President Bush held an emergency meeting of his top foreign policy aides Friday to discuss the deepening crisis in Pakistan, as administration officials and others explored whether Thursday's assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto marks the beginning of a new Islamic extremist offensive that could spread beyond Pakistan and undermine the U.S. war effort in neighboring Afghanistan. ...more

December 29, 2007

President Bush has approved what officials are describing as the most significant realignment of the Army since World War II, signing off on a plan that will keep more troops than previously envisioned in Europe and add large numbers of soldiers to bases in Colorado, Georgia and Texas, Army officials said this week. ...more

December 22, 2007

Here is the list of the 10 most memorable quotes of 2007, according to Fred R. Shapiro, editor of the Yale Book of Quotations. ...more

December 20, 2007

At least four top White House lawyers took part in discussions with the CIA between 2003 and 2005 about whether to destroy videotapes showing the secret interrogations of two al-Qaida operatives, according to current and former administration and intelligence officials. ...more

December 19, 2007

A new assessment by American intelligence agencies released Monday concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains frozen, contradicting a judgment two years ago that Tehran was working relentlessly toward building a nuclear bomb. ...more

December 4, 2007

This time of year, as the leftover turkey in the back of the refrigerator begins its transformation into something unrecognizable and hordes of shoppers trample each other to grab the final Nintendo Wii on the store shelf, stress levels can rise faster than Dick Cheney's heartbeat on a three-mile hike. ...more

December 2, 2007

On debt and taxes, Tampa accountant Gelray Gainey wants to see, "flexibility and thought from the candidates, as opposed to programmed answers." ...more

November 28, 2007

Each week during the season, The Tampa Tribune will challenge a columnist from the Bucs' opposing city to a Throwdown, to determine the superior city - and which team will come out ahead. This week's Throwdown features the Tribune's Martin Fennelly against Paul Woody of The Richmond Times-Dispatch. ...more

November 23, 2007

I have no idea who is going to win the Democratic presidential nomination, but lately I've been wondering whether, if it is Barack Obama, he might want to consider keeping Dick Cheney on as his vice president. ...more

November 23, 2007

Mr. Beadle, first let me congratulate you on being so well informed on the goings on at the Avon Park Bombing Range. By the way, the name "Bombing Range" should be a hint. The sound that you hear, sir, is the sound of freedom. Jets flying at Mach 2 or better generate a sonic boom. Would you rather those jets bear the mark of the stars and stripes, or a crescent moon? And would you like the Air Force public relations people let you, and everyone else on the planet, know how they are preparing for the next attack on our country, or to not so quietly go about their business? My guess is that you migrated south to our great state from some well insulated Midwestern cave. ...more

November 15, 2007