Exclusive: Bush Picks a Replacement for Harriet Miers  —  In a signal that he could be open to working more closely with congressional Democrats rather than stonewalling, President Bush plans to name the widely respected Republican lawyer Fred F. Fielding as White House counsel this week, party sources tell TIME.

If U.S. drops the ball, Iraq shatters  —  The U.S. must bring all Iraqis to the negotiating table while maintaining support for a Shiite-led government.  —  MORE THAN a year after the December 2005 Iraqi parliamentary elections, which resulted in the appointment of a four-year Shiite-led government in Iraq …

The Smart Surge: Diplomacy  —  The odds are that this week President Bush will announce a "surge" of up to 20,000 additional U.S. troops into Iraq.  Will this deliver a "win"?  Probably not.  But it will distract us from facing the deep-seated regional issues that must be resolved.

Gas Smelled Over Large Area Of Manhattan  —  NEW YORK — People over a large part of New York City are smelling a gas, but no cause has been identified.  —  Numerous people have called 911 concerned about the odor.  Con Edison, the Fire Department and the U.S. Coast Guard are investigating.

BOMB SQUAD DETONATES SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE AT PORT OF MIAMI  —  MIAMI — A suspicious device was found Monday at the Port of Miami, and later detonated, according to officials.  —  Officials later gave the "all clear" sign for the area.  —  A spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police …

Slimmer Time in the Age of the Internet  —  Richard Stengel, the managing editor of Time, took his wife and kids out to dinner Friday night.  —  As historic moments go, not a big deal, but it does reflect a seismic change.  Time magazine, which has been coming out every Monday for over 36 years, hit the streets on Friday instead.

Pajamas Media and "major embarrassment" — connect the dots  —  (1) Michael Ledeen of the American Enterprise Institute (and a Contributing Editor of National Review), on his Pajamas Media blog last Thursday: "BREAKING NEWS -Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, is dead."

Intel: A Writer's Blocked  —  A CIA panel has told former officer Valerie Plame she can't write about her undercover work for the agency, a position that may threaten a lucrative book project with her publisher.  Plame's outing as a CIA officer in July 2003 triggered a criminal probe …

ATTENTION: War supporters - your country needs you  —  (updated below - updated again)  —  One of the two principal architects of the "surge" strategy about to be adopted by the President is Frederick Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute.  He recently appeared at an AEI event …

Tax Cuts Offer Most for Very Rich, Study Says  —  Families earning more than $1 million a year saw their federal tax rates drop more sharply than any group in the country as a result of President Bush's tax cuts, according to a new Congressional study.  —  The study, by the nonpartisan …

Lieberman on Surge: What's "The Worst that Could Happen"?  —  Over the weekend, I caught a snippet of CSPAN's coverage of the McCain/Lieberman "surge" party at the American Enterprise Institute.  It was after all the speeches, with the Senators kibitzing with reporters as the hour ran down.

As Obesity Fight Hits Cafeteria, Many Fear a Note From School  —  Cassie Allen, 15, left, says other children have called her "anorexic."  Holly Berguson, 17, center, says "who you are" counts more than how you look.  Karlind Dunbar, 6, has been anxious about eating, her mother says.

Rep. Keith Ellison's Excellent Opportunity  —  To: Congressman Keith Ellison, Fifth District, Minnesota  —  You have been elected to serve the Fifth District of Minnesota in the United States House of Representatives.  This is a crucially important opportunity, not only for all of your …

VIDEO FLASHBACK: Bush Says Sending More Troops To Iraq Would 'Undermine Our Strategy'  —  On Wednesday night, President Bush is expected to announce plans to escalate the war in Iraq by sending more U.S. troops.  On June 28, 2005 — just 18 months ago — Bush said that sending more troops to Iraq would …

Commanders seek more forces in Afghanistan  —  Taliban prepare offensive against US, NATO troops  —  General James T. Conway wants a US Marine battalion sent.  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban forces, shattered and ejected from Afghanistan by the US military five years ago …

Free-Market Justice  —  SIXTEEN years as a state trial judge have left me with a deep respect for the professionalism and competence of the public defenders who handle felony cases for indigent criminal defendants in my courtroom.  In fact, I've told friends, only half-jokingly …