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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

Hard-Core Republicans Are Fleeing President  —  Conservatives Point to Spending, Immigration  —  Disaffection over spending and immigration have caused conservatives to take flight from President Bush and the Republican Congress at a rapid pace in recent weeks, sending Bush's approval ratings …

Post Reporter Dana Priest's Troubling Connections  —  In a National Public Radio interview just days after the Washington Post published her Pulitzer Prize winning article on the CIA's "secret prisons," Dana Priest predicted that her work would cause "political embarrassment" for the Bush administration.

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.

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.

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 …