To the Point

New Alliances in Energy Conservation

Last month, Senate Democrats failed in their attempt to increase auto fuel efficiency, in part because of labor unions often allied with their party. But next week, when the Senate takes up the next phase of President Bush's energy plan, opposition will come from some surprising places. Twelve hundred religious leaders have called resource conservation "morally superior" to drilling for oil in Alaska's Wildlife Refuge. Some Republicans are returning to the conservationist roots of their party. We speak with Republican and interfaith environmental watchdogs, a Teamster energy-policy adviser, and a Heritage Foundation policy analyst about the surprising alignment of political forces on both sides of this and other highly charged environmental issues. Newsmaker: Blair's Visit to Bush Britain's Prime Minister is the latest head of government to visit President Bush in Crawford, Texas. Tony Blair arrives just as the President's attention is being diverted from Iraq and Saddam Hussein to the effort for peace in the Middle East. Julian Borger, US correspondent for London's Guardian newspaper, says the results of the meeting at Prairie Chapel Ranch are likely to have international impact. Reporter's Notebook: Inside Saddam's Head What is Saddam Hussein really like? One of the very few people who can claim to know is Mark Bowden, reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and author of Black Hawk Down. Bowden's "Tales of the Tyrant" in this month's Atlantic Monthly, reveals a great deal about the personal life of one of the world's best known but least familiar figures.