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

NY Times columnist Brooks attacks 'Kingpin' of Daily Kos  —  In Sunday's paper, conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks attacks the founder of Daily Kos for acting like a "Kingpin" who "commands his followers" to "unleash their venom on those who stand in the way," RAW STORY has found.

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.

Bagging The Sheep, Not The Shepherds  —  I want to follow up on the "Dumb Terrorists" story from yesterday, and an exchange I had with Bagley of all people in the comments thread from yesterday.  Bagley's point, as I understand it, was that these types of investigations and prosecutions …

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.

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 …

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."

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" …

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.

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.

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.

GREAT STRATEGY!  —  The Scratching Post documents the effects on the New York Times of "Compromising National Security as a Marketing Strategy."  The chart below shows the NYT's stock price over the last five years:  —  From a business standpoint, the Times' embrace of far-left politics on page one has been a disaster.

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 …