Lawyer says McKinney a victim in scuffle  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A lawyer for Rep. Cynthia McKinney, the Georgia congresswoman who had an altercation with a Capitol Police officer, says she was "just a victim of being in Congress while black."  —  McKinney awaited word Friday on whether …

Howard Dean accuses Bush, GOP of exploiting immigration issue  —  OAKLAND, Calif. - Democratic Party chief Howard Dean accused President Bush and the Republican Party on Friday of exploiting the immigration issue for political gain by scapegoating Hispanics.  —  Dean and Bush agree on the legislation at the heart of the debate.

Jill Carroll forced to make propaganda video as price of freedom  —  CAIRO - The night before journalist Jill Carroll's release, her captors said they had one final demand as the price of her freedom: She would have to make a video praising her captors and attacking the United States, according to Jim Carroll.

Ex-DeLay Aide Pleads Guilty  —  Deal Protects Tony C. Rudy From Additional Charges  —  A former top aide to Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) pleaded guilty to conspiracy today and promised to aid a wide-ranging federal investigation into corrupt lobbying practices.

New Poll: Americans Favor a Guest Worker Plan  —  79% say illegal immigrants should have the chance to work here, but most want tougher enforcement too  —  Americans polled by TIME magazine show strong support for a guest-worker program and a process for undocumented workers to become citizens …

To Bloggers from Borders  —  An Open Letter from Gregory P Josefowicz CEO/Chairman of the Board/President/Director, Borders Books to Charles Johnson, Director, Pajamas Media, CEO Little Green Foosballs, Rock 'N' Roller in the Free World, Stealth Cyclist.  —  Dear Mr. Johnson (or may I call you "Charles"?),

Air America Anniversary, Sacramento, New York City, Al Franken, Bill O'Reilly  —  DEBACLE  —  After Two Years, How Else To Describe Air America?  —  As certain as the presence of a dozen Dunkin' Donuts outlets in every New England town, today's second Air America Radio on-air anniversary …

JADED?....As Bob Somerby and Peter Daou and Media Matters have all pointed out, it really is remarkable how little attention the confirmation of David Manning's explosive prewar memo has gotten in the past week.  Here's what the New York Times reported on Monday:

OPERATION STEEL GAZELLE: A SMART, MULTI-SLIDE PLAN FOR TOUGHENING AMERICAN SECURITY WITH SMARTNESS  —  Senator Harry Reid (D-NV)  —  Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)  —  HARRY: Hello, I'm Harry Reid, leader of the Democrats in the United States Senate.  —  NANCY: And me Nancy Pelosi.

Rice admits "thousands" of errors in Iraq  —  BLACKBURN (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accepted on Friday the United States had probably made thousands of errors in Iraq but defended the overall strategy of removing Saddam Hussein.  —  Local Muslims and anti-war activists told Rice …