CREW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MELANIE SLOAN'S REACTION TO HOUSE ETHICS FOLEY REPORT: MEMBERS AND STAFF DID VIOLATE ETHICS RULE  —  Washington, DC - Earlier today, the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct released its conclusion that no member of Congress or congressional staff member broke …

AP to bloggers: Stop maligning our stringers, chickenhawks  —  Another volley from Kathleen Carroll, the executive editor.  Last Friday, according to Times writer Tom Zeller, she told reporters it would be the height of foolishness to continue to engage the "mad blog rabble" (Zeller's words).

GOP Senator: Iraq War "May Be Criminal"  —  It's the kind of thing you'd expect to hear on Pacifica Radio, not in a speech by a Republican senator.  —  "I, for one, am at the end of my rope when it comes to supporting a policy that has our soldiers patrolling the same streets in the same way …

Bush Reaction to Report Worries Father's Aides  —  Former White House advisers to George H.W. Bush are keenly disappointed and concerned about the current President Bush's initial reaction to the report by the Iraq Study Group.  —  They consider him rather dismissive of the group's conclusions …

A True American Hero  —  Jeane Kirkpatrick, 1926-2006.  —  When I first met Jeane Kirkpatrick in 1972, she was an academic political scientist mainly interested in domestic politics.  She was also a Democrat and a close associate of Hubert Humphrey who, both as a senator …

Hey, Rosie O'Donnell: Did you teach your kids to speak "ching chong," too?  —  Typical Hollywood liberal: She's the first and loudest to accuse others of bigotry—pausing only to take a breath before practicing it herself.  Click to watch the video of Rosie O'Donnell on The View …

Rockford man charged in alleged terror plot  —  Video: Terror plot arrest  —  A 22-year-old Rockford man appeared in federal court in Chicago today, charged with plotting to set off hand grenades in a terror attack at a busy Rockford mall during the holiday season.

President slips to all-time low in the Zogby Poll as key demographic groups jump ship  —  The national job approval rating of President Bush has plummeted to 30%, an all-time low in the latest Zogby International telephone poll, sinking below the 31% approval rating he dropped to in early June.

Condoms 'too big' for Indian men  —  A survey of more than 1,000 men in India has concluded that condoms made according to international sizes are too large for a majority of Indian men.  —  The study found that more than half of the men measured had penises that were shorter than international standards for condoms.

It's a Cheney!  —  My only regret about Mary Cheney's pregnancy is that it didn't happen earlier — say, during the 2004 presidential race, when Cheney was working for her father's campaign and his running mate was busy trying to write discrimination against people like her into the Constitution.

Trading on political information  —  As part of its continuing coverage of hedge funds, the WSJ reports on how lobbyists are gathering tips on Congress' activities to these funds.  The strategy especially pays off with respect to legislation that's material to a small group of companies, like on the asbestos trust fund.

Press Briefing by Tony Snow  —  White House Conference Center Briefing Room  —  MR. SNOW: Hello, everybody.  I want to begin with two statements by the President, and then I will take your questions.  —  First, on the passing of former U.N. Ambassador Jean Kirkpatrick.  From the President.

Defense secretary laments Abu Ghraib in farewell  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Leaving office, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld bade a sometimes emotional farewell Friday, saying the single worst day of his nearly six years there was when he learned of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse in Iraq.

EXCLUSIVE: REP. HOLT SAYS HIS ELECTION REFORM LEGISLATION WILL REQUIRE 'VOTER-VERIFIED PAPER BALLOTS'  —  In a posted comment here at The BRAD BLOG, Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) has responded to an article we filed earlier this week in which we expressed concern about a recently quoted comment of his.