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.

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 …

Warnings on WMD 'Fabricator' Were Ignored, Ex-CIA Aide Says  —  In late January 2003, as Secretary of State Colin Powell prepared to argue the Bush administration's case against Iraq at the United Nations, veteran CIA officer Tyler Drumheller sat down with a classified draft of Powell's speech to look for errors.

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 …

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.

'Brights'  —  Since it was brought up in the comments, I thought I'd bring back my statement on the "Brights."  —  There's a lot of noise on the net right now about The Brights, the idea that we can invent a pleasant new name for godless atheists and thereby improve our image.

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."

Powerline's John Hinderaker and Scott Johnson on the New York Times' story blowing another weapon in the War On Terror.  —  HH: The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times did a very bad thing.  They endangered American lives, they assisted terrorists.  And to discuss the consequences of that …

Bank Surveillance  —  The Treasury Department should be monitoring overseas bank transfers.  Congress should make sure it's done right.  —  THE TREASURY Department's just-disclosed program of searching records of overseas bank transfers may provoke outraged comparisons …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …