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.

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.

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 …

47 nations gain seats on U.N.'s rights council  —  New body manages to keep worst abusers from even daring to run in the election  —  United Nations — U.N. members elected 47 countries to a new Human Rights Council on Tuesday, choosing several that have been criticized for their poor records …

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 …

After Series of Conflicting Statements, HUD Spokeswoman Goes on 'Scheduled Leave'  —  On April 28, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson told a real estate group that he had canceled a government contract because the contractor criticized President Bush.

A stunning tolerance for corruption in Iraqi reconstruction aid  —  Occasionally, I think I can no longer be surprised.  Stories like this one in the Wall Street Journal prove me wrong. … Here's the deal: Stuart Bowen has led the office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.

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.

NSA has massive database of Americans' phone calls  —  The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY.

Juan Williams: An Interview  —  I am very excited to share my interview with Fox News Contributor and Senior NPR Political Correspondent Juan Williams with you today.  Mr. Williams is one of my favorite pundits on the liberal side of the aisle.  You may not always agree with his arguments or reasoning but you do have to respect him.

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 …

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.

Is It Genocide?  —  Before we start dropping bombs, we should first ask whether the situation in Darfur is in fact a genocide.  —  As everyone knows by now, terrible atrocities have been and are continuing to be committed against the civilian population of Darfur in Sudan.

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 …

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.