expressed hope in Villaraigosa's ability to heal some of those divides. M.S. Mitchell, an African American retiree, said she had switched her support from Hahn this year hoping the Latino politician could solve her neighborhood's crime and traffic problems. "We need all kinds of different people, all kinds of ethnicities," she said. "We need all kinds of different people to make it work."

Candidate's landslide victory over one-term incumbent James K. Hahn, a fellow Democrat, left many of his supporters giddy about his potential to unify a city where so many groups have long been at odds.

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Fantasy Island

Alan Goldstein and his wife, Lynn, remember they were busy getting ready to take a nice family vacation with their youngest son, Brock, and his best pal, Mac, when they overheard Brock on the phone with Mac, saying something to the effect of yeah, sure, bring him along, too. This is how pop superstar Michael Jackson appeared at their hotel in Bermuda with a bandage on his nose, a shy smile on his famous face, and a trunkful of squirt guns, race cars and stink bombs on his bed in the VIP suite. Nice to meet you, the Goldsteins said, or something to that effect. Fourteen years have passed, but like some postcard from the edge, the Goldsteins' vacation has now come under the scrutiny of 12 strangers sitting in a California jury box. And once again, Michael Jackson has popped into the lives of a hotel executive, his teacher wife and their son, now a 24-year-old bartender who finds it all "just so crazy." But what the jury in Jackson's child molestation trial recently heard about that week in Bermuda and what the Goldsteins remember prove to be two entirely different stories: One evokes the image of a creepy predator using a gold Rolex to bait a starstruck kid; the other, of a lonely celebrity trying to reclaim a forsaken childhood by lobbing water balloons at tourists. The surreal island idyll began when Brock Goldstein, a sometime actor in Orlando, met Macaulay Culkin on a movie set and the two 10-year-olds became fast friends. After his hit "Home Alone" was released that year, Mac Culkin made another new friend, as well: Michael Jackson. "That sounds like fun. Mind if I tag along?" Culkin would remember Jackson saying when he mentioned the upcoming Bermuda trip with his buddy Brock. Although prosecutors would later suggest that Jackson crashed the party, Alan Goldstein recalls that the family had been in Bermuda for a few days and had just gotten off their mopeds when the hotel relayed a message to please call "Mr. M. Jackson." The world's best-selling voice came on the other line. "Well, I just need a break," Jackson explained. "Would you mind?" Goldstein, who grew up in Wheaton, started scrambling to find suitable quarters, until Jackson called back and said he had it all arranged -- two suites at the luxe Hamilton Princess. Goldstein swallowed hard. "I can't afford that," he admitted. "Don't worry," Jackson assured him, "everything's on me."

Alan Goldstein and his wife, Lynn, remember they were busy getting ready to take a nice family vacation with their youngest son, Brock, and his best pal, Mac, when they overheard Brock on the phone with Mac, saying something to the effect of yeah, sure, bring him along, too.

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Inn Bloom

Turns out, there is a place for you amid the magnificence of the Brandywine Valley, the chateaux- filled vales where the du Ponts have reigned since the 1700s. Just don't let it bother you that your place is among some of their old outhouses. Call it a life of privy-lege. The Inn at Montchanin Village, just outside Wilmington, Del., is a quirky, elegant small hotel built from a hamlet of restored 19th-century workers' homes. Once, these simple dwellings housed laborers from the du Pont gunpowder mills along the Brandywine River. Now they are an exceptional base for exploring the historic estates of the First Family of Chemistry that today do duty as fine museums and gardens. The inn, squeezed into a sort of traffic triangle at the intersection of two country highways, is a compound of porched houses laced with lushly planted pathways. Running through the village is Privy Row, with decommissioned wooden jakes still lining the route. These days, the 28 rooms and suites are equipped with more comfortable facilities, marbled and warmly lighted with makeup mirrors, heated towels, plush robes and other amenities. The other in-room comforts match, from Frette linens to VCRs backed by an extensive video library in the converted dairy barn that serves as a reception lobby. The paths of Montchanin are lined with close to 5,000 native perennials, and in the spring they drape dozens of flowering, trailing baskets from crookneck light poles. (The only jarring notes amid the refined landscaping are incongruous placards bearing such saccharine bromides as "Evening Angels Gather Here.") But the inn makes it easy to go even more botanically over the top with a one-night package that includes entrance for two to Longwood Gardens, six miles away in Kennett Square, Pa., or one of three other Brandywine Valley attractions. (The $273 package also includes a $50 voucher toward lunch or dinner at Krazy Kat's, the inn's fabulous three-star restaurant, and a free a la carte breakfast, easily a $30 value even if you don't have the exquisite eggs Benedict Florentine.) Longwood is where Pierre S. du Pont found time between running his eponymous chemical company and General Motors to build a 1,000-acre horticultural Disneyland. As a nonprofit, it now draws almost a million chlorophyll junkies a year. The middle of May at Longwood is like the crescendo of an excellent ground-level fireworks display: At more than 17 display areas -- from the fountain gardens to forests to rose beds -- more than 100 species are now showing. And that's just outdoors. The mansion-unto-itself conservatory includes 16 indoor gardens in all, four heated acres of meadows under glass, palm forests, desert habitats, inside orchards and year-round rain forests. And that's a good place for you, too. Rooms at the Inn at Montchanin Village (Route 100 and Kirk Road, 800-269-2473, www.montchanin.com) begin at $159; entrees at Krazy Kat's start at $25. Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, Pa., 610-388-1000, www.longwoodgardens.org) costs $14 from April through November. At Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation, a little piece of the inn's garden floats in every guest's mint julep. Indeed, the plants at the Williamsburg-area B&B are more than just showpieces. The seven acres of plantings, which surround elegantly aging wooden buildings, are put to work -- as fresh ingredients, historical re-creations and shrines to residents living and long gone. "You really have the gardens of four houses," says Brian Gordineer, who runs the six-bedroom inn with his wife, Cindy, and his parents. "The plants make you feel like the houses are separate, individual places." The multi-level buildings are clustered and similar, with chipped white or mint green paint covering post-and-beam structures. Without the plants as guideposts -- boxwoods by the B&B, fruit trees abutting Brian and Cindy's residence, a pine forest garden beside the original Southall house, where the elder Gordineers live -- you could end up climbing into the wrong bed.

