To the Point

Losing Interest in Iraq

The -interim government- made Iraq less prominent in American media than it was during the days of the Coalition Provisional Authority. Yet, today, once again, Iraq is leading the news. The governor of Najaf has cleared the way for military operations around the Shrine of Imam Ali, the holiest place in Shiite Islam, where US officials say the Mehdi Army of Muqtada al-Sadr is holed up. Al-Sadr is being called -a major test" for the new Iraqi regime, despite those he-s vowed to -fight to the death- being mostly American and even though Prime Minister Iyad Allawi was installed by the US. Warren Olney considers the transfer of power and impact of continuing violence for the presidential campaign with journalists in Iraq, foreign policy analysts, an expert on media and international affairs, and a member of the Clinton National Security Council. Making News: Pakistan Upset that US Leaked Arrest of Naeem Noor Khan US officials justified raising last week's terror alert in New York and Washington by revealing Pakistan-s capture of Naeem Noor Khan, a computer expert with ties to Osama bin Laden. Now, authorities in Lahore complain that leaking that information has disrupted their efforts to track down al Qaeda operatives all over the world. Najam Sethi, contributor to Britain's Economist and editor of Pakistan's Friday Times, elaborates. Reporter's Notebook: 30th Anniversary of Nixon Resignation On August 9, 1974, Richard Nixon became the first president in American history to resign from office. It-s often said that Watergate destroyed the -imperial presidency,- strengthened the Congress and made the media a more powerful institution. But Stephen Hess, who served on the White House staffs of Presidents Eisenhower and Nixon and was an advisor to Presidents Ford and Carter, has a contrary view.