POWDER PUFF SPOOKS KEITH  —  MSNBC loudmouth Keith Olbermann flipped out when he opened his home mail yesterday.  The acerbic host of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" was terrified when he opened a suspicious-looking letter with a California postmark and a batch of white powder poured out.

On the NIE, the Right and the Left Are Both Wrong  —  The National Intelligence Estimate regarding trends in global terrorism, partially released by the administration yesterday in response to weekend news leaks, is not centrally about Iraq, and it is certainly not the final word on the subject.

House approves bill on terror detainees  —  WASHINGTON - The House approved legislation Wednesday giving the Bush administration authority to interrogate and prosecute terrorism detainees, moving President Bush to the edge of a pre-election victory with a key piece of his anti-terror plan.

Ailes: `An assault on all journalists'  —  NEW YORK - Fox News chief Roger Ailes says former President Clinton's response to Chris Wallace's question about going after Osama bin Laden represents "an assault on all journalists."  —  Ailes said Clinton had a "wild overreaction" in the interview, broadcast on "Fox News Sunday."

Most Iraqis Want US Troops Out Within a Year  —  Say US Presence Provoking More Conflict Than it is Preventing  —  Approval of Attacks on US-led Forces Rises to 6 in 10  —  A new WPO poll of the Iraqi public finds that seven in ten Iraqis want US-led forces to commit to withdraw within a year.

New Report That Senator Uttered Slurs  —  Another acquaintance of Senator George Allen said Tuesday that she heard him use a racial slur in 1976, contradicting a statement he made Monday in an effort to tamp down similar accusations.  —  Mr. Allen's campaign manager, Dick Wadhams …

White House refuses to release full NIE  —  WASHINGTON - The White House refused Wednesday to release the rest of a secret intelligence assessment that depicts a growing terrorist threat, as the Bush administration tried to quell election-season criticism that its anti-terror policies are seriously off track.

Students held hostage in Bailey  —  A gunman took five people hostage, and is still holding at least two of them at a Park County school.  Several shots have been fired.  —  Lance Clem, spokesman for the Colorado State Patrol, said it is unclear if anyone was injured at Platte Canyon High School in Bailey.

The Choice: A Longer Life or More Stuff  —  The most authoritative report on the cost of health insurance came out yesterday, and it's sure to cause some new outrage.  —  The average cost of a family insurance plan that Americans get through their jobs has risen another 7.7 percent this year …

7-Eleven dropping Venezuela-backed Citgo  —  DALLAS - Convenience store operator 7-Eleven Inc. is dropping Venezuela-backed Citgo as its gasoline supplier at more than 2,100 locations and switching to its own brand of fuel.  —  The retailer said Wednesday it will purchase fuel from several distributors …

Source: Twin Cities Win GOP Convention  —  Republicans have chosen the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul _ in the politically pivotal Midwest _ for the 2008 presidential convention, GOP officials said Wednesday.  —  The selection was expected to be announced later in the day …

France-Bashing  —  The enduring popularity of France-bashing in the United States is a fascinating phenomenon.  Nick Gillespie spies Marty Peretz getting the bug.  What's especially fascinating is the particular form of the contemporary France-bashing narrative, as reflected in Peretz' post.

BLUE AMERICA: Angie Paccione (CO-04)  —  [Angie Paccione joins us in the comments today to discuss her candidacy in the CO-04.  Please stop by and give her a great FDL welcome.  As always in Blue America threads, please stay on topic and please be polite.  Welcome, Angie!  — CHS]