Wealthy Roots in Delaware Turns out, there is a place for you amid the magnificence of the Brandywine Valley, the chateaux- filled vales where the du Ponts have reigned since the 1700s. Just don't let it bother you that your place is among some of their old outhouses.

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At CBS, The Turn Of the Skew

CBS, which will just barely miss a clean win this season among the golden 18-to-49-year-old viewers that advertisers pay a premium to reach, has canceled four of the five oldest-skewing series on its prime-time lineup for fall. So long, "60 Minutes" Wednesday edition. Bye, bye, "Amy," "Joan" and "JAG." (Oh, and "Listen Up" is gone, too, but that one was just bad. And low-rated.) They've been replaced by: · Jennifer Love Hewitt as a woman who sees dead people -- and yet it's not a comedy. · Carla Gugino -- you know, the one who got naked in "Sin City" -- as the head of a team investigating the arrival of aliens in the Atlantic Ocean. And yet, it's not a comedy. · Jennifer Finnigan -- the one who played the crazy chick living in an apartment in New York with a dying clown -- as a hot suburban wife-mom-prosecutor who "tears away the facade of suburbia to reveal that sometimes quiet and tranquil streets can hide the darkest of crimes." And yet it's not "Desperate Housewives." · Returning sitcoms "Still Standing" and "Yes, Dear." "60 Minutes" Wednesday edition, the subject of much hair-tearing, chest-thumping, crow-eating and cable news blah-blah-blahing after the airing of its bungled Dan Rather segment on President Bush's National Guard service, has been scrubbed, CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves announced Wednesday. Cue outrage from The Reporters Who Cover Media and stories drenched with irony about the newsmag that brought down Rather getting canceled in the final act of this sad CBS News tragedy. Rather, who stepped down from the "CBS Evening News" right before an independent panel found the network did not authenticate the documents Rather's report was based on, will do work for "60 Minutes" Sunday edition and other CBS news projects, Moonves said during a morning news conference at Black Rock to unveil his new prime-time lineup. (The networks are presenting their fall prime-time plans to advertisers this week in New York in hopes they'll commit billions of dollars to their schedules in advance of their debuts.) Moonves insisted "60 Minutes" Wednesday edition was pulled because it was the oldest-skewing show on CBS's lineup, not because of the botched news report.

NEW YORK, May 18 CBS, which will just barely miss a clean win this season among the golden 18-to-49-year-old viewers that advertisers pay a premium to reach, has canceled four of the five oldest-skewing series on its prime-time lineup for fall.

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Member's Early Departure Adds to Fed Turnover

Federal Reserve Board member Edward M. Gramlich said yesterday he will leave the central bank in late summer, giving President Bush two openings to fill on the powerful panel this year just months before he is to name a new chairman. Gramlich, 65, a self-described "liberal Democrat," is the only member of the seven-member Fed Board of Governors who was not appointed or reappointed by Bush since he first took office in 2001. An economist appointed to the Fed by President Bill Clinton in 1997, Gramlich is leaving "to pursue several teaching and research interests," the Fed said in a news release. He will become a professor at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and will hold a part-time appointment as a senior fellow at the Urban Institute. His board term expires Jan. 31, 2008. Gramlich's resignation, effective Aug. 31, comes at a time of great transition at the central bank. Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, who has dominated central bank policymaking for much of his 17-year tenure, has indicated he plans to step down when his board term expires Jan. 31, although the White House may encourage him to stay on a bit longer. Fed board member Ben S. Bernanke, former head of Princeton University's economics department, is expected to leave the central bank as soon as he is confirmed as Bush's new chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers. A Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing scheduled for today has been postponed. Four of the 12 regional Fed bank presidents have started their jobs within the past two years. The bank presidents and board members serve together on the 19-member Federal Open Market Committee, the Fed's top policymaking group, which decides how to adjust the short-term interest rates that influence consumer and business borrowing costs throughout the economy. All these changes are occurring as the FOMC debates several important policy issues, including how far and how quickly to raise interest rates this year, how to communicate its thinking with the public and whether to establish an official numerical target for inflation. The current degree of turnover among officials is "large, but it's happened before," particularly in the economically turbulent 1970s, said Allan H. Meltzer, author of "The History of the Federal Reserve." After naming Gramlich's replacement, Bush will have appointed or reappointed the entire board, making him the first president to do so since Ronald Reagan, said Meltzer, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business. Bush's Fed picks have been highly regarded in financial markets. He is not seen as having tried to put any partisan or philosophical stamp on the Fed. In some ways, Bush's appointees have not differed much from Clinton's on monetary policy, the Fed's adjustment of interest rates to influence the availability of money and credit. While board members in recent years have differed at times on what to do, they have generally agreed on the goal of keeping inflation low, believing that stable prices promote economic growth and employment. That consensus contrasts with the disagreements of decades ago, when many Democrats and some Republicans were willing to tolerate higher inflation in hopes of lowering unemployment. "There's more consensus . . . within the economics profession about how the world works than there was in the 1950s, '60s and '70s," Meltzer said. There is, however, a continuing partisan divide over financial regulation, he said. For example, both the Republican Greenspan and his Democratic predecessor, Paul A. Volcker, were inflation-fighters, but Greenspan abhors government intervention in financial markets, while Volcker was more pro-regulation. With interest rates generally so low, there is no sign that financial markets are worried that the turnover among Fed governors and presidents portends any instability in monetary policy -- as long as Greenspan remains, analysts said. "We've had members [of the Fed's top policymaking committee] come and go, but it's really been Greenspan's committee. And he has secured persistent, stable, low inflation," said Mickey Levy, chief economist of Bank of America. Levy predicted Greenspan's eventual successor will share the same goal of low inflation. But some investors will likely grow nervous as Greenspan's departure nears, other analysts said. "There will be some uncertainty in the markets building up at the end of the year," said Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services and a former Fed economist. "There will be some jitters." There was similar nervousness in the early months of 1987, as investors, analysts and other market participants realized that Volcker's term as chairman would expire in August, Hoffman recalled. It was unknown early in the year whether Volcker wanted a third term or if President Reagan wanted him to stay. Volcker had been chairman since August 1979, and was credited with leading the Fed drive that ended double-digit inflation. "There was talk in the markets" about whether Volcker would leave, and some apprehension at the thought that "this guy, who since '79 had guided them through a lot of turmoil, would be leaving and someone new would be coming in," Hoffman said. Within the Fed, as in any workplace, the prospect of a new boss has fueled some muted speculation about possible staff changes as well, according to analysts and former Fed employees. In particular, some top Fed economists may consider leaving for jobs in business or academia, depending on who succeeds Greenspan, creating opportunities for others to move up in the hierarchy. "Will there be some turnover? Of course," Hoffman said. Bush administration officials, meanwhile, have indicated they are unlikely to name a successor this year. "We're still in the first or second innings of the ballgame of replacing Greenspan," Hoffman said. "But it's not like the game hasn't begun."

