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.

Traces of C4 at Port of Miami  —  Test show traces of C4 at the Port of Miami, yes, this is breaking news on Fox, right now.  Related to the non-event yesterday?  I'm at work dagnabit and can't monitor the news from here.  —  Word is that they have restricted the airspace over the Port, including news helicopters.

Investments in the Red  —  Investors normally don't like to hear that their investments are "in the red," but there's a new exception for Republican investors who want their investing strategy to support their political point of view.  From the New York Times comes this story (also online here) …

New Saddam Execution Video  —  A video showing Saddam Hussein shortly after he was executed has emerged on the internet.  The video and images from it are shown below.  The first uncut, uncensored, unedited video showing Saddam Hussein executed caused quite a stir.

PAUL KRUGMAN: Quagmire of the Vanities  —  The only real question about the planned "surge" in Iraq — which is better described as a Vietnam-style escalation — is whether its proponents are cynical or delusional.  —  Senator Joseph Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, thinks they're cynical.

Romney kicks off presidential campaign with fundraising blitz  —  BOSTON —Republican Mitt Romney gathered more than 350 of his strongest supporters for a glitzy fundraising blitz Monday aimed not only at financing his fledgling presidential campaign, but also scaring off potential rivals and putting existing ones on notice.

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.

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.

New in America: Not Muslim, No Taxi  —  Islamic taxi drivers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport are refusing passengers carrying alcohol and blind folks with seeing-eye dogs because the animals' saliva is sacrilege according to Sharia law.  —  The enterprising Muslims during …

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 …

The War Against Global Jihadism  —  President Bush has said that the war against global jihadism is more than a military conflict; it is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century.  We are still in the early years of the struggle.  The civilized world will either rise to the challenge …

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 …

Til we meet again  —  So today's the last day of this humble blog's existence—though I hear there might be some fireworks here tomorrow (and of course I'll keep all the archives available).  Thanks to everyone who's stopped by in the past week to pay respects, offer condolences, ask me to keep at it, or just say hello.

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 …

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.

A Heavier Iraq 'Footprint'  —  The fastest way home is a bolder strategy now.  —  President Bush is set to announce his new strategy for Iraq this week, and the early signs are that it will include both more American and Iraqi troops to improve security, especially in Baghdad.

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."