BUBBA GOES BALLISTIC ON ABC ABOUT ITS DAMNING 9/11  —  MOVIE  —  INSISTS NET PULL DRAMA  —  A furious Bill Clinton is warning ABC that its mini-series "The Path to 9/11" grossly misrepresents his pursuit of Osama bin Laden - and he is demanding the network "pull the drama" if changes aren't made.

President Shifts Argument, Catches Critics Off Guard  —  With a series of forceful speeches on terrorism and a dramatic announcement that he has sent top-tier terrorism suspects to the Guantanamo Bay prison, President Bush this week has demonstrated anew the power of even a weakened commander …

U.S. Senate panel postpones vote on Bolton nomination as U.N. ambassador  —  WASHINGTON A U.S. Senate panel postponed a vote scheduled for Thursday on the nomination of John Bolton as U.N. ambassador.  —  Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, a Republican …

Blair confirms plan to stand down  —  Tony Blair has confirmed he will be stepping down as prime minister within the next 12 months.  —  Mr Blair said the Labour conference in two weeks' time would be his last.  —  He did not set a precise date but said he would do so in the future - when it was in the best interests of the country.

A Rumor A Day Keeps The Fringies Away  —  Does anyone else get the distinct feeling that we're seeing a whispering campaign getting started against Joe Lieberman?  Two days ago, Insight reported the all-but-unbelievable allegation that the Republicans sent millions of dollars into Joe Lieberman's campaign …

One Leak and a Flood of Silliness  —  Conspiracy theories flourish in politics, and most of them have no more basis than spring training hopes for the Chicago Cubs.  —  Whenever things turn dicey for Republicans, they complain about the "liberal media" sabotaging them.

Iran's Ahmadinejad Coming to New York … UNITED NATIONS — U.N. officials tell NewsMax.com "they expect" Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to travel to New York City to attend the 2006 General Assembly.  —  The controversial Iranian leader attended the 2005 GA and held several "colorful" news conferences during that visit.

Michigan Governor: In Competitive Race, It's Now DeVos by 2  —  DeVos (R) 48%; Granholm (D) 46%  —  Michigan's edge-of-the-seat battle for Governor remains as competitive as ever, with Republican challenger Dick DeVos now edging out Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm 48% to 46% (see crosstabs).

Bush and Lincoln  —  Echoes of the past in today's strategic mistakes. … WASHINGTON—Five years have passed since the horrific attack on our American homeland, and, still, there is one serious, undeniable fact we have yet to confront: We are, today, not where we wanted to be and nowhere near where we need to be.

War turns southern women away from GOP  —  MACON, Ga. - President Bush's once-solid relationship with Southern women is on the rocks.  "I think history will show him to be the worst president since Ulysses S. Grant," said Barbara Knight, a self-described Republican since birth and the mother of three.

Poll: Many Americans Feel Less Safe  —  Five Years After 9/11, Many Feel Terror Threat Has Grown  —  (CBS) Do Americans feel safer now than before 9/11?  For many, the answer is no, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll.  —  Fifty-four percent of Americans say they generally feel safe …

The Islamic Emirate of Waziristan and Greater Talibanistan  —  North Waziristan is not al-Qaeda's endgame, the entire border region is the target  —  References: Dawn provides an overview of the North Waziristan Truce.  Compare this to my report from Tuesday night.

Divides  —  Kevin Drum was making the argument the other day that Democrats aren't really divided about national security issues.  There's something to what he's saying, but I also think it's problematic in a variety of ways.  I guess I'll try to do an opus on this subject at some point …

Ryan gets 61/2 years  —  Former governor carefully avoids admitting criminal wrongdoing  —  George Ryan, the Republican governor whose bold clearing of Death Row won international praise but whose old-style political ways led to a sweeping federal corruption conviction …

Iraq takes control of military from U.S.  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Coalition forces handed over control of Iraq's armed forces command to the government Thursday, a move that U.S. officials have hailed as a crucial milestone on the country's difficult road to independence.

Home prices show huge slowdown  —  Figures indicate market cooling  —  WASHINGTON — US home prices continued to rise in the second quarter but showed the biggest slowdown in three decades, federal regulators reported .  —  The figures released yesterday by the Office …

Oil Slick of Corruption Spreads South  —  DUBLIN, CA - The FBI brought in agents from all over the country, including Sacramento, to raid the offices of six Alaska legislators last week.  They were looking for illegal dealings with an Alaska-based oil firm VECO that has long been a top Republican donor.

Iran-EU meeting Sat. seen as last chance  —  COPENHAGEN, Denmark - European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Thursday that he expects to hold talks with Iran's top nuclear envoy on Saturday.  The talks are considered a final attempt to determine whether there is common ground …