Federal Reserve Board member Edward M. Gramlich said yesterday he will leave the central bank in late summer, giving President Bush two openings to fill on the powerful panel this year just months before he is to name a new chairman.

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Report Calls Payments By FEMA Questionable

The Federal Emergency Management Agency made $31 million in questionable payments to residents of Miami-Dade County for damage from Hurricane Frances last September even though the storm caused only minimal damage in that area of Florida, government investigators said yesterday. More than $8 million of that amount was given to 4,300 people to rent temporary housing even though they had not asked for the money, and in many cases their homes were almost completely undamaged by the storm, according to the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security. The inspector general's report was made public yesterday at a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. FEMA paid to replace thousands of televisions, air conditioners, beds and other furniture, as well as a number of cars, without receipts, or proof of ownership or damage, and based solely on verbal statements by the residents, sometimes made in fleeting encounters at fast-food restaurants, said the committee's chairman, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). "It was a 'pay first, ask questions later' approach," Collins said. "The inspector general's report identifies a number of significant control weaknesses that create a potential for widespread fraud, erroneous payments and wasteful practices." Michael Brown, who runs FEMA as DHS's undersecretary for emergency preparedness and response, strenuously defended his agency at yesterday's hearing. He said its actions coping with the four hurricanes hitting Florida in six weeks -- in which 117 people died and property damage amounted to $21 billion -- was "the single largest mobilization of emergency response and recovery resources in history." He said FEMA mistakenly paid out a handful of undeserving claims and made some other bureaucratic errors. But he said his agency was trying to engage in a difficult balancing act -- practicing judicious oversight while sending payments to needy hurricane victims as fast as possible. "We must never . . . sacrifice that urgency in the pursuit of elusive administrative perfection," Brown said. "Our mission to get help quickly to those who desperately need it must take priority, yet be carefully balanced with our obligation to be stewards of taxpayer dollars. . . . FEMA was never stampeded into making any decisions." Brown cited Hurricane Andrew in 1992 as a historic failure that still looms over FEMA, which was harshly criticized for failing to deliver aid and distribute funds quickly enough to victims in Miami. That failure has long been blamed as contributing to President George H.W. Bush's defeat that year. Although Brown said he welcomed DHS acting Inspector General Richard L. Skinner's report and Collins's criticism, he also said it is difficult for people not involved in FEMA's huge response to hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne between Aug. 13 and Sept. 26, 2004, to grasp the complexities of its work. Frances hit Hutchinson Island, Fla., about 100 miles north of Miami-Dade County, on Sept. 5. Miami-Dade officials described the damage there from heavy rain and winds of up to 45 mph as "minimal." Skinner's office started investigating the matter last year after the Sun-Sentinel newspaper in Fort Lauderdale published articles alleging that FEMA massively overpaid many Miami-Dade residents after Frances. The IG said one case of overpayment involved $10 million that was used to replace household items in Miami-Dade partly because of a nationwide FEMA policy requiring that the replacement cost of a large bedroom suite be paid even though only a bed is damaged. Homeland Security sources said FEMA's efforts to distribute funds quickly after Frances and three other hurricanes that hit the key political battleground state of Florida in a six-week period last fall were undertaken with a keen awareness of the coming presidential election. They also noted that politics has had a role in disaster relief activities in various administrations. J. Robert Hunter, director of insurance for the Consumer Federation of America who was a top federal flood-insurance official in the 1970s and 1980s, said that in the vast majority of hurricanes other than those in Florida in 2004, complaints are rife that FEMA vastly underpays hurricane victims. The Frances overpayments "are questionable given the timing of the election and Florida's importance" as a battleground state, said Hunter, who was Texas insurance commissioner in the 1990s under then-Gov. Ann W. Richards (D). Homeland Security sources said after the hurricanes that Brown and his allies promoted him as a successor to Tom Ridge as Homeland Security secretary because of their contention that he helped deliver Florida to President Bush by efficiently responding to the Florida hurricanes. FEMA spokesman Natalie Rule said yesterday that there is "no truth" to the assertion that Brown angled to be secretary by citing his hurricane record. She denied that political considerations played a role in FEMA's Florida actions. Staff researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency made $31 million in questionable payments to residents of Miami-Dade County for damage from Hurricane Frances last September even though the storm caused only minimal damage in that area of Florida, government investigators said yesterday.

