Major Change Expected In Strategy for Iraq War  —  The growing doubts among GOP lawmakers about the administration's Iraq strategy, coupled with the prospect of Democratic wins in next month's midterm elections, will soon force the Bush administration to abandon its open-ended commitment to the war …

Shiite militia takes over Iraqi city  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Shiite militia run by the anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr seized control of a southern Iraqi city on Friday in one of the boldest acts of defiance yet by the country's powerful, unofficial armies, witnesses and police said.

N.Korea said not planning new nuke tests  —  SEOUL, South Korea - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il said Pyongyang didn't plan to carry out any more nuclear tests and expressed regret about the country's first-ever atomic detonation last week, South Korean news reports said Friday.

Republican Woes Lead to Feuding by Conservatives  —  Tax-cutters are calling evangelicals bullies.  Christian conservatives say Republicans in Congress have let them down.  Hawks say President Bush is bungling the war in Iraq.  And many conservatives blame Representative Mark Foley's sexual messages to teenage pages.

Top US general says Rumsfeld is inspired by God  —  MIAMI (AFP) - The top US general defended the leadership of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, saying it is inspired by God.  —  "He leads in a way that the good Lord tells him is best for our country," said Marine General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

America's Next Top Pundit  —  What does it take to be a talking head?  —  Whenever news breaks — on the fall campaign trail, in North Korea, in the most trivial corners of Hollywood — thousands of pundits have something to say.  What most of them don't have is somewhere to say it.

Speaker?  Pelosi could be president … WHEN Sen. Sam Ervin, D-N.C., headed the committee that investigated Watergate, he called himself just a country lawyer.  Even used that as the title of his autobiography.  —  His counterpart, Sen. Howard Baker, R-Tenn., said every time Ervin called himself …

House Intel Chair Suspends Staff Member  —  WASHINGTON — The Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has suspended a Democratic staff member pending an investigation into whether he leaked a high-level intelligence assessment to the news media.

Vote Democrat And You Will Die  —  That's the message of a new RNC ad entitled "The Stakes."  Here's the video:  —  Breitbart: … The script: … Frankly, this strikes me as incredibly heavyhanded.  Then again, it's no more so than the infamous "Daisy Girl" ad the Johnson campaign ran against Barry Goldwater way back in 1964:

CQ: Facing Fed Probe, House GOP Spending Chief Axes Investigative Staff  —  My goodness.  As TPMm readers know well, House Appropriations chairman Jerry Lewis (R-CA) is under federal investigation for possible improprieties in how he oversaw Congress' spending of $900 billion annually.

Poll: Lieberman's Lead Growing in Conn.  —  HAMDEN, Conn. (AP) — Sen. Joe Lieberman has built a 17-point lead over Democratic challenger Ned Lamont, according to the first Quinnipiac University poll since the two faced off in a debate this week.  —  Lieberman, running as an independent …

After Pat's Birthday  —  Editor's note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Pat was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004.  Kevin, who was discharged in 2005, has written a powerful, must-read document.

Bush, Clinton Ratchet Up the Drama  —  Money Rolls In to Md., Va. Candidates, but for Some, There May Be a Price  —  President Bush added a stern stay-the-course message on the war in Iraq to his buoyant endorsement of Virginia Sen. George Allen (R) yesterday, and the region's high-profile …

AL QAEDA'S "WORKING PAPER FOR A MEDIA INVASION OF AMERICA" - THE MEDIA RESPONDS  —  I really didn't expect to see the American media even acknowledge the existence of al Qaeda's "Working Paper for a Media Invasion of America", much less to see them openly embrace it.  They've done both.  (Live and learn.)

Court Told It Lacks Power in Detainee Cases  —  Moving quickly to implement the bill signed by President Bush this week that authorizes military trials of enemy combatants, the administration has formally notified the U.S. District Court here that it no longer has jurisdiction to consider hundreds …

Putin's 'rape joke' played down  —  Russia's President Vladimir Putin has been overheard joking about the virility of his Israeli counterpart, who is accused of multiple rape.  —  A Russian journalist said Mr Putin joked that President Moshe Katsav was a "mighty man", adding "we all envy him".