51% oppose NSA database  —  WASHINGTON — The majority of Americans disapprove of a massive Pentagon database containing the records of billions of phone calls made by ordinary citizens, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll.  About two-thirds are concerned that the program may signal other …

Border troops would be temporary, US tells Mexico  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush assured Mexican President Vicente Fox on Sunday he did not intend to militarize their countries' mutual border, but was considering sending National Guard troops there to temporarily support border control efforts.

Laura Bush doesn't believe bad polls  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - First lady Laura Bush said on Sunday she does not believe opinion polls showing her husband's approval ratings at record low levels.  —  Interviewed on Fox News Sunday, Laura Bush said she did not think people were losing confidence …

Leahy on Blitzer  —  On the lawfulness of the NSA wiretapping program, which Gen. Hayden publicly defends  —  LEAHY: No, I don't believe it's lawful.  I do believe that General Hayden is a very competent, highly intelligence trained officer.  And I appreciate that.  But this is a question that goes beyond him.

uh-huh.  —  You know, I very infrequently disagree with digby's analysis of the news, but when I read the execrable Adam Nagourney's piece about Democratic prospects in today's Times (shorter AdNags, as ever ready with an upside spin for the party he supports: Being a loser is the new black) I was struck by what he didn't say.

Feds raid ex-CIA official's home  —  Foggo's office also searched in probe tied to Cunningham case  —  VIENNA, Va. - Federal agents raided the home and office of former CIA Executive Director Kyle "Dusty" Foggo yesterday in the widening investigation of his ties to a defense contractor linked …

Plane Carrying Kennedy Hit by Lightning  —  A plane carrying U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy from western Massachusetts to his home on the coast was struck by lightning Saturday and had to be diverted to New Haven, Conn., his spokeswoman said.  —  The eight-seat Cessna Citation 550 plane lost …

The Return Of Voodoo Economics  —  Republicans Ignore Their Experts on The Cost of Tax Cuts  —  Nobody serious believes that tax cuts pay for themselves, as I noted last week.  But most senior Republicans flunk this test of seriousness.  —  In January, George W. Bush declared that …

Thank you, my foolish friends in the West  —  Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is only the latest dictator-in-waiting to bask in adulation from western 'progressives', says Ian Buruma  —  When the Cuban novelist Reinaldo Arenas managed to escape to the US in 1980, after years of persecution …

A scoop or a sting or something else?  —  It's Sunday, so we listened to one of our favorite left-wing news programs, Background Briefing, on Pacifica Radio.  The host, Ian Masters, is sometimes on earth, sometimes in outer space, but almost always hosts interesting guests, often of the hard Left.

Killing 'Em With Kindness?  —  Reader Looseheadprop had some very astute observations about the legal wrangling and back and forth between Team Libby and Team Fitz.  In case folks missed it yesterday, I wanted to highlight a big portion of the comment for everyone to read.

Memo to EU: we call it Islamic terrorism because it is terror inspired by Islam  —  The United Nations held 'World Press Freedom Day 2006' earlier this month.  I don't know why.  Maybe the UN realised that so many of its member states stifled press and other freedoms they needed encouragement to do better.

Saddam Was Into RVs (Updated And Bumped)  —  Joseph Shahda has uncovered another document of interest from the files of intelligence captured by US forces during the fall of Saddam Hussein.  This document addresses a still-controversial topic — the mobile laboratories cited by Colin Powell …

Will the Real Traitors Please Stand Up?  —  From NY Times  —  By Frank Rich  —  When America panics, it goes hunting for scapegoats.  But from Salem onward, we've more often than not ended up pillorying the innocent.  Abe Rosenthal, the legendary Times editor who died last week …