Bush, Blair to announce 'phased withdrawal' from Iraq  —  Michael Smith, a reporter for the London Sunday Times, broke the Downing Street Minutes in 2004.  —  LONDON — Tony Blair and George Bush will announce that they are to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq at a summit in Washington as early as this week, RAW STORY has learned.

Anti-war video bogus?  —  I can't get this to load, but I'm putting the link out there anyway because someone sent me a long message this morning questioning its veracity.  Not just the claims that are made, either; I'm talking about mistakes in his uniform, etc.

HILLARY IPODHAM CLINTON  —  POLITICAL PLAYER OFFERS PEEK AT HER SONG LIST  —  May 22, 2006 — WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton doesn't need "Respect" - she's already got it at the top of her iPod playlist.  —  The surprisingly tech-savvy Clinton mixes Aretha Franklin's 1967 landmark smash hit …

DNC consults lawyers after Drudge Report story on Dean  —  The Democratic National Committee consulted its attorneys Monday after a story posted by online heavyweight Matt Drudge claimed that DNC chairman Howard Dean intervened in New Orleans' recent mayoral race, RAW STORY can reveal.

Response to McCain's Aide Mark Salter  —  At the risk of turning this into a battle between Mark Salter, Senator John McCain's staff-member, and myself, I'd like to comment briefly on his comment on the Huffington Post.  I'm sad to see that Mr. Salter intentionally misinterpreted my writing …

FBI says it recorded lawmaker taking cash  —  ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A congressman under investigation for bribery was caught on videotape accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from an FBI informant whose conversations with the lawmaker also were recorded, according to a court document released Sunday.

Whistle-Blower's Evidence, Uncut  —  Former AT&T technician Mark Klein is the key witness in the Electronic Frontier Foundation's class-action lawsuit against the telecommunications company, which alleges that AT&T cooperated in an illegal National Security Agency domestic surveillance program.

Netroots Lose, Again  —  The Moose observes that the McGovernites with Modems cannot do math.  —  By an overwhelming majority, Joe Lieberman is the officially endorsed candidate of the Connecticut Democratic Party.  No matter how you spin it, if you are on the short end of 67 to 33 - you lose.

Justice prays for a Prez in 'real trouble'  —  Just how bad are things for President Bush?  —  Pretty bad, I'd say, if even Clarence Thomas is worried about him.  —  The other night at a Washington book party for the President's sister, Doro Bush Koch, the Supreme Court justice arrived with his wife …

Protests, Applause Greet Rice at BC  —  A few students turned their backs but more stood to applaud as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice received an honorary degree and addressed graduates at Boston College on Monday.  —  After weeks of turmoil and anti-war protests over Rice's invitation …

Something frighteningly ominous has been happening on the Internet lately: Google, without any prior explanation or notice, has been terminating its News relationship with conservative e-zines and web journals.  —  At first blush, one can easily ignore such business decisions by the most powerful company …

Bush's faith worries Albright  —  LONDON, England (Reuters) — U.S. President George W. Bush has alienated Muslims around the world by using absolutist Christian rhetoric to discuss foreign policy issues, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright says.  —  "I worked for two presidents …

Rove Lawyer Has a Pet Peeve  —  Robert Luskin, Karl Rove's lawyer, says he spent most of the day on May 12 taking his cat to the veterinarian and having a technician fix his computer at home.  —  He was stunned, therefore, when journalists started calling to ask about an online report …

Graduates get an apology  —  NEW PALTZ - New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. told about 900 SUNY New Paltz graduates Sunday that he was sorry.  —  It wasn't an apology for anything Sulzberger, who first joined the Times in 1978 as a Washington correspondent, specifically did.

Reclaiming the Democratic Agenda  —  Though you'd never know it from surfing the Internet, there exists in the Democratic Party a substantial body of politicians and policymakers who believe the U.S. mission in Iraq must be sustained until it succeeds; who want to intensify American attempts …

Heard the Good News?  —  Things are better than you think.  Yes, I know, most Americans are in a sour mood these days, convinced that the struggle in Iraq is an endless cycle of bloodshed, certain that our economy is in dismal shape, lamenting that the nation and the world are off on the wrong track.

A Hard Bill to Love  —  WASHINGTON — A less permissive tone on immigration was signaled in the Senate last Tuesday when a proposal to cut guest worker visas down to 200,000 from 350,000 was supported by a surprisingly one-sided vote of 80 to 17.  The mood change was not influenced by a leader …

LISTENING IN  —  A few days before the start of the confirmation hearings for General Michael Hayden, who has been nominated by President Bush to be the head of the C.I.A., I spoke to an official of the National Security Agency who recently retired.  The official joined the N.S …