Print edition for August 1, 2007

Letter: Bush, Cheney and private health insurance: Bush has had too many polyps to qualify. If they covered him at all they would waiver polyps out - and not cover anything to do with those pesky little colon balls. I call it cherry-picking. No preexisting conditions allowed. It's enough to make you sick.

Letter: Concerning cruelty, there are no excuses: Mr. Campos refers to examples of old women being overworked and donkeys being damnably treated in Morocco , overeducated and privileged people being quite sentimental about animals , the fact that he is not a vegetarian , and that dog fighting is without question class-based. Mr. Campos provides his viewpoint on these subjects as reasons for his unease about the intensity of the outrage directed at Michael Vick, who has been indicted on federal dogfighting charges.

Editorial: Hello, Baghdad, anyone there?: With the Iraqi security forces notoriously inept and often disloyal, with progress in reaching accords with sectarian factions nil, and with the nation's economy and distribution systems so fractured that millions of people are desperate for basic necessities such as food and water, the question bears asking.

Letter: Learn from Vietnam: Let generals run war: One of the biggest gripes about the Vietnam War was that the generals did not run the war, the politicians did.

Editorial: Another black eye: A story in Monday's New York Times detailed how boxers, many from Mexico, are allowed to fight in Nevada and other states because boxing regulators have accepted incomplete or phony medical clearances that, in some cases, were apparently used to cover up a problem.

Letter: Key to universal care rests with Congress: I applaud the efforts of Ms. Gaddy, director of Nevada for Health Care, to bring universal health care to Nevadans, as well as to all Americans. But I think that the first approach for her group should be not to the presidential candidates, but to seek congressional candidates who will support her group's views. Congress is where the real battle will be.

Councilman's labor post a concern for some on ethics panel: Although Las Vegas Councilman Steve Ross insists he can serve in his new role as a local labor leader without conflicts of interest, state ethics commissioners who met with him behind closed doors in May warned him that he would be walking an ethical tightrope.

FLASHPOINT for Aug 01, 2007: If you want to know how daunting Sen. John Ensign's job is as head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, consider the latest outlook for Campaign '08 from national pundit Stu Rothenberg. He sees 21 of the 34 seats as safe and six as having a "clear advantage" for the incumbent. That leaves seven in play. Of those, six are GOP seats and half of those already are considered tossups. The others are given just a narrow advantage by Rothenberg. No wonder Ensign is fretting about how badly his organization trails the Democrats in fundraising - and with analyses like ...

Empowerment teachers get little something extra: By Emily Richmond; Pay bonuses - the kind of incentives that typically go to salespeople and chief exeutives - are now also going to about 250 Clark County School District teachers for jobs well done.

Insurers criticize deal's foes for 'fiction': By Marshall Allen; Opposition to the proposed merger of Sierra Health Services by UnitedHealth Group - which would be the largest health care insurance merger in Nevada history - has been growing since the deal was announced in March.

Q+A: Michael Richards: College of Southern Nevada administrator Michael Richards begins a precarious walk on a tightrope today as he takes over management of the beleaguered college from Richard Carpenter.

Finding his comfort level: Rob Miech, Las Vegas Sun; Hometown: Maroua, Cameroon

Editorial: Pull the plug already: Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., who wrote the legislation, has said that the provision is intended to provide federal loan guarantees only for the most cutting-edge, state-of-the-art power plants.

Jon Ralston on the little attention Nevada's caucus gets: Tim Russert presented poll results from the two states. Andrea Mitchell talked about how Barack Obama was emphasizing a campaign theme, "especially in Iowa and New Hampshire " Ron Brownstein wondered if John Edwards could win Iowa and then "if he's able to follow it up in New Hampshire ..." Others chimed in about momentum going from Iowa to New Hampshire.

THE ELEVATOR: Who's headed toward the penthouse on the local sports scene - and who's getting the shaft.

Evicted tenants told when to stay in until they get out: By Timothy Pratt; Jennifer Ellis got a note in her mailbox a few weeks ago, telling her when she could go out at night.

Letter: Public schools need longer days, year: Yes, spending more time on these core subjects is very important, especially to at-risk youngsters. Yes, an integrated instructional model would be a very effective approach and, yes, again, teaching science, social studies, etc. , is crucial to both motivating students and enabling them to become educated citizens who create and participate in the continuum of life.