Court finds a right to jihad in the Constitution  —  There are several ways to fight a war.  On the one hand, you can put on a uniform, climb into a tank, rumble across a field and fire on the other fellows' tank.  On the other, you can find a 12-year-old girl, persuade her to try …

GOP Aims to Use a War to Win an Election Battle  —  Republicans are once again making the fight against terrorism a campaign cornerstone.  So far, Democrats have not been as engaging.  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush says Democrats want to "wave the white flag of surrender" in Iraq.

CNN RELIABLE SOURCES  —  Is White House Scapegoating "New York Times"?  ; Bloggers Respond to Recent Political Developments; Why the Media Hoopla Over Star Jones Departure?  —  THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.  THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.  —  HOWARD KURTZ, HOST (voice-over): Targeting the "Times."

COPYCATTY COULTER PILFERS PROSE: PRO  —  July 2, 2006 — Conservative scribe Ann Coulter cribbed liberally in her latest book, "Godless," according to a plagiarism expert.  —  John Barrie, the creator of a leading plagiarism-recognition system, claimed he found at least three instances of what he calls …

No Conservative: Lieberman's A JFK Democrat  —  How would John F. Kennedy fare in his party today?  —  It is impossible to completely project a historical figure into the current political situation.  However, it is fair to suggest that both parties have radically changed over the past half-century.

Maryland Senate Race May Hinge On Ethnicity  —  Mfume Leads Cardin In Sharply Divided Primary, Poll Shows  —  Former NAACP president Kweisi Mfume leads U.S. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin in what is shaping up to be a racially polarized Democratic Senate primary in Maryland, even as roughly a third …

Stoolies  —  It must be difficult days indeed at the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times if their editors have gone so far as to team up to justify their papers' publication of the government's secret SWIFT financial surveillance program.  The two media outlets' focus groups …

Bush Reportedly Instituted NSA Surveillance of Calls 7mos.  Prior to 9/11  —  Bloomberg is reporting that the Bush administration began spying on the phone calls of Americans months before the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, according to lawyers dealing with the AT&T lawsuit.

The Democrats' New Populism  —  The best symbol of how the party hopes to take back the Senate this year may be Montana candidate Jon Tester's flattop  —  When Jon Tester was 9 years old, he lost the middle three fingers of his left hand in a meat grinder.

LAST STAND  —  On May 31st, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced what appeared to be a major change in U.S. foreign policy.  The Bush Administration, she said, would be willing to join Russia, China, and its European allies in direct talks with Iran about its nuclear program.

Trade Ministers Give Up on Compromise  —  Geneva Conference Collapses Over Agricultural Tariffs and Subsidies  —  GENEVA, July 1— A conference intended to achieve a last-ditch breakthrough in global trade negotiations collapsed Saturday, sharply diminishing prospects for an agreement …

two percent solution?  —  Glenn points out a fellow who notes the potential of solar energy:  —  "If 2 percent of the continental United States were covered with photovoltaic systems with a net efficiency of 10 percent, we would be able to supply all the U.S. energy needs," said Bulovic …

New Ad: "Signs of Change"  —  Another ad set for release this week before the big debate on Thursday.  From the press release accompanying the ad:  —  "Senator Lieberman presents an image of himself that is truly at odds with his voting record," said Lamont Campaign Manager Tom Swan.

Baghdad Market Bombing Kills 66  —  BAGHDAD, July 1 — A truck bomb killed at least 66 people and injured more than 100 on a market street in the Shiite Muslim heart of Baghdad on Saturday, the deadliest such attack since Iraq's national-unity government took office in May.

Election Watch: Mexico  —  Today Mexicans go to the polls to elect a new President, a new Congress, the Mayor of Mexico City and governors in some of the states.  (Info in english here from the IFE (The Federal Election Institute) can be found here (h/t: La Profesora Abstraida).

Dana Priest's Cheap Shot (Video)  —  On this morning's Meet The Press, Washington Post reporter Dana Priest got downright nasty during a discussion of leaking and press responsibility.  Guest host Andrea Mitchell quoted Bill Bennett (also on the panel) who said on his radio program …

Has Israel lost the spirit of '76?  —  THIRTY YEARS AGO this week, on July 4, 1976, Israel carried out one of the most spectacular rescue missions in history — the raid on Entebbe airport in Uganda that freed more than 100 Jewish hostages being held by Arab and German terrorists.