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.

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.

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 …

Senators: Welcome back, Joe  —  If Sen. Joe Lieberman's Democratic colleagues are anxious to get rid of him, they gave no indication of it in their first gathering since Lieberman lost a Connecticut primary to Ned Lamont last month and launched an independent bid.

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.

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.

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.

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).

Iran's Leader Declares Intent To Speak at U.N.  —  Diplomats at the United Nations were sent into disarray yesterday when President Ahmadinejad of Iran declared that he intended to attend the General Assembly of the world body on September 19 and to debate his country's nuclear program with President Bush …

Remember Abu Zubaydah?  —  Perhaps the most important moment in the president's speech yesterday dealt with his defense of torture.  It was, perhaps, Bush at his most twisted. … The president was particularly fond of the Zubaydah anecdote.  Bush went on to explain that when Zubaydah stopped talking …

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.

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 …

How We Dummies Succeed  —  If you're looking for the action in education, forget the Ivy League.  Talk instead to Anthony Zeiss, president of Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte.  It has six campuses and 70,000 students taking classes in everything from remedial English to computer networking.

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.

BREAKING: THE LAST "TRUE" CONSERVATIVE (WELL, IF YOU DON'T COUNT GLENN GREENWALD, THAT IS) DUSTS OFF THE "GOB SMACKING," ENCOURAGES VOTERS TO PULL THE LEVER FOR DEMOCRATS  —  Turns out Andy Sullivan wasn't all too thrilled with the President's speech yesterday—which, in true recent-vintage Sullivan fashion …