Behind Bush's Address Lies a Deep History  —  Photographers gathered around President Bush in the Oval Office Monday after his televised speech.  "America needs to conduct this debate on immigration in a reasoned and respectful tone," Mr. Bush said.  —  WASHINGTON, May 15 …

Specter strikes NSA deal  —  Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and conservative members of his panel have reached agreement on legislation that may determine the legality of the National Security Agency's (NSA) surveillance program, GOP sources say.

Goodbye Poli  —  I just posted the following at Polpundit:  —  It is 1 a.m. and I still have a ton of things to do before I can go to bed and a child up with a fever for the second night in a row, but if I don't post this now, it might not get posted.  Forgive me if this is a bit rambling or unclear.

Karl Rove, Bullish on the Budget and the Border  —  It's a heck of a curse.  —  Presidential adviser Karl Rove had almost finished his appearance yesterday at the American Enterprise Institute when it happened.  Discussing the Bush administration's record on illegal immigration, he blurted out, "We're doing a heck of a job."

7 killed in Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD — Fighting between suspected insurgents and Iraqi police killed at least six civilians in Baghdad on Tuesday, and a roadside bomb killed a U.S. soldier on a foot patrol in another part of the capital, officials said.  —  Thousands flee Mass. floods

HIRSI ALI'S FALL  —  Judging form the many e-mails over the past weekend it is clear that the latest installment in the Ayaan Hirsi Ali saga is probably one of the more spectacular and at the same time more controversial ones.  In short, last Thursday a television documentary (you can watch it here) …

How Gadhafi Lost His Groove  —  The complex surrender of Libya's WMD.  —  As the Bush administration struggles to stop Iran and North Korea from acquiring nuclear weapons, it might recall how Libya was persuaded to renounce terrorism and its own weapons of mass destruction programs …

US bans arms sales to Venezuela  —  The US is imposing a ban on arms sales to Venezuela.  —  The US state department said the decision was taken because of what it said was Venezuela's lack of support for counter-terrorism efforts.  —  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the ban …

Blue Nation  —  Ever since 2000, American progressives have been subjected to a steady stream of red-blue electoral maps.  There are many problems with such maps, but what always irritated me the most about those maps were how they over-emphasized large, thinly populated expanses of land.

Hot-Tub Libertarians  —  As the Republican Party abandons its commitment to small government, how politically impotent are libertarians?  Let me count the ballots.  —  Specifically, let me count the ballots from 2004.  Exit polls (along with, well, all polls) tend to ignore libertarians as a group …

Rove's Camp Takes Center of Web Storm  —  Bloggers Underscore How Net's Reporting  —  Dynamics Provide Grist for the Rumor Mill  —  On Saturday night, attorney Robert Luskin was trying to barbecue at his Washington home when the phone started ringing nonstop.