Watching President George W. Bush as he responded Tuesday to the new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear weapons capabilities called to mind one of the great quotes in sports history. It was Thanksgiving Day 1974, and an unknown rookie quarterback named Clint Longley had come off the bench to rally the Dallas Cowboys to a 24-23 victory over the Washington Redskins. Cowboys' guard Blaine Nye explained Longley's performance thusly: "It was the triumph of ... [full story]

When did Iowa become a border state? The answer would seem to be about 10 years ago. That is when the state began to experience a dramatic growth in its Hispanic population due to the arrival of thousands of immigrant workers, many of them in the country illegally. The newcomers were initially drawn to the meatpacking industry, where you find the sort of hard and dirty jobs that many Americans are not interested in doing ... [full story]

An image of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wearing a crown and is superimposed on a balot. The ballot choices are 'Si' and 'Shut up.' An 'X' marks the box for 'shut up.' Caption says: 'The referendum on Chavez.' Editorial cartoon by John Sherffius. [full story]

U.S. Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., is surrounded by packing boxes in his congressional office. One stack of boxes is labeled: 'Senate Leadership Record.' The other is labeled: 'Controversial comments.' Snakes, skulls and slime come out of the second pile. He says into the phone: 'I need more packing boxes.' Editorial cartoon by Marshall Ramsey. [full story]

A boy sits in Santa's lap. The boy asks: 'Why do you use magical reindeer to fly around the world?..' Santa replies: 'I can't afford the gas.' Editorial cartoon by Marshall Ramsey. [full story]

Santa Claus stands shouldering his bag of toys in front of the hearth in an empty home. He thinks: 'What, another foreclosure?' Editorial cartoon by Bruce Beattie. [full story]

In the first of 3 panels, former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is shown under a caption saying: 'No WMD.' In panel 2, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is labeled 'Iran' and stands under the caption: 'No nukes program.' In panel 3 stands President George W. Bush under the caption: 'NO credibility.' Editorial cartoon by Bruce Beattie. [full story]

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez holds up a newspaper headlined: 'Voters reject Chavez power grab.' In the caption Chavez says: 'See. THIS is why Venezuela needs to be a dictatorship!' Editorial cartoon by Bruce Beattie. [full story]

All may be fair in love and war, but not in politics. Presidential campaigns not only help us choose the leader of our country. They also help define who we are and what kind of country we want to be. So it is vitally important that, as much as possible, these campaigns be conducted on a high moral plane. To put it mildly, that hasn't always been true in American political history. As the man ... [full story]

Events are pushing the Bush administration toward a fateful decision on Pakistan: Is President Pervez Musharraf still the best bet to keep nuclear-armed Pakistan safe, stable, pro-Western and a vital ally in the war against terrorism? President Bush thinks so, even as he disapproves of Musharraf's declaration of a state of emergency, suspension of Pakistan's constitution and crackdown on political opponents. But others in the Bush administration, and many in Congress, are clearly wondering if ... [full story]

Even fans and players who blindly stood behind Barry Bonds must now concede the damage has been done. If Bonds is convicted of federal charges of perjury and obstruction of justice for his testimony four years ago to a grand jury investigating the use of steroids, he will have forever tainted one of the greatest achievements in baseball and forced the sport to address the matter in its record books. And a conviction will prove ... [full story]

Why would Russian President Vladimir Putin bestow his country's highest award on a Cold War spy, the American-born George Koval, who betrayed secrets of the Manhattan Project to Stalin's Soviet Union? Two answers spring readily to mind, neither of which is reassuring about where Putin's Russia is heading. First, Putin had to know that honoring Koval, who was made a "Hero of the Russian Federation," half a century after his treason to the United States ... [full story]

In the 231-year history of the United States, only once has a federal court banned a doctor from participating in state executions. The doctor was Dr. Alan Doerhoff of Jefferson City, Mo. Before he was ordered out of Missouri's execution chamber, Doerhoff testified that he is dyslexic and "not good with numbers." Testimony last year showed that he had trouble preparing and administering the sedative used in executions and failed to meet standards called for ... [full story]