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WASHINGTON - Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's CIA-leak inquiry is focusing attention on what long has been a Bush White House tactic: slash-and-burn assaults on its critics, particularly those opposed to the president's Iraq war policies. If top officials are indicted, it could seriously erode the administration's credibility and prove yet another embarrassment to President Bush on the larger issue of how he and his national security team marshaled information — much of it later shown to be inaccurate — to support their case for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. The grand jury is concluding a 22-month investigation...

WASHINGTON - The showdown over President Bush's judicial nominees reflects the raw nature of modern-day politics: Senators pulled to their political extremes by special interest groups, with a dwindling few clinging to a semblance of moderation and tradition. Compromise, while possible, is more painful than ever because of changes in media, technology and politics. Special interest groups are richer and more powerful than a few years ago. New technologies make it easier for these groups to rally partisan voters who, because of C-Span, 24-hour cable TV news, the Internet and other communication innovations, are more plugged into politics than in...

WASHINGTON - In early January 2001, President-elect George W. Bush got a sobering warning from a railroad executive he invited to an economic conference in Austin, Texas. "Mr. President, you're inheriting a recession," CSX Inc. chairman John Snow remembers saying. For sure, Bush is hearing much more upbeat counsel these days from Snow, whose lease as treasury secretary was just extended by the president after weeks of suspense. Nobody is forecasting a recession ahead of Bush's second term. But the prognosis for the economy is mixed as the president begins his campaign to sell an ambitious and costly domestic agenda....

WASHINGTON - Ronald Reagan (news - web sites), in his 1988 State of the Union address to Congress, hefted a 1,000-page, 14-pound spending bill and warned lawmakers against sending him more "behemoths" like this. "And if you do, I will not sign it." Last Saturday, Congress passed a spending bill of more than 3,000 pages — what Sen. Robert Byrd (news, bio, voting record), D-W.Va., called a "monstrosity" — to fund most federal programs in 2005. President Bush (news - web sites) will sign it into law next month, but only after Congress returns to pass a separate bill to...

WASHINGTON - With the spotlight on his candidacy, John Kerry (news - web sites) improved public perception of his character and qualifications but failed to shake-up the presidential race. Now, the focus shifts to President Bush (news - web sites) — and all his hurdles to re-election. The Iraq (news - web sites) war, which most voters think was a mistake. The economy, which most voters don't trust with the Republican. The direction of the country, which most voters think is headed south. The tough job of changing those perceptions began the moment Kerry left his nominating convention. While in...