INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN INEPT.  Bloggers are in an understandable uproar over a Roll Call article in which a hodgepodge of nameless Democratic aides reveal that the leadership is readying to party like it's 2002 and refocus the election on economic issues.  I'm a bit skeptical.

Bush, senators reach agreement on detainee interrogation legislation  —  WASHINGTON - The White House and dissident Republican senators reached an agreement Thursday that would allow the CIA's controversial terrorist interrogation program to continue and trials of suspected Islamic terrorists …

Probe Finds Jackson Urged Favoritism in HUD Contracts  —  An inspector general's report charges that top U.S. housing official Alphonso Jackson urged staff members to favor friends of President Bush when awarding Department of Housing and Urban Development contracts.

Nasrallah says no army can disarm Hizbollah  —  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday rejected international calls to disarm his Lebanese guerrillas and told a huge "victory" rally they still had more than 20,000 rockets after a month of war with Israel.

Idiot press  —  I just got a call from an MSNBC booker.  She wanted to know if I wanted to go on the air to talk about Hugo Chavez.  Apparently, he went off on some rant at the UN.  —  I said, "Why would I?  Who cares about Hugo Chavez?"  —  The booker said, "well, it's all over talk radio and the blogs."

Top Republican Aids Lieberman Fundraiser  —  WASHINGTON — A prominent Republican who chairs I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's legal defense fund co-hosted a fundraiser Wednesday for Sen. Joe Lieberman, who is running for re-election as an independent after losing the Democratic primary.

AZ Republic, FactCheck.org lobbed misleading claims in attempt to debunk Vote Vets ad criticizing Allen … In recent days, both The Arizona Republic editorial page and the website FactCheck.org have attacked as "deceitful" and "just plain wrong" a television advertisement …

Bush 'Taken Aback' by Musharraf Comment  —  President Bush said today he was surprised by reports that a former top State Department official threatened heavy U.S. bombing of Pakistan if it did not cooperate with the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks …

Will The Next Election Be Hacked?  —  Fresh disasters at the polls — and new evidence from an industry insider — prove that electronic voting machines can't be trusted  —  >>Post your thoughts about the threats to fair voting, in the National Affairs blog.  Plus, read Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Was the 2004 Election Stolen?"

U.N. Charades  —  After the Shiite bomb, a nuke for Sunni Egypt?  —  Hugo Chávez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad put on quite a show at the United Nations this week, and it's tempting to dismiss it all as mere bombast.  Except that their assertiveness can't be separated from the more important U.N. story …

Bill O'Reilly's enemies list, available in hardback for $26  —  "My goal," Bill O'Reilly writes in the introduction to his latest book, Culture Warrior, which is published by Random House's Broadway Books imprint and will go on sale September 25, "is to expose and defeat people who have the power to do you great harm.

Pakistanis protest, cleric says Pope should be crucified  —  ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Hundreds of Pakistani Islamists held street protests to condemn Pope Benedict XVI for remarks they regard as anti-Islamic, with one leader saying the pontiff should be crucified.  —  Demonstrators Friday poured …

The Democratic Party and Jews  —  The Democratic Party has been a congenial political home for many American Jews since the era of FDR.  The party welcomed them into its ranks (along with many blacks and urban dwellers) and its programs comported well with many values Jews cherish.

USA Today hypes gas price-approval link  —  A USA Today article yesterday made some exaggerated claims about the effect of gasoline prices on President Bush's approval ratings: … The problem, however, is that Henwood's analysis is not correct, nor is he a statistician as Page's lede implies …

Streisand shows what not to wear  —  You would think that by the age of 64, most women would be self-conscious enough to ensure their choice of evening wear does not expose parts of the body which have...well dropped below standards.  —  But no one seems to have shared this with legendary …

Israel: Foreign reporters' vehicles may be used terrorists  —  Government Press Office director warns Shin Bet that armored vehicles used by foreign news agencies may serve hostile groups to carry out attacks against Israel  —  Armored vehicles that were given to foreign news agencies operating …

Navy retires F-14, the coolest of cold warriors  —  VIRGINIA BEACH — Today the Navy holsters the F-14 Tomcat, the top gun in its Cold War arsenal and one of the most recognizable warplanes in history.  —  Maintenance costs for the F-14 have soared, and its replacement, the F/A-18 Super Hornet …