Schumer: Dems Have Their 8th  —  At a briefing for the Washington, D.C. political press corps today, DSCC chair Chuck Schumer was in a mood to marvel and brag.  Last night, with the victory of Jim Webb, Democrats finally found their eighth competitive Senate contest.

The Iraq war debate reopens in Washington  —  The US House is set to argue the future of the Iraq war - the No. 1 issue for voters - Thursday.  —  WASHINGTON - The No. 1 issue for American voters - the future of the Iraq war - moves to the fore this week, both among President Bush's wartime advisers and on the floor of Congress.

Top Bush Adviser to Step Down  —  Michael J. Gerson, one of President Bush's most trusted advisers and author of nearly all of his most famous public words during the past seven years, plans to step down in the next couple weeks in a decision that colleagues believe will leave a huge hole in the White House at a critical period.

Kerry: 'I Was Wrong' On Iraq  —  Washington, D.C. (CNSNews.com) - U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts on Tuesday told an audience at the liberal Take Back America conference that he was sorry for voting to authorize the war in Iraq, calling the entire mission "a mistake."

Quick Guide & Transcript: Inside al Qaeda  —  (CNN Student News) — June 14, 2006  —  THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.  THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.  —  Inside al Qaeda  —  DEANNA MORAWSKI, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Thanks for checking in with CNN Student News!

Bush Upbeat on Iraq After Baghdad Visit  —  President Bush, back from a surprise trip to Baghdad yesterday, said today his visit renewed his confidence that he has a viable partner in Iraq's new leadership, and he announced plans to dispatch several Cabinet secretaries and other top officials to confer with their Iraqi counterparts.

ICE Arrests About 2,000 Illegal Immigrants  —  A swarm of federal immigration agents sped silently, headlights off, down a Boston side street early Wednesday and surrounded an apartment house.  —  "Police!  Policia!  Police!" yelled Daniel Monico, a deportation officer …

Malkin's distortions about Hillary, Leftwingers and the troops  —  Malkin's distortions about Hillary, Leftwingers and the troops  —  Michelle is at it again.  She claimed that leftwingers booed the troops at Hillary's speech at the Take Back America function.

My Mommy War  —  The reader said she didn't want children.  I urged her to reconsider.  Here's what happened next.  —  Hundreds of people have written demanding an apology and a retraction for the "disgusting," "offensive," "hurtful," "appalling," and "shocking" reply I gave in a recent Dear Prudence column.

Flag-burning amendment on the front burner?  —  The Senate is one vote away from passing a Constitutional amendment outlawing desecration of the flag.  —  I'm appalled.  I didn't much care about this when it stood little chance of passing, considering it yet another wedge issue designed to distract us from actual important things.

An English-Only Beef in a Cheesesteak Joint?  Comin' Right Up  —  PHILADELPHIA — The sign contains just eight words and is hardly big enough to wrap around a cheesesteak.  But here in South Philadelphia, home of the cheesesteak, the sign that Joey Vento posted at Geno's Steaks speaks volumes.

Three Days of Operation Mountain Thrust in Kandahar  —  The other side of FOB Martello.  Click image to view.  —  An audio recording of a press conference with Colonel Chris Vernon on Operation Mountain Thrust is also available.  —  Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan: On Saturday night …

House panel approves line-item veto bill  —  WASHINGTON - Congress is moving to give President Bush and his successors greater power to try to weed bills of certain spending, though the new power would pale compared with the line-item veto law struck down by the Supreme Court in 1998.

Frank Page wins SBC presidency in upset over powerbrokers  —  GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — In a major upset, outsider Frank Page of South Carolina was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention over two candidates closely tied to the SBC's conservative power structure.

Judge Rules That U.S. Has Broad Powers to Detain Noncitizens Indefinitely  —  A federal judge in Brooklyn ruled yesterday that the government has wide latitude under immigration law to detain noncitizens on the basis of religion, race or national origin, and to hold them indefinitely without explanation.

Pajamas Fashion Thread  —  In comments to another posting, AskMom asks … I shall not divulge here the actual nature of my pajamas except to note that I own five pairs and for some odd reason I cannot find the bottoms to any of them at present.  I think I'd best check out the dryer in the basement.