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Briton's Tale of Torture Offers View of Saudi Justice

SOWERBY BRIDGE, England -- During the first two months he was imprisoned, Sandy Mitchell alleges, his Saudi interrogators beat him every day. And even after he told them what they wanted to hear and confessed on television to a crime he insists he didn't commit, they were not finished. They came to his jail cell one morning, he recalls, restrained him with ankle chains, handcuffs and a blue velvet blindfold and marched him to another room. When they made him kneel on the floor, he was certain he was about to be executed. "It felt like an eternity -- I started thinking about the mistakes I made in my life and about my family, all these things that pass through your mind," he recalled, sitting in a pub in his native Britain last week. "Then I got this thwack on the back of my neck. I must have passed out for a few seconds. I thought I was dead. And when I came to, I heard them laughing." The mock execution was only one of the types of torture Mitchell says he underwent during the 32 months he spent in Saudi custody charged with killing a fellow Briton in Riyadh. Mitchell says he was also punched, kicked, spat at, beaten on the soles of his feet with an ax handle and chained for nine days to a steel door frame in his cell. His interrogators threatened to arrest and torture his wife. After he confessed, he was sentenced to death at a 10-minute hearing. Mitchell's story offers a view of the methods and mind-set of the oil-rich Middle Eastern ally of the United States and Britain. But he and his sister, Margaret Dunn, who traveled to Saudi Arabia five times to press for his release, also contend the British government put commercial and diplomatic interests above its duty to protect its citizens, leaving Mitchell and a half-dozen other foreign nationals to their fates. The Saudi government has denied that Mitchell was mistreated. Jamal Khashoggi, spokesman for the Saudi Embassy in Britain, said torture is illegal in Saudi Arabia and that Mitchell and the others could pursue a legal case in the kingdom if they had evidence of mistreatment. The Saudi government eventually released five Britons, including Mitchell, and two other foreigners convicted of involvement in a series of car bombings five years ago. But Saudi officials continue to insist that the attacks were carried out by foreigners engaged in a turf war over illegal liquor, and not by home-grown Islamic terrorists, though similar attacks continued after Mitchell and his alleged co-conspirators were arrested. Mitchell is pursuing legal action in Britain against the kingdom and has just published a book, "Saudi Babylon," about his ordeal, written with a British journalist, Mark Hollingsworth. The details of his personal account cannot be independently verified, but human rights groups have long accused the Saudi government of condoning torture. A Scotland Yard detective dispatched to Saudi Arabia to investigate the bombings told an official British inquest in February that he had been given no proof that Mitchell and a fellow prisoner, William Sampson, were involved in the bombings. And a British Foreign Office spokesman, who under government rules could not be identified, said: "We're not aware of any credible evidence that the men were guilty of what they were charged with." A Spirit Broken in Stages Alexander H. Mitchell, 49, known to all as Sandy, is a red-haired, soft-spoken man with wary eyes and the rhythmic accent of his native Glasgow. He was a paramedic in the British army, then worked in hospitals in Oman and Iraq before going to Saudi Arabia in 1992 for a job as chief anesthetic technician at the Security Forces hospital in Riyadh. Mitchell said he developed good relations with the local police and became known for his ability to use wastah , the Arabic word for influence. He said he helped run a small bar, part of Riyadh's thriving underground culture of speakeasies, the drinking clubs operated in compounds of foreign workers with the tacit consent of the police. In November 2000, a car bombing killed Christopher Rodway, a British engineer working in Riyadh, and injured his wife in one of a series of attacks against foreigners. The Saudi interior minister, Prince Nayef, blamed other foreigners for the attacks, although Mitchell says one of his police contacts told him early on that the bombings were clearly the work of Islamic extremists.

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Sweet Smell of Revitalization

