A Victory Lap for Broken Promises … One year ago as Katrina menaced the Gulf Coast, I'm ashamed to admit that selfish thoughts ruled my mind.  As I kept up with the news and weather reports, I wondered if I would ever again be able to visit the scene of so many semi-collegiate drunken nights …

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.

Karr Cleared in JonBenet Case — After Media Frenzy  —  NEW YORK After two weeks of frenzied and often jump-to-conclusions media coverage, Colorado prosecutors on Monday dropped their case against John Mark Karr over the 1996 murder of JonBenet Ramsey.  —  Prosecutors threw out the case …

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 …

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 …

Plame and the 'Bush Lied' Meme  —  A new book by Michael Isikoff, an investigative reporter for Newsweek, and David Corn, who writes for the far left wing magazine The Nation, casts many powerful people in Washington in an unflattering light — but not the people who Mr. Isikoff and Mr. Corn wish to besmirch.

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.

Details Emerge in British Terror Case  —  On Aug. 9, in a small second-floor apartment in East London, two young Muslim men recorded a video justifying what the police say was their suicide plot to blow up trans-Atlantic planes: revenge against the United States and its "accomplices," Britain and the Jews.

Pronouncing Blame on the Israel Lobby  —  It was quite a boner.  —  University of Chicago political scientist John Mearsheimer was in town yesterday to elaborate on his view that American Jewish groups are responsible for the war in Iraq, the destruction of Lebanon's infrastructure and many other bad things.

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.

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 …

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 Scoop on "Secret Holds": No Rules Apply  —  Some senator has put a "secret hold" on the Coburn/Obama bill that would create a user-friendly, public database of all government spending.  By 1:20 p.m. today, 75 senators have responded to scores of emails and phone calls from bloggers and blog readers …

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 …

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 …

Vice President's Remarks at the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention  —  Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Center  —  THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you very much.  Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.  Thank you for the warm welcome.

Slowly Sidling To Iraq's Exit  —  Many GOP Candidates Part Company With Bush  —  By Election Day, how many Republican candidates will have come out against the Iraq war or distanced themselves from the administration's policies?  —  August 2006 will be remembered as a watershed in the politics of Iraq.

Kerry Revives 2004 Election Allegations  —  Sen. John Kerry didn't contest the results at the time, but now that he's considering another run for the White House, he's alleging election improprieties by the Ohio Republican who oversaw the deciding vote in 2004.