The Bush administration fails to stop al-Qaida in Pakistan - By Arthur Delaney - Slate Magazine

The New York Times leads with a big story on the growth of al-Qaida in Pakistan and the Bush administration's waffling over plans to give commandos greater latitude to operate in the country's tribal areas. The Washington Post leads locally with the surprise death of a suspected cop killer in Maryland. The paper's top national spot goes to skepticism of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's reliance on high oil prices to keep himself afloat; rich businessmen are profiting, but rising inflation is hurting Iranian consumers' purchasing power, thereby hurting Ahmadinejad's re-election prospects. The Los Angeles Times leads with word that high energy prices are forcing local governments across the United States to scrimp and save, just like consumers. The Wall Street Journal tops its world-wide news box with the swearing-in of Zimbabwe strongman Robert Mugabe. USA Today leads with news that a high birth rate, not immigration, accounts for most of the growth of the nation's Hispanic population.

The NYT's anonymous sources tell the paper that bureaucratic squabbling in Washington has severely hampered "Operation Cannonball," the code name for efforts to hunt al-Qaida in Pakistan, where the terrorist organization has re-established its base after being smashed in Afghanistan.