Elizabeth Taylor has White Diamonds. Coco Chanel had Chanel No. 5. Now, D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams has his own signature scent, a blend of patchouli, jasmine and citrus christened "Beau-Tie." That's pronounced "bow tie" for the French-impaired, a coy reference to the mayor's signature fashion accessory. And though Williams does not normally wear perfume, cologne or scents of any kind, he cheerfully accepted a small, beribboned flask of the stuff yesterday from representatives of Aveda during a news conference at the new Gallery Place mall. The mayor welcomed an array of retailers to the mall, the biggest investment in downtown retail in two decades. In addition to Aveda, the complex at Seventh and H streets NW, next to MCI Center, features Ann Taylor Loft, City Sports, United Colors of Benetton, Urban Outfitters and Bed, Bath and Beyond. It also will house Lucky Strike, the District's first new bowling alley in years. The Gallery Place complex, developed by Herbert S. Miller, is the linchpin of a shopping revival in downtown's east end. Aveda, as beauty aficionados will know, is the eco-friendly maker of plant-derived shampoos, lotions, makeup and "lifestyle products" sold in salons and "Experience Centers" worldwide. Now the company is opening its 31st institute at Gallery Place so local residents who aspire to work in the beauty industry can learn the Aveda way to cut hair and give facials. Aveda executives wanted to do something special for Williams at the news conference. They hit upon presenting him with a "custom-blended aroma," a service that also will be offered to Aveda customers. Alas, the mayor had no time to "chitchat with us about essential oils," said institute director Beth Grant. So Nicole Kaldes, Aveda's director of international/environmental communications, placed a call this week from her Manhattan office to the John A. Wilson Building, in search of a little personal information. Kaldes learned that Williams is an avid bird-watcher who also likes to hike, kayak and canoe. In an ideal world, she would have had the company's "in-house perfumer" come up with something woodsy and unique. But time was short, so she dressed up a bottle of "Personal Blends Key Element #9" with a lime-green bow tie. She said the fragrance was selected for its "calming, grounded" qualities to help the mayor cope with a busy schedule. Under Grant's direction, Williams cautiously sprayed the stuff on his left wrist. He pronounced it "very nice." "I don't really wear cologne," Williams said. But "I really appreciate that they put it together." "It's pretty hard to top your own perfume," said developer Miller, who sounded a bit jealous. Staff writer Michael Barbaro contributed to this report.

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2 Horses Die From Rare Virus

BALTIMORE, May 18 -- A disease believed to be equine herpes virus has swept through the barn area at Churchill Downs, site of the Kentucky Derby, leading to the death of two horses and the placement of a quarantine on three barns. The outbreak of the rare neurological virus, which can cause symptoms ranging from mild fever and upper respiratory infection to paralysis, has led to the scratching of three horses scheduled to run this weekend at Pimlico in major stakes races. None of the nine Preakness Stakes runners stabled at Churchill Downs -- including Derby winner Giacomo -- was prevented from boarding three flights to Baltimore, and Pimlico officials expressed confidence there was no threat to the Maryland horse population. "It just didn't make sense to subject the horses involved or any horses in Maryland to a quarantine," said Lou Raffetto, chief operating officer of the Maryland Jockey Club. "There were three horses that were scheduled to run, and we decided it was not in our best interests that they run." Trainers Ronny Werner, Steve Asmussen, Paul McGee and Bill Cesare have had their horses quarantined at Churchill Downs. Cesare's Second of June, one of the top entries in the Grade I $500,000 Pimlico Special on Friday, was not allowed to leave the grounds. Nor were Asmussen's sprinters Bwana Charlie and Santana Strings, both scheduled to run in the Grade III $200,000 Maryland Breeders' Cup on Saturday. "We're following the recommendation of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture," said Churchill Downs spokesman John Asher about the quarantine. "There's no restriction on any horses not in the three restricted barns. Of course, this is day one." Kentucky state veterinarian Bob Stout consulted with counterparts in Maryland and Pimlico officials about the virus before a decision was made to allow the Preakness runners to leave Churchill Downs. Stout said two horses, a 2-year-old colt and a 3-year-old colt, were euthanized because they were "acute cases and laying down in their stalls." "We feel like the chance of this spreading is minimal," Stout said. "The virus can be equated to having a cold. If we're face to face, you have a chance of getting it. If you're a parking lot away, it's unlikely." Stout said tests were continuing, but he was operating under a "presumptive diagnosis" that the illness was equine herpes virus. Horses appearing ill at Churchill Downs are being treated with antiviral drugs, he said. "It is a contagious disease," said Maryland state veterinarian David Zipf. "As long as they're quarantined [at Churchill Downs] we're allowing horses to ship up, but the three horses from those barns, we didn't allow them to ship." Trainer Bobby Frankel, who trains Preakness starter High Limit as well as Pimlico Special favorite Badge of Silver said his horses were stabled 50 feet away from Asmussen's barn at Churchill Downs. Both of his runners stepped off a van on the Pimlico backstretch this afternoon looking healthy. Asked if his horses had ever mingled with Asmussen's, Frankel said: "Not that I know of. I'm not concerned about it." Stout said little is known about the illness or the origin of the outbreak at Churchill Downs. "It can lay latent and be stress-induced," Stout said. "It could go back to an infection a horse had a year ago." An outbreak of the virus recently occurred in Maryland. Three horses were euthanized in March after contracting equine herpes virus at Columbia Horse Center in Columbia. Another horse died last month at the riding center, which currently is under quarantine. Asked if he thought it was safe to expose horses on the grounds at Pimlico to those arriving from Churchill Downs, Jim Gagliano, executive vice president in charge of Maryland racing, said, "We don't have infected horses on the grounds; they do."

