Maliki's Master Plan  —  A national reconciliation plan for Iraq calls for a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops and, controversially, amnesty for insurgents who attacked American and Iraqi soldiers.  —  Ali Haider / Reuters-pool  —  Maliki is scheduled to unveil a national reconciliation plan on June 25

Patterico Cancels his Subscription to the L.A. Times  —  I cancelled my subscription to the Los Angeles Times this morning.  —  I explained to the person who answered the phone that I was cancelling because I am outraged that the newspaper revealed classified details of a successful anti-terror operation.

Lieberman, Lamont differ on Iraq  —  (East Hartford-WTNH, June 23, 2006 6:00 PM) _ The man looking to force Sen. Joseph Lieberman out of his job is using the war in Iraq as the catalyst.  But Lieberman says his Democratic primary opponent Ned Lamont is waffling over ending the war in Iraq.

Glenn Greenwald's Career In Comedy  —  Glenn Greenwald, who never settles for "shrill" when "hysterical ranting" is within reach, tells the world that Jason Zengerle *might* have fabricated an email from Steven Gilliard when he wrote this post.  —  However - it is only in an UPDATE …

THE ORIGINS OF BLOGOFASCISM:  —  At the end of my post yesterday, I wrote, "The blogosphere's fanaticism is, in many ways, the triumph of a lack of focus."  It just so happens that on his blog today, none other than Andrew Sullivan, hardly an ideological soulmate of mine, quotes Santayana …

U.S. General in Iraq Outlines Troop Cuts  —  WASHINGTON, June 24 — The top American commander in Iraq has drafted a plan that projects sharp reductions in the United States military presence there by the end of 2007, with the first cuts coming this September, American officials say.

Why Did Bush Blink on Iran?  (Ask Condi)  —  President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran knows what he wants: nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them; suppression of freedom at home and the spread of terrorism abroad; and the "shattering and fall of the ideology and thoughts of the liberal democratic systems."

Indictment of suspected terrorists contains little evidence of plot  —  WASHINGTON - Even as Justice Department officials trumpeted the arrests of seven Florida men accused of planning to wage a "full ground war against the United States," they acknowledged the group did not have the means to carry out the plan.

The tolerant right  —  The scandal no longer is that lefty blogger Jerome Armstrong had to settle with the SEC for using the Internet to tout stocks so he could unload them at a profit.  No, the scandal is now the coverup by Kos uncovered by The New Republic.

Duncan Hunter and the Swiftboating of Jack Murtha  —  It began yesterday and kept on rolling when I was directed to yet another vile spewing Republican anti-veteran blog.  —  Then reader Vanmojo wrote this little beauty in the comment section this afternoon.

One Party's Lawmaking Is Another's Electioneering  —  The Republican-controlled Congress seems to be struggling lately to carry out its most basic mission: passing legislation.  A proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage failed miserably.  Long-debated immigration legislation has reached an impasse.

The Miami Seven: How Serious Was the Threat?  —  The group indicted for terror plans appears to have had more in common with homegrown cults than al-Qaeda terrorists.  Which doesn't mean they weren't dangerous  —  The Federal government has indicted seven men arrested in Miami on charges …

I've Done A Lot More Television Than Geraldo Rivera  —  Crooks and Liars has the video of Geraldo Rivera saying he's "seen a lot more combat than John Kerry."  He uses his "foxhole cred" to support the eternal occupation of Iraq.  I'll just say this:  —  I've done a lot more television than Geraldo Rivera.

Why Iraq WMD Finds Were Kept Secret  —  June 23, 2006: The revelation that Coalition forces have discovered about 500 shells containing chemical weapons (mostly sarin nerve gas and mustard gas) since 2003, most of which are pre-1991 Gulf War vintage, leads to the question as to why the U.S. waited so long to reveal this.

James Dobson Unmasked  —  Focus on the Family founder James Dobson (the evangelical leader called by Karl Rove to help sell the Harriet Miers nomination) is revealed in a feature article by Pulitzer prize winner Eileen Welsome in this month's 5280.  And on the Eighth Day, Dr. Dobson Created Himself is free and online, don't miss it.

DHS kept prez in dark on funding cuts  —  WASHINGTON, June 23 (UPI) — The DHS did not notify the White House of its final allocations of anti-terrorism grants for major U.S. urban areas.  —  U.S. President George W. Bush and his White House were kept in the dark about the Department …

Officials Defend Financial Searches  —  Critics Assert Secret Program Invades Privacy  —  A secret program that allowed U.S. officials to examine hundreds of thousands of private banking records from around the world in search of terrorist ties has been "absolutely essential" …