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.

THE PANDAGON PAPERS  —  [Strong content warning - ed.]  —  Dear Senator Edwards:  —  I am f**king delighted to accept your offer of the position of Official Blogger for the Edwards 2008 presidential campaign.  Please find attached my f**king W-2 form.  —  I would like to express …

The Libby Trial: Why Did Tim Russert Fight So Hard to Avoid Telling the Grand Jury What He Had Already Told the FBI?  —  Tim Russert hobbled into the courtroom this afternoon on crutches.  When he left the stand at the end of the day (slated to return for more cross-examination tomorrow) …

Russert Says He Didn't Tell Libby About CIA Officer  —  Journalist Says He Learned Plame's Role After Leak  —  Tim Russert, the Washington bureau chief for NBC News, yesterday swiftly and firmly rejected I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's assertion that the journalist revealed the identity …

NANCY PELOSI RIDES A GAS-GUZZLING SUV TO A ... GLOBAL-WARMING HEARING!  — Many, if not all, Chevrolet Tahoe models are not available in Pelosi's home state of California because they do not meet the state's environmental standards  —  As if the flap over Nancy Pelosi's private military jet …

Charged Astronaut Returns to Texas  —  HOUSTON (AP) - Hiding her face from the cameras, astronaut Lisa Nowak returned to Texas on Wednesday, a day after being charged in Florida with trying to murder the woman she believed was her romantic rival for a space shuttle pilot's affections.

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.

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?

Kaizen, That Continuous Improvement Strategy, Finds Its Ideal Environment  —  Remember when Japanese manufacturing techniques were all the rage?  You could hardly read the business press without encountering mention of "lean manufacturing," "just-in-time inventory systems" and "total quality management."

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 …

NY Times publisher: Our goal is to manage the transition from print to internet  —  Despite his personal fortune and impressive lineage, Arthur Sulzberger, owner, chairman and publisher of the most respected newspaper in the world, is a stressed man.  —  Why would the man behind the New York Times be stressed?

The climate of climate change research keeps getting chillier  —  Following up on my two previous posts on the atmosphere building up in the field of climate science I see that Roger Pielke is reporting that two state's governors are trying to remove their state climatologists from their position due …