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.

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.

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.

WHAT ELSE ARE THEY KEEPING SILENT ABOUT?  —  The Swedish Foreign Ministry was delegated to investigate who knew what about corruption in the U.N.'s oil-for-food program in Iraq.  The report has now been made public by a Swedish radio station.  It says that Ole Kolby, Norway's U.N. ambassador …

Senator Jokes About House Painter  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican Sen. Conrad Burns, whose re-election campaign is pressing for tighter immigration controls, referred to his house painter as "a nice little Guatemalan man" and suggested that worker as well employees of a roofing company he hired might be in the country illegally.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

British Plot Suspects Are Arraigned in Court  —  A British court today began arraigning the people who have been arrested in connection with a suspected plot to blow up United States-bound airliners.  —  Eleven suspects appeared in court for the first time today, some of them waving and smiling …

Bin Laden still deadly relevant  —  Ex-CIA official says cleric sets cap of 10 million U.S. deaths … LONDON, England (CNN) — Nearly five years have passed since the September 11 terrorist attacks, yet Osama bin Laden — the world's most-wanted terrorist — remains a dangerous fugitive …

Maine Governor: Baldacci Campaign Still Running in Place  —  Woodcock (R) 42% Baldacci (D) 43%  —  Maine's competitive gubernatorial campaign has a caught-in-amber feeling to it, especially when it comes to support for Democratic Governor John Baldacci.  —  Baldacci now leads Republican Chandler Woodcock 43% to 42% (see crosstabs).

Firms Who Hire Illegal Immigrants Sued  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Frustrated by lax enforcement of immigration law, businesses are taking their fight against illegal immigration to court, accusing competitors of hiring illegal workers to achieve an unfair advantage.

The Wagging of the 'Civil' Tongues  —  It's official: The Iraq Civil War has begun — not necessarily in Iraq, but in Washington, where an all-out fight has broken out over whether what is happening on the Tigris can be called a civil war.  —  "You know, I hear a lot of talk about civil war …

The 'New Middle East' Bush Is Resisting  —  President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice may be quite right about a new Middle East being born.  In fact, their policies in support of the actions of their closest regional ally, Israel, have helped midwife the newborn.