Sampson Grilled by Senators on U.S. Attorney Firings: Says Gonzales Made False Statements  —  NEW YORK We will keep an eye all day on the testimony, and grilling, of former Justice Department official Kyle Sampson at a U.S. Senate hearing today.  —  He offered his written testimony this morning …

Britain takes case against Iran to U.N.  —  UNITED NATIONS - Britain took its case to free its 15 sailors and marines held by Iran to the United Nations on Thursday, asking the Security Council to support a statement that would "deplore" Tehran's action and demand their immediate release.

A 'Law & Order' Presidential Candidate?  —  "Law & Order" star and former U.S. senator Fred Dalton Thompson is considering a bid for the White House that would test whether Hollywood can once again launch a Republican to the world's premier political stage.  —  His interest, confirmed …

Senate OKs war bill with Iraq timeline  —  WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats ignored a veto threat and pushed through a bill Thursday requiring President Bush to start withdrawing troops from "the civil war in Iraq," dealing a rare, sharp rebuke to a wartime commander in chief.

Democrats Fail to Impress in First 100 Days  —  Government Faulted on Vets' Care, Military Ratings Slip Post-Walter Reed  —  Summary of Findings  —  Also inside...  Reps see McCain, Giuliani and Romney as more moderate than "self"  —  Hillary and Obama Backers differ little on Iraq

Evil Americans, Poor Mullahs  —  Forty-eight percent of Germans think the United States is more dangerous than Iran, a new survey shows, with only 31 percent believing the opposite.  Germans' fundamental hypocrisy about the US suggests that it's high time for a new bout of re-education.

Democrats Are Building on Unity Over Iraq Pullout  —  No one has seemed more surprised by the Democrats' success in pushing an exit strategy for Iraq than the Democrats.  —  Their aggressiveness and unity on a major foreign-policy challenge to the president is a striking change for a party that has …

Bush, Rove, Crack Up Press Corp  —  White House adviser Karl Rove boogied, backed by NBC's David Gregory, Brian Wiliams burped the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and the President cracked wise, all to the general delight, and occasional gales of laughter, of journalists gathered …

Culture Of Corruption, Democrat Style  