U.S. District Judge Who Presided Over Government Wiretapping Case May Have Had Conflict of Interest  —  (Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption and judicial abuse, announced today that Judge Anna Diggs Taylor …

51% in Poll See No Link Between Iraq and Terror Fight  —  Americans increasingly see the war in Iraq as distinct from the fight against terrorism, and nearly half believe President Bush has focused too much on Iraq to the exclusion of other threats, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Military upbeat on Baghdad clampdown  —  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Violence in Baghdad has declined in the past two weeks and all but ended in some formerly deadly neighborhoods, the U.S. military said in a cautiously upbeat report on Tuesday on a major security clampdown in the city.

Allen's Campaign Shifts Gears, Seeks Help  —  Burned by a blog-induced firestorm over an an off-hand comment at a campaign rally, Sen. George Allen's campaign is seeking a conservative blog maven who can blunt future attacks and help rally conservatives in the state and elsewhere behind Allen's campaign.

Paul Hackett on Hardball  —  Paul Hackett debated the Iraq war with Republican-TX-17 candidate Van Taylor,  —  Taylor who did fight in the Iraq war-for some reason uses the most original "we're fighting them over there" argument which is sounding more and more like an Abbott & Costello routine.

Hizbollah won, but Israel didn't lose  —  The concensus is that the Lebanon-Israeli conflict was a complete debacle.  At the outset of the conflict, I mourned that Hizbollah was winning, again.  It's worth reading Greg Djerjian for the definitive post-"cease fire" analysis in terms of what strategic advantage Israel has lost.

Buchanan Argues For Immigration Moratorium To Preserve White Dominance  —  In his new book, State of Emergency, Pat Buchanan argues for "an immediate moratorium on all immigration."  Why?  To preserve the dominance of the white race in America.  Buchanan explains on pg.  11:

August 22nd: The recriminations begin  —  It's after midnight in Tehran.  The apocalypse turned out to be four soldiers getting froggy with some Romanian laborers.  —  I won't name names, but my feelings about the people who were pimping this are the same as my feelings about Amir Taheri …

Paramount cuts ties with Tom Cruise  —  Film distribution giant ends 14-year relationship with actor's production company because of Cruise's recent erratic behavior, says a report.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Paramount Pictures will end its longstanding relationship with Cruise/Wagner Productions …

Bush OKs involuntary Marine recall  —  Initial recall is for 2,500, but there is no cap  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush has authorized the U.S. Marine Corps to recall 2,500 troops to active duty because there are not enough volunteers returning for duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, Marine commanders announced Tuesday.

Leiberman Still Ahead In CT  —  A new ARG poll has some interesting numbers when compared to the Qinnipiac poll which came out last week.  First off, the ARG poll theoretically shows a tight race: … As a CNN report on the poll notes, the big difference is the number of undecideds which are 2% in the Qinnipiac Poll.

HAIL TO THE CHIEF  —  I had the opportunity this afternoon to be part of a relatively small group who heard President Bush talk, extemporaneously, for around forty minutes.  It was an absolutely riveting experience.  It was the best I've ever seen him.  Not only that; it may have been the best I've ever seen any politician.

Al-Jazeera's Tricky Balancing Act  —  DOHA, Qatar — What do people in the Middle East think five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks?  To get a quick snapshot, I paid a visit here to Ahmed Sheikh, the editor in chief of al-Jazeera television.  It was reassuring, in a perverse way …

Is a Federal Tax on Damages for Emotional Distress Unconstitutional?  —  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit today held that a federal statute, which imposes a tax on awards of compensatory damages for emotional distress and loss of reputation …

GOP operatives say state law is too confusing.  —  The law that helped drive U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay from office and put two of his allies under criminal indictment can't be understood by the "man in the street," defense lawyers argued this morning.  —  Lawyers for Jim Ellis and John Colyandro …

Accountability in Campaign Advertising  —  Okay, class, we had a roaring debate yesterday about Darcy Burner's first ad.  Here's another case example for community review: John Courage's first ad.  —  Here are the yardsticks, based on this excellent, original polling and analysis.

Push grows to reform the way Congress spends  —  The House vows to tackle earmark reform as a backlash grows from activists and bloggers.  —  WASHINGTON - House Republican leaders promise that even if lobby reform stalls - as it has - they will do something to rein in earmarks when they return to Capitol Hill next month.

Inhofe optimistic on Iraq  —  It's well on the way toward handling its own security, he says  —  U.S. involvement in Iraq has been incredibly successful and developments there have been "nothing short of a miracle," Sen. James Inhofe said Monday.  —  During his half-hour speech …