The GOP's Bankruptcy of Ideas  —  The emerging Republican game plan for 2006 is, at bottom, a tautology: If the Democrats retake Congress it will mean, well, that the Democrats retake Congress.  (Cue lightning bolt and ominous clap of thunder.)  Karl Rove and his minions have plumb run out of issues to campaign on.

Abramoff's White House visits  —  Secret Service records released today under court order show that convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff made only two visits to the White House since President Bush took office in January 2001.  —  On March 6, 2001, Abramoff entered at 4:23 p.m. and left at 4:49 p.m. On Jan. 20 …

J. Michael Luttig Resigns From Appeals Court  —  Appeals court Judge J. Michael Luttig, a leading conservative jurist and a short-list Bush administration candidate for the Supreme Court, announced today that he is resigning from the bench to serve as senior vice president and general counsel of the Boeing Co.

Cheney's daughter provokes mixed reaction on gay issues  —  WASHINGTON - Throughout the last U.S. presidential election, Mary Cheney was known to American voters simply as Vice-President Dick Cheney's quiet gay daughter.  —  No more.  —  In a memoir published Tuesday …

Bill Shifts Oversight of Some Iraq Aid  —  Political Dispute Over Funds  —  Comes at a Transition Point  —  For Bush's Reconstruction Effort  —  WASHINGTON — The Bush Administration's effort to rebuild Iraq is winding down, but the political battle over the money's oversight has flared anew.

It's Only $300 Billion  —  For the United States, the cost of the Iraq war will soon exceed the anticipated cost of the Kyoto Protocol, the international agreement designed to control greenhouse gases.  For both, the cost is somewhere in excess of $300 billion.

America's new "silent majority"  —  And so tonight-to you, the great silent majority of my fellow Americans-I ask for your support.  — Richard Nixon, Nov. 3, 1969.  —  We were reading the New York Times on Sunday, which had an interesting article about the political situation in Ohio …

New U.N. Rights Group Includes Six Nations With Poor Records  —  UNITED NATIONS, May 9 — Six nations with poor human rights records were among those elected to the new Human Rights Council on Tuesday, although notorious violators that had belonged to the predecessor Human Rights Commission …

U.S. to send urgent aid to Palestinians  —  NEW YORK — The United States agreed under pressure yesterday to the creation of a system to transfer funds for salaries and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians — a softening of its unbending effort to isolate Hamas.

Affluence and Its Discontents  —  You hear the refrain all the time: The economy looks good statistically (4.7 percent unemployment), but it doesn't feel good.  Although the United States is the wealthiest nation in history, our quarrels and quibbles with our prosperity are unending.

Bush Backs Brother Jeb for White House  —  President Bush suggested Wednesday that he'd like to see his family's White House legacy continue, perhaps with his younger brother Jeb as the chief executive.  —  The president said Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is well-suited for another office and would make "a great president."

IRAQ INDEX SHOWS PROGRESS BEING MADE  —  The Brookings Institution released its latest Iraq Index this week.  I would encourage you to read it all, but here are some notable items:  — Per Capita GDP (USD) for 2005 is forecast to increase from the previous year to $1,051.  In 2002 it was $802.

Should George Bush Be Impeached?  —  According to Article II, Section 4, of the United States Constitution:  —  The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Guess who's coming to dinner with Red Ken?  —  The Venezuelan President aligns himself with dictators, human rights abusers and notorious narcoterrorists  —  WHICH INTERNATIONAL leader publicly threatens to blow up his country's oilfields, supports Iran's nuclear programme …

More Good News!  Iraqi Tribal Leaders Unite & Denounce Terror  —  Wow!  Here is some very encouraging news translated by Iraqi-American Haider Ajina from the Iraqi media.  Iraqi Sunni, Shia and Kurdish tribal leaders are meeting today to sign a pact to unite and fight terror!

Huffington beats odds as blogger … It was not supposed to work this way.  —  In a medium started by guys typing at computers in their bedrooms, she was a glamorous socialite with an A-list address book of investors and endless media coverage.  —  Critics swore Arianna Huffington's dream …

Noe to change his not-guilty plea on 3 federal charges  —  Tom Noe intends to change his not-guilty plea in connection with three federal charges that he illegally funneled money into the reelection campaign of President Bush, according to court records released today.

HOMELAND INSECURITY BULLETIN  —  ***update from Daily Bulletin: " Scott James, a former Tucson agent, resigned after eight years of service in February, citing a lack of support for agents by the Department of Homeland Security.  He said that U.S. Border Patrol officials provided office space inside …