Press Conference of the President  —  THE PRESIDENT: It's always a pleasure to be introduced into the Rose Garden.  Thank you, Wendell.  Thank you for coming.  I'm looking forward to answering some of your questions.  —  This week our nation paused to mark the 5th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Pope Gets it Wrong on Islam  —  Pope Benedict's speech at Regensburg University, which mentioned Islam and jihad, has provoked a firestorm of controversy.  —  The address is more complex and subtle than the press on it represents.  But let me just signal that what is most troubling …

Zogby: Battle for Congress Tightens  —  Republican Candidates Trail Democrats by Just 3%; Bush Job Approval Climbs to 39%  —  Following an aggressive media blitz, the latest Zogby America poll finds the standing of President Bush and congressional Republicans climbing as the November elections rapidly approach.

Rep. Ney Agrees to Plead Guilty  —  Rep. Robert Ney (R-Ohio) agreed today to plead guilty to conspiring to commit multiple official acts for lobbyists in exchange for campaign contributions, meals and luxury travel, sports tickets and gambling chips.  He became the first elected official …

The Tehran Calculus  —  In his televised Sept. 11 address, President Bush said that we must not "leave our children to face a Middle East overrun by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons."  There's only one such current candidate: Iran.

Ace of Spades Reader Spotted Wanted Terrorist?  (Updated: Limited Confirmation From FBI)  —  TKS alerts me of an interesting comment posted here: … Name withheld (and I hope she used a pseudonym).  —  Later, after Purple Avenger provided the contact information for the Texas FBI,  —  she reported:

Oriana Fallaci  —  I had the privilege of listening to a lecture by Oriana Fallaci at Harvard sometime in 1983.  I realize now that she was 53 and it must have been at around that time that the picture below was taken because that is precisely how I remember her.

Lieberman criticizes Republicans who assail war critics  —  FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Sen. Joe Lieberman on Friday criticized Republicans who accuse Democratic critics of the Iraq war of encouraging terrorists, arguing such talk "demeans the freedom we are all fighting for."

Friday Festival Of Blog Bits  —  Earmarks have been all the rage in Washington this week, as Congress cleared to President Bush a bill to create a federal spending database and the House also passed legislation that would mandate disclosure of earmark sponsors in tax and spending legislation.

Let's take a closer look at those breasts.  —  I wanted to elevate a discussion from the comments section of a post from Wednesday, you know the one with the photo of the Daou-wrangled bloggers posing in front of Bill Clinton?  The first commenter, Goesh, picks up on my prompt …

Private Health Insurance Hard to Get and Costly  —  THURSDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) — Almost nine out of every 10 Americans who seek private health insurance never buy a plan, and one in five who apply are turned down or charged more because of preexisting conditions, a new report finds.

Pakistan Releases over 2,500 Taliban, al-Qaeda  —  Pakistan follows the truce to the letter and releases thousands of Taliban and al-Qaeda members captured since 2001  —  The Pakistani government is living up to its commitments on the "Waziristan Accord," and has emptied the prisons of Taliban …

Bloomberg Secretly Considers Presidential Campaign  —  CBS 2 Exclusive: Despite Public Denials, Mayor Has Secret Meeting With National Political Strategist, Wall Street Money Man  —  (CBS) NEW YORK New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has always denied it, but CBS 2 has learned the details of a secret meeting …

A Thousand Words  —  Sen. Lieberman's car parked at Fairfield University this morning:  —  Did anyone call the police about this?  That's illegal parking unless the car has a handicap sticker.  —  Wow - That really does just say everything you need to know about Lieberman, doesn't it?

In a Volatile Region of Iraq, U.S. Military Takes Two Paths  —  AL-FURAT, Iraq — With a biker's bandanna tied under his helmet, the Special Forces team sergeant gunned a Humvee down a desert road in Iraq's volatile Anbar province.  Skirting the restive town of Hit, the team of a dozen soldiers crossed …