Tim Russert, on The Uncomfortable Side of a Question  —  From the moment he hobbled into the wood-paneled courtroom on a single crutch from an ankle injury, Tim Russert seemed very different from the familiar television figure of Sunday morning combat.  —  He was careful, sober and subdued.

7 GOP Senators Back War Debate  —  Lawmakers Had Blocked Action on Troop Resolution  —  Senate Republicans who earlier this week helped block deliberations on a resolution opposing President Bush's new troop deployments in Iraq changed course yesterday and vowed to use every tactic at their disposal to ensure a full and open debate.

Pentagon limits Pelosi jet size  —  The Department of Defense yesterday sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that puts limits on the size of the plane she may use to travel across the country and restricts the guests she can bring, The Washington Times has learned.

Mormon Candidate Braces for Religion as Issue  —  As he begins campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, is facing a threshold issue: Will his religion — he is a Mormon — be a big obstacle to winning the White House?

Copter Crashes Suggest Change in Iraqi Tactics  —  With two more helicopter crashes near Baghdad, including a Marine transport crash on Wednesday that killed seven people, the number of helicopters that have gone down in Iraq over the past three weeks rose to six.

Bush Wants Funding Jump for Anti-Drug Ads Rated as Useless  —  President Bush has proposed a significant jump in funding for an anti-drug advertising campaign that government-funded research shows is at best useless and at worst has increased drug use among some teens.

Veterans Group Speaks Out on War  —  Congressional Democrats Let VoteVets.org Talk for Them, Bluntly  —  When Iraq war veteran Jon Soltz accused Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) of "aiding the enemy," the Democratic senators gathered around him yesterday did not wince.

Jonah Goldberg Day!  —  Two years ago today, Jonah Goldberg threw down the following challenge to Juan Cole: … Since Goldberg enjoys throwing a little smear-job in with his punditry, he also offered this: … Got it.  So we have a prediction, along with the insinuation that Professor Cole …

MANY 1967-72 SPITTING INCIDENTS ARE DOCUMENTED IN THE PRESS.  Hundreds of Vietnam-era veterans have publicly claimed in recent decades that they were spat on by citizens or anti-war protesters because of their military status either before they went to Vietnam, on leave, or after their return from overseas.

Atlanta officers to face murder indictment  —  Fulton DA seeks charges in shooting of elderly woman in her home  —  Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard will seek criminal charges, including felony murder, against three Atlanta narcotics officers involved in a botched drug raid …

Railroad Firms Bringing Aboard Lawmakers' Lobbyist Relatives  —  The railroad industry is hiring relatives of Capitol Hill lawmakers and staff members as it faces tighter federal safety legislation, employing a tactic untouched by the Democrats' new ethics proposals: lobbying by congressional family members.