Still preoccupied

* Murray Waas unspins the convoluted tale of how the Plame leak evolved out of a larger effort to shield Bush from accusations that he knew the WMD case against Iraq was weak, if not altogether bogus.

* "Sectarian violence has displaced more than 25,000 Iraqis since the Feb. 22 bombing of a Shiite Muslim shrine," the Washington Post reports, "and shelters and tent cities are springing up across central and southern Iraq to house homeless Sunni and Shiite families."

* The Independent reviews some of the Lincoln Group's propaganda tactics in Iraq.

* See: Soldiers' Regrets.

* You can get Jill Carroll updates here. It's nice to hear she's been released without harm.

* What next for Israel? Neve Gordon says Kadima's victory will likely put "the peace process into reverse." What else is new...

* Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman wonder, "Is the Mainstream Media finally getting half the rigged voting machine story?"

* Bob Parry reviews the latest evidence of Bush and Blair's war crimes, which finally popped up in the NY Times this week.

* The UN Security Council has issued a statement calling on Iran to cease its nuclear enrichment activity, although its doubtful that further punitive measures will follow in coming weeks. Warren Strobel breaks down the story.

* Mark Weisbrot: "French students and workers seem to have a better understanding of these economic issues than their political leaders. Hopefully, the wisdom of the crowd will prevail." Related: What's the Matter with U.S. Organized Labor?