Free Republic

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has apologized to local Muslim leaders who accused him of taking Israel's side in the violence in Lebanon by appearing at a pro-Israel rally and ignoring their invitations to attend Muslim peace vigils. Villaraigosa met with 10 Muslim leaders Sunday and explained that a mix-up by his staff prevented him from seeing the invitations, said his spokeswoman Janelle Erickson. "The mayor did apologize that the staff didn't place the meeting on his schedule sooner," said Erickson, who described the hour-long discussion as "open and friendly." Villaraigosa called the meeting after the Muslim leaders held a news conference...

WASHINGTON –Nixon White House counselor John Dean asserted Friday that President Bush's domestic spying exceeds the wrongdoing that toppled his former boss from power, and a veteran Republican snapped that Democrats were trying to “score political points” with motion to censure Bush. “Had the Senate or House, or both, censured or somehow warned Richard Nixon, the tragedy of Watergate might have been prevented,” Dean told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Hopefully the Senate will not sit by while even more serious abuses unfold before it.” Testifying to a Senate committee on Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Russell Feingold's resolution to censure Bush, Dean...