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.

Democrats in disarray as Bush basks in glow of Iraq trip  —  US President George W. Bush's triumphant return from his unannounced visit in Iraq found opposition Democrats more divided than ever on US policy in the wartorn country, and how best to capitalize on administration missteps there.

Press Conference of the President  —  THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.  Thank you.  I've just returned from Baghdad, and I was inspired to be able to visit the capital of a free and democratic Iraq.  —  It was a pleasure to meet face-to-face with the Prime Minister.

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!

Reporter On 'Suicide Watch' at Gitmo  —  Michael Gordon of the Charlotte Observer was the only American reporter at the Guantanamo prison facility this week when three detainees killed themselves.  Now he is sending back dispatches on the U.S. response.  The prison commander complains …

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.

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.

It's 'Putdown With Keith Olbermann'  —  Now that Dan Abrams has given up his MSNBC show to run the third-place cable news outlet, he might want to focus on the rising tensions between two of his prime-time personalities: Keith Olbermann and Rita Cosby.  —  Olbermann, whose …

A Prison We Need to Escape  —  When I hear U.S. officials describe the suicides of three Muslim prisoners at Guantanamo Bay last Saturday as "asymmetric warfare" and "a good PR move," I know it's time to close that camp — not just because of what it's doing to the prisoners but because of how it is dehumanizing the American captors.

Dennis Hastert's Real Estate Investments  —  Written by Bill Allison on June 14, 2006 - 2:16pm.  —  House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert has used an Illinois trust to invest in real estate near the proposed route of the Prairie Parkway, a highway project for which he's secured $207 million in earmarked appropriations.

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.

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.