Top companies, top news ... top this!

We've got a big issue with even bigger stories. One, of course, is our annual Top 100 ranking, the bible for companies that provide IT products and services to federal agencies. Senior Editor Nick Wakeman directed our coverage and wrote the lead article examining the companies that year after year have steadily climbed in the rankings.Executives from these companies all told Wakeman essentially the same thing: If you want to be a top dog in the federal market, you need to start operating like one. The Top 100 section begins on page 22.Check out the Top 100 Online at . Our expanded coverage lets readers view all 100 companies in several ways, such as by industry sector, financial performance, market valuation and revenue growth.On the front page, Staff Writer Roseanne Gerin examines the controversies and dangers facing government contractors in Iraq. Two leading U.S. defense contractors, CACI International Inc. and Titan Corp., have become entangled in the prisoner-abuse scandal, which surely will bring more scrutiny of contractors' roles supporting the military and rebuilding Iraq.Gerin talked with contractors working in Iraq to see whether they have any inclination to scale back or pull out, given the upsurge in violence against civilians. "No withdrawal," said Jack London, CACI chairman and chief executive officer, reflecting the attitude of his colleagues.