Congress launches into new Iraq debate  —  WASHINGTON - The House erupted in impassioned election-year debate over the Iraq war on Thursday, Republicans defending the conflict as key to winning the global struggle against terrorism while Democrats excoriated President Bush and his policies.

Maliki Aide Who Discussed Amnesty Leaves Job  —  Premier Disavows Remarks; Egyptian Seen Replacing Zarqawi  —  BAGHDAD, June 15 — Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office on Thursday accepted the resignation of an aide who had told a reporter that Maliki was considering a limited amnesty …

Rep. Jefferson loses Democratic caucus vote  —  Black Caucus leader cites racial unfairness  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — With members of the Congressional Black Caucus crying double standard, House Democrats met behind closed doors Thursday and voted to strip Rep. William Jefferson of his seat on the Ways and Means Committee.

Court Backs No-Knock Search  —  A divided Supreme Court ruled today that evidence can be used against a defendant even when seized in violation of a long-standing rule requiring a knock on the door before executing a search warrant.  —  The 5-4 decision, written by Justice Antonin Scalia …

Sacrificing Our Troops on the Altar of Republican Politics  —  Leave it to the Porcine Draft Dodger—Karl Rove—to impugn the character of combat veterans.  Can't blame him for trotting out the same playbook that worked so well in 2004 against the candidacy of John Kerry.  If it worked once it should work again.

Bush Apologizes to L.A. Times Reporter  —  President Bush, who often teases members of the White House press corps, apologized Wednesday after he poked fun at a reporter for wearing sunglasses without realizing they were needed for vision loss.  —  The exchange occurred at a news conference in the Rose Garden.

Zarqawi Replacement: Trained Professional  —  Alexis Debat Reports:  —  The mystery man identified by U.S. authorities as the successor to Abu Musab al Zarqawi is an Egyptian with close ties to Osama bin Laden's No. 2 man, Jordanian intelligence officials tell ABC News.

Great Moments in Senate Fashion  —  Rick Santorum (R-PA) pulls off the tricky Great-Gatsby-meets-My-Little- Pony look.

Will 'Nutroots' Ruin Lamont's Run?  —  Memo to aspiring Democratic candidates: The blogs can be a good first martini.  Don't let them be your second.  —  As a first martini, left-wing sites like dailykos.com and mydd.com can lift the spirits of a new candidate.  They boost confidence and raise some quick campaign cash.

A Watershed Moment: Media Use Coulter to Suggest Blogs Are Impotent  —  Anybody who watched Ann Coulter's June 14th appearance on the Tonight Show had to realize that it was a watershed moment in the war between the establishment media and the progressive netroots, a community fresh off the successful YearlyKos convention.

War on terror called failure  —  Another 9/11 `inevitable,' experts conclude  —  Washington's diplomatic efforts rated 1.8 out of 10  —  Washington is failing to make progress in the global war on terror and the next 9/11-style attack is not a question of if, but when.

What's Black and White and Red All Over?  —  More ink equals more blood, claim two economists who say that newspaper coverage of terrorist incidents leads directly to more attacks.  —  It's a macabre example of win-win in what economists call a "common-interest game," say Bruno S. Frey …