Cross Concerns

And now the most intriguing two minutes in television, the latest from the wartime grapevine:

Prime Minister's Press Conference

At a news conference in Baghdad yesterday, newly minted interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi broke into English to say -- "I would like to thank the coalition, led by the United States, for the sacrifices they have provided in the process of the liberation of Iraq."

President Bush, at his own news conference in Washington, said three times he appreciated that Allawi "stood up and thanked the American people." But not one major American newspaper has quoted Allawi's thank you. The New York Times, instead, reported that a White House spokesman said Allawi said that.

Unprecedented Negativity From Bush?

The Washington Post has reported that the Bush re-election campaign is using -- "unprecedented negativity" against John Kerry. The Post says Kerry has so far aired only 13,300 negative ads in major media markets, while Bush-Cheney has aired more than 49,000.

But the Post is only counting ads from the period since March 4, when Bush-Cheney 04 began its ad campaign. The Post fails to note the more than 15,300 negative ads that Kerry ran during the primary season, which means Kerry ran nearly 29,000 negative ads -- more than twice as many as the Post reported.

Deal for Democrat's Wife

Six weeks after being arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman in the parking lot of a Washington garden center, Wanda Baucus -- wife of Montana Democratic Senator Max Baucus -- has now reached a deal with federal prosecutors.

Under the agreement, her misdemeanor assault charge will be dropped if she successfully completes a program for first-time offenders, expected to include anger management training. Mrs. Baucus says she feels -- "good" about the deal.

Cross Concerns

Remember last week we told you how the American Civil Liberties Union in Southern California was threatening to sue Los Angeles County unless it removed a tiny cross from its 47-year-old official seal?

The ACLU insisted the cross, highlighted here on the right, was an unconstitutional endorsement of Christianity, but officials said it reflected their county's heritage. Well, county supervisors have now decided to remove the tiny cross after all. It will be replaced with a yet-to-be-determined image.

— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report