Bush Visits Gulf Coast, Stressing Progress  —  On the eve of the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's strike here, President Bush returned to the devastated region on Monday promising to continue federal assistance and, with his presidency still under the shadow of the slow response to the storm …

Iran's leader calls for TV debate with Bush  —  Adjust font size:  —  TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called on U.S. President George W. Bush to participate in a "direct television debate with us," so Iran can voice its point of view on how to end world predicaments.

Reuters van attack: 70mm unguided rocket?  —  So I e-mailed Noah Shachtman of Defense Tech and asked him to look at the photo of the Reuters van that was hit by the IAF in hopes of identifying what ordnance they used.  While conceding that the damage looked "strange, strange," …

A Tool We Need to Stop the Next Airliner Plot  —  Imagine that our troops in Afghanistan raided an al-Qaeda safe house and captured a computer containing the cellphone numbers of operatives in Europe.  Wouldn't it be important to know whether one of those cellphone numbers was used to book a transatlantic flight?

Fauxtography: The incredible disappearing Katie (Update: Innocent explanation?)  (Bumped)  —  She's on the Adnan Hajj diet.  Try it and watch the pounds melt away from your waist and neck.  —  Unfortunate side effect of the Adnan Hajj diet: your chin is sharpened to the point where it can cut glass.

Rumsfeld: Terrorists Manipulating Media  —  FALLON NAVAL AIR STATION, Nev. (AP) — Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Monday he is deeply troubled by the success of terrorist groups in "manipulating the media" to influence Westerners.  —  "That's the thing that keeps me up at night …

Hefley ponders run at seat as write-in  —  Rep. Joel Hefley is seriously considering running as a writein candidate to retain his seat rather than risk handing it over to Republican nominee Doug Lamborn.  —  In meetings with national political consultants, Hefley and his supporters have come …

Ex-Colleague Says Armitage Was Source of CIA Leak  —  The leak of information about an undercover CIA employee that provoked a special prosecutor's investigation of senior White House officials came from then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage, according to a former Armitage colleague at the department.

Perry calls special election for DeLay's unexpired term  —  AUSTIN — Republican Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday called a Nov. 7 special election to temporarily fill the seat left vacant when former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay resigned.  —  DeLay, a Republican whose term would have expired in January, resigned in June.

Address at the 88th Annual American Legion National Convention  —  Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, Salt Lake City, Utah, Tuesday, August 29, 2006  —  Tom [American Legion Commander Tom Bock], I understand that your son is flying a Chinook in Iraq …

The Glenn & Helen Show: Richard Posner on Terrorism and the Constitution  —  With the fifth anniversary of the September 11th attacks coming up, we thought we'd talk to law professor and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner, whose latest book, Not a Suicide Pact: The Constitution …

Volcanic Ash  —  A totally independent, slightly irreverent and hopelessly idealistic view of people and events in Hawai'i and beyond.  David Shapiro has covered Hawai'i and national news for 38 years as a reporter, editor and columnist.  —  Reach David at volcanicash@gmail.com.

ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE LEAVES REUTERS AMBULANCE IN FLAMES, CHOPPED, CHANNELED  —  QANA, LEBANON - Israeli Defense Forces face fresh charges of war atrocities today, as international press agency Reuters released stark photos showing the devastation caused by a daylight IDF missile attack on a clearly marked Reuters press ambulance.

The Conservative Case Against Rudy Giuliani In 2008  —  Rudy Giuliani, a contender for the Presidency in 2008, is receiving an inordinate amount of positive attention.  That's quite understandable since Rudy is charismatic, did a great job on the campaign trail for President Bush in 2004 …

The Bright Light of Public Scrutiny  —  Last week, I blogged on the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, S. 2590, a crucial step towards fixing the federal government's spending problem.  S. 2590 would create a single, easily searchable database capable of tracking approximately $1 trillion …

MyDD House Forecast 2006  —  Note: We are looking for an organization to sponsor this forecast, which will allow us to put it into nice-looking html.  If your organization or company wants to sponsor what will probably be the most viewed House forecast in the nation this year, please contact me at chris@mydd.com.

Assembly approves universal health care  —  Passage of bill seen as election-year test for Schwarzenegger  —  (08-29) 04:00 PDT Sacramento — The Democratic-controlled Legislature is on the verge of sending Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a bill that would create a state-run universal health care system …

FBI: Fugitive polygamist arrested near Las Vegas  —  Adjust font size:  —  LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) — The fugitive leader of a polygamist sect has been arrested in southern Nevada, the FBI said Tuesday.  —  Warren Steed Jeffs, 50, was taken into custody after he and two other people …