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Color of Money Live

Columnist Michelle Singletary was online to field questions about everything from retirement planning to protecting your credit rating. Michelle Singletary: Welcome. Glad you are all here. So let's get started. I'm going to retire at the end of the year and I'm putting my rental property on the market next week. The market is good right now and I want to use the money to add to my nest egg. I'll be 55 July 8. What if any downside is it to selling my house before or after I turn 55? Michelle Singletary: None I can think of. Just know that by retiring early you potentially have a long time to live so create a plan that will allow you to live off that money for the many years to come. In other words, don't spend it all in one place :) Love your chats. I have two questions about credit report updating. Once I pay off a credit card, how soon after does that show up on my credit report? I've also paid off a debt that had been taken over by a collection agency. Will the collection agency information still remain on my report? And if so, for how long? Thanks! Michelle Singletary: First good for you. Paying off and down debt is such an accomplishment. You should be proud of yourself. As far as the reporting, your credit report is updated constantly so whenever your credit card company sends new information to the credit bureaus is when you can expect to see it recorded that your debt is paid. As to your second question that's a little more tricky. The fact is negative information can stay on your report for 7 years. Even so as time goes forward and you get some time behind you for that collection debt you should be in good shape. And remember the best way to improve your credit score is to pay your bills on time all the time. That's the biggest factor (even over bad debt). White Plains, MD: Hello Michelle. Is there an advantage to having a home equity line of credit? Michelle Singletary: There's always the tax break. In fact I'm hearing of more and more folks using a home equity loan to buy cars "because of the tax break." But folks do the math. Is it really worth it. You need to figure out how much of a tax break you are getting, how long it's going to take you to pay off that home equity line and at what interest rate. If you could get a low interest rate for the car and pay if off in four years you might be better off leaving the equity alone. Do the math. Md: Is there any reason not to get an equity line of credit for emergencies? I have little cash and a lot of equity- just for emergencies- what do you think? Michelle Singletary: You could just "establish" an equity line of credit that you would have access to in case of an emergency. Remember you can't get an equity line of credit if you don't have a JOB. It may cost you up to $100 a year to maintain the unused line of credit but if you don't have a lot of cash available and you are worried about your financial circumstances this could be a good move. Boston, MA: Why pay off your mortgage in today's dollars when 20 years of inflation will make the real value of what you pay much smaller? Michelle Singletary: I thing the question of when or if you should pay off your mortgage is "it depends." Personally, as I get close to retirement or in retirement I don't want a home loan. I don't want the worry. But now with three children to put thu college starting in about 10 years every red cent is being invested not dumped into my house. Why? Because if I need that money the banker has it. I either have to refinance (at a cost), sell or get an equity line of credit. But always when it comes to questions like this do what makes you sleep at night. Some people just hate paying a mortgage and want to own their home free and clear as soon as possible. That's alright. But if you think you can invest the money you would use to make extra payments and get better returns that's a good move as well. Arlington, VA: Thanks for the on-line discussions. My question is about the credit scores and the Key Factors. How/where do you find out what they mean. I recently received a copy of my credit report when I applied for a mortgage. The numbers are fine but the Key Factors identified in reducing my score don't make sense at all. Michelle Singletary: Try myfico.com. This site is run by the Fair Isaac folks that created the widely used FICO score. There is a ton of information about credit scoring. However, if you got a great score, say 700 or better, don't sweat it. You're credit golden. Laurel: "If you could get a low interest rate for the car and pay if off in four years you might be better off leaving the equity alone. Do the math." It isn't just math. Using a HELOC means that to the dealer you're paying cash, which makes it a LOT more straightforward to compare deals when you don't have to compare the relative value of 1.9% interest. Everything can be compared on a straight cash basis. I did this last time I bought a car, and getting three e-mail offers within $100 of each other made me feel good about comparing for the best deal. Michelle Singletary: Oh please. You should shop on the price of the car first anyway so it doesn't matter if you are paying cash. We all are being "sold" on the idea of using equity lines of credit. Besides dealers actually like folks who might take their credit because they make more money. So actually they might not be so inclined to give you a great deal if you walk in with cash. But you do make a good point. Shopping for a car online is a great way to find a good deal. Fairfax, VA: Hi Michelle, love your books and chat. I want to upgrade out of our 3 bedroom townhome to a single family home in Spring/Summer 2005. I already have a healthy 4-6 month cash reserve for emergencies. But in the meantime, I contend that it makes sense to stash any additional savings my husband and I accrue each paycheck into the principal of our existing mortgage. We are still fully funding our retirement, so this is money that would otherwise sit in our checking account for the next year. Our time horizon is a year, so I don't see the value in putting the money into a short term CD or mutual fund. Any thoughts? Michelle Singletary: First congrats on your saving habits. But if you are going to sell in a year why oh why give your money to the bank via extra mortgage payments. Keep your dough and earn even the pitiful interest rate in a savings account. Even if you get that money back in a sale, it's like putting it in one pocket and pulling it out the other (no interest at all.) Besides with a larger house you will need the cash. Stash the cash and don't worry about paying down the mortgage if you're going to sell soon. Arlington, VA: Hi, I'm recently married and my wife just changed jobs. She has about $12K from the previous 401k in a rollover coming. We're currently in about $30K revolving debt. Is it worth taking the 10% hit to use her rollover to pay a significant bit of debt down to work towards a home? Otherwise it doubles or triples our 'payoff time' on the debt. Never mind the depression realizing that 5 years ago I could afford a house when my salary was 20% lower while today we almost can't afford anything. Michelle Singletary: No. Don't use the 401 (k) money. Seriously. You are forgetting that if you take the money, it's not just a 10 percent hit. You also have to pay taxes on that money. So you are talking about maybe getting $6,000. That's a huge hit in my opinion. Not to mention if you let the money roll all the interest you could earn on it during the years. I know debt is tough but don't compound your debt mistake by tapping into your retirement money. Leave it be. Look it's going to take time to get out of debt and perhaps that's a good thing. It will be hard and maybe that will help you avoid doing it again. Also when that money comes over make sure your wife's former employer doesnt' cut the check to her. Make sure you roll over the money DIRECTLY to financial institution otherwise the employer will be required to take out taxes. Finally, dont' beat yourself up. Debt happens. Just learn from your mistakes and soon enough you will get your home. Detroit, MI: Until recently, I had one credit card, which I paid off every month. I wasn't happy with the service I was getting from the credit card company, so I opened a second credit card account with another company. Now I don't know what to do about the first credit card. I would like to close the account, but since I've had that account for 15 years, I'm afraid closing it will cause my credit score to drop a lot. Does it make sense to keep that account open, and just not use the card? Since I already own a home, and I'm not planning to buy a car for the next couple of years, would a drop in my credit score affect me much? Michelle Singletary: Good question. Keep the old credit card account. Having a long-term credit account contributes greatly to your credit score. So yes, keep it open and just don't charge on it -- as long as you don't have to pay an annual fee. But closing it could drop your credit score. Tysons Corner, VA: Michelle, I love your column and your advice and I would really appreciate your input on my money issue. Frankly, I wish I had the willpower to do the right thing sooner. I'm 24 and looking to buy my first home in about 10 months. I have an inheritance that's currently in stocks of about $30K (which I plan to use as my down payment) and I have about $7K in my checking account. I'm also saving $1K a month until I purchase the home. Here's the problem: I have $10K in credit card debt. I don't know what makes better financial sense: do I pay off my debt with the money in my checking account plus a few more months of savings or do I start paying off the debt more slowly and try to capture as much of my monthly savings (and the money in my checking account) for additional money for my down payment? Also, how will my credit score be affected by this $10K in credit debt when I go to get a mortgage? I really appreciate your advice, this has been worrying me sick for months. Michelle Singletary: Stop worrying. First keep your emegency money (three to six months living expenses) regardless of whether you buy a home or not. In other words even if you buy try not to touch that money for the purchase of the house (trust me you will need a cushion). Second maybe it's your timetable that needs adjusting. What I mean is why not take some of the inheritance and pay off the credit card debt. I'm not sure what interest rate you are paying but I bet it's more than you are getting in return on any of that inheritance money. So now you are down to $20,000. So spend the next 10 months saving that $1,000 a month toward your home purchase. Take baby steps. Don't rush. Forget whether the debt might affect your home purchase. Do you really want to be in so much debt as a new home owner? What if you lost your job? You are in a good position to pay off your credit card debt and buy a home. Better than some people I've seen. Washington DC: First of all, I read your columns to keep my inspiration going to pay off debt. My husband and I were married two years ago and we had over $50,000 in debt. $15,000 student loans, $15,000 car note, and $20,000 in credit card debt. We are now down to $15,000 of student loans and car payments. My question is this: We live in a one bedroom apartment with an 18 month old, and we REALLY want a house. Should we wait until we have more savings, or should we check out the interest only payments that some lenders offer? We would also like to have another child so we need more rooms! Michelle Singletary: Ah how sweet. Now as I said to the last person. Take your time. I know you are cramped but home ownership is no joke. People talk about it like the moment you open the door to your home you save money. Not true. Sure you get a great tax break but girl the money goes flying out that door for all kinds of things -- furniture, curtains, towels, new dishes, etc. With just $15,000 in debt you would probably be approved (assuming you've got good income between the two of you) But do you want to be house poor from the jump? If not stay put and save a little more. Interest only mortgages sound great but will you be able to afford that payment when that interest only loan has to be paid off? For many people it's a false sense of security. Same thing with the second child. Far be it from me to tell you when to procreate but you got a lot going on financially right now. Take your time and when you move and or have a second child do so when you're sure you can handle all financially. Bethesda, MD: Michelle, I recently bought a new house and it will take time to get comfortable with the payments. I have always been a good saver and will get back to that as soon I get used to my new house budget. If you had to give up either saving for retirement or saving for college for say a year or two, which would you pick? Michelle Singletary: Hands down I would let go saving for college. Your children can borrow to go to school. You can't borrow to retire. Love your columns and chats. You're motivating in such a positive way, thanks! My question: We will be buying a house within 3-6 months. In the meantime, we're saving about $1000 a month for closing costs, etc. Where should we keep this money for easy access, but with the best return? Michelle Singletary: Thank you and sorry to say if you will need the money soon, you have to keep in safe and sound. And that means money market, savings account or a 3 month CD. Upper Marlboro, MD: I am a single mother saving for retirement and college. Someone suggested that I stop saving for college and buy life insurance that can also be used for college? Do such financial products exists? If so, what resources can I go to or read to learn more about them? Michelle Singletary: Ok, don't listen to that person who said life insurance used for college. As a single mother you should have life insurance in case YOU die. Your child or children will need to live off something. So buy term life insurance. It's cheaper. Now as far as college vs. retirement. As I wrote in an earlier answer. You should save for your retirement over a college fund. If you can do both, great. If not you come first. I know that's goes against what we think as parents but there are so many ways kids can get to college these days -- even if means taking out loans. You might also check out 529 plans. It's a great way to save for college. Money grows tax-free and isn't taxed when you take it out to use for college. Go to www.savingforcollege.com for more information on 529 plan. I have three 529 plans for each of my children. Plus as a Maryland resident you get a $2,500 break on your state taxes per account. DC: Excuse me? Closing a credit card account will DROP a credit score? I thought that creditors and raters looked at your total credit limits and if they were too high (i.e., you could get into a really big hole), they dinged you for it. I've been closing seldom-used accounts (like department store charge cards) to simplify and reduce the number of open accounts we have to keep track of. Have I ruined our credit rating? We've had, and still have, major credit cards for 35 years, with a near-perfect payment record. Michelle Singletary: You're worrying too much. If you close a long held credit account it can drop your score. This becomes an issue only if you are about to get a major loan (car, home loan). But if you're not in the market for credit and you have other old credit cards by all means close accounts you are not using. Your score might take a minor ding but in a short time it won't matter as long as you continue to pay your bills on time and don't max out the cards you do use. Waldorf, MD: Is there any way that someone with a credit score of below 500 can trade in their car? Michelle Singletary: Well, if you can hold onto the car I would. A credit score of 500 is really, really low which means IF you can get a loan the rate is going to be really, really high. So fix the old car until you can improve your score. If that's not possible. Buy the cheapest, safest car you can find because the rate you get will mean a very high car payment. Washington DC: How and where can (if I can) get a copy of my credit score, as opposed to my actual credit report ? Michelle Singletary: You can order your credit score at any time as often as you like. Just to to the web site for the three major credit agencies. And in most cases you get the credit report with the score. I'm in the middle of trying to resolve a billing dispute with a phone company from several years ago. The account should now be paid in full and then some, thanks to my payments and a credit from my long-distance carrier for a billing error they made -- but so far no one at the company has been especially helpful in resolving the matter. I learned last week that this is actually showing up on my credit report, and I've taken action that I hope will settle the account once and for all. Assuming I get the matter resolved, how can I get this item removed from my credit report? Michelle Singletary: Old debts have to be removed after 7 years. But there is a little gray area on this matter. If you pay off the debt or renegotiate it could start the clock ticking again, which means it could ding your credit. If you do pay it off try to get in writing that they won't reage the account or report something negative on your credit report. Frederick, MD: Yesterday I read an article on Washingtonpost.com. The article spoke about the warning that banks and other lending institutions have been given in what amounts to an effort to reduce the number of loans. It also outlined some dangers of borrowing against equity in one's home based on home values today coupled with rising interest rates. Do you, at this point in time, consider refinance or home equity loans a viable option for home owners to tap for various reasons? washingtonpost.com: U.S. Warns Lenders To Elevate Standards Michelle Singletary: This is such a great question. My answer is always "it depends." Clearly with interest rates still relatively low and home values in many areas skyrocking, homeowners have an opportunity to use equity in their homes to get ahead financially. Many people are tapping their equity to make home improvements, pay down debt and even buy cars. However, I think people still need to be aware that what goes up and most certainly come down. It's possible that some folks may find themselves upside down when it comes time to sell -- meaning they owe more than their home is worth. Or in the case of home equity loans they may someone forget they are borrowing other people's money. I've seen many people borrow against their home to pay off credit cards only to run the cards right back up. So if you are refinancing to pull money out of your home or thinking about a home equity loan just be careful because at the end of the day you are putting your home -- the place you live -- in the line of fire. Washington, DC: I'm currently a graduate student in DC and I expect to complete my program in December 2005. I received my BA in May 2004. I keep on reading conflicting advice about consolidating my undergraduate federal loans. I have about $25,000 in federal loans from my undergraduate studies (no federal loans for graduate school). Some articles say that the expected rate hike in July won't affect payments as much but others say it will. I haven't started any payments for my loans yet because I'm eligible for deferment because of my student status, but I am financially able to begin payment if it's better to lock in a low rate before July. Any advice? Michelle Singletary: You are in good shape. No one can say for sure that rates will go up in July but probably. Your best bet is to talk to your lender. But you may want to consolidate now to lock in the low rate. I think it's safe to say the rate won't go down. It might stay the same or go up. After raising five children and helping to put them through college, my parents have little in the way of a retirement plan. They are still working and in their 50s. What advice can I take to them to help them financially plan something for their retirement? Michelle Singletary: That you will take care of them in their older age :) Just kidding. But herein lies the problem. Many people like your parents forget about their retirement and instead spend themselves into working into their 70s or 80s. Just do whatever you can to press upon your parents that they need to aggressively start saving for themselves. Every penny has to be put away for their retirment now. Send them to this website www.choosetosave.org. There are a number of tools that can help them. And listen the fact is they may need to work much longer than they had planned. If they can it's not the worse thing in the world. norristown, pa: I'm 25, going back to grad school in the fall and I have $25k in my 401k. At some point I'll probably need to use money from either here, or I'll need to take a loan. Which do you suggest I do and why? Michelle Singletary: Wait to go back to school when you can afford it. Leave your retirement money where it is. Remember it won't be $25,000 if you take it out. It will be about half that because of taxes and penalities.) If you need to use your retirement money for grad school you can't afford grad school. Why not work a while longer, get more experience under your belt and save for school or save enough so that you don't have to borrow so much. washington: Hi Michelle - Really in need of your advice. My husband and I have amassed about $24,000 in credit card debt for a variety of worthy and bad reasons. After paying our mortgage, 2nd mortgage (we used a home equity loan to pay off his student loans), daycare and groceries, we send about $1500 a month to the various cards (4 in total). Three of the 4 cards have 0% APR until Jan. '06. Do you think it's a good idea to pull more equity out of our house (we have a ton thanks to the market) and pay off the cards? i feel like it would be easier to send one payment to one company rather than figuring out how to split the payments and all the different due dates. Any other ideas? Michelle Singletary: I give you a cautionary "yes" to refinancing your home to pull money out to pay down the cards. But look if you haven't mended your spending ways don't do it because you might be right back in the same boat. Michelle Singletary: Oh my look at the time. I have to run. I'm so sorry if I didn't get to your question. But as always I will try to answer some in a future column on in my weekly newsletter (are you a subcriber?). Thanks so much for joining me today and come back next week -- same time, same place. My guest will be the author of this month's book club selection "Boomerang Nation" about adults who move back home. Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Columnist Michelle Singletary will be online to field questions about everything from retirement planning to protecting your credit rating. Bring your personal finance questions to this free-for-all online Web chat.

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