White House Gears Up to Sell Plan for Troop Increase in Iraq  —  The White House is planning an aggressive effort to sell Congress and the American public on President Bush's new strategy for Iraq, beginning with a prime-time address to the nation on Wednesday night, followed Thursday …

The AC-130 gunship is capable of firing thousands of rounds per second.  —  (CBS/AP) A U.S. Air Force gunship has conducted a strike against suspected members of al Qaeda in Somalia, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports exclusively.  —  The targets included …

Left Behind  —  I'm afraid I'm going to get cranky about this: The Democrats who oppose the so-called "surge" are right.  But they have to be careful not to sound like ill-informed dilettantes when talking about it.  The latest to make a fool of himself is Paul Krugman of the New York Times …

Gov. offers bold prescription  —  All Californians would be required to carry medical insurance.  —  SACRAMENTO — Calling for massive changes throughout a healthcare system he called "broken," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday proposed a $12-billion plan that would require all Californians …

Bush and Abramoff have met.  Here is the photo.  —  As we saw as recently as last Friday, the Bush Administration has gone to great lengths to prevent any access to information documenting a relationship with Jack Abramoff.  But that relationship exists.  CREW was provided a photo …

Romney's $6.5M Day  —  BOSTON — Ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) said he was "blown away" by the $6.5 million his friends and family raised and pledged toward a presidential campaign today, a figure that may shoot a bright flare in the direction of Romney's potential 2008 rivals, most notably Sen. John McCain and Ex-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

RED STAR OVER VENEZUELA  —  Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez has signalled his true intentions with more clarity than ever today, announcing that he would expropriate:  —  1. All the phone lines  —  2. All the electricity  —  As this happened, a provincial governor from Bolivar state …

Democrats may deny funds for Iraq surge  —  WASHINGTON - In a blunt challenge to President Bush, the leader of the Senate's new Democratic majority said Monday he will "look at everything" within his power to wind down the war in Iraq, short of cutting off funding for troops already deployed.

Michelle Malkin's credibility, R.I.P.  —  It's time for warbloggers to find a new conspiracy theory to promote because their most recent one, which involved accusing the Associated Press of manufacturing a source in Iraq and colluding with the insurgents, blew up in their faces.

Blair refuses to match US troop 'surge' in Iraq  —  Tony Blair will make clear this week that Britain is not going to send more troops to Iraq even if the US pushes ahead with a "surge" of 20,000 extra soldiers.  —  The Prime Minister will insist that the UK will stick to its own strategy …

A Life in the Day: Bernard-Henri Levy  —  The French philosopher and writer, 58, is the author of 29 books.  Married to the actress Arielle Dombasle, 53, he has two children by previous marriages: Justine, 33, and Antonin, 25.  He lives in St-Paul-de-Vence, near Nice, and has homes in Paris, New York and Morocco

ACLU sues state police  —  PROVIDENCE — The Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union yesterday filed a federal lawsuit against the state police, alleging racial profiling and violation of the constitutional rights of 14 Guatemalan nationals during a July traffic stop …

The Human Failure of the Afghanistan Mission  —  A recurring theme in the situation in Afghanistan is the desperate manpower situation: there are so few troops to do the job that European countries like Germany had been criticized (by me, but also policy makers) for not allowing their troops enough leeway in joining combat operations.

The Anti-War Soldier Who Wasn't  —  A few days ago Rusty from The Jawa Report came across a website that is owned and operated by the Islamic Army of Iraq that purported to have a video of a US Marine telling the viewer how wrong the Iraq war was: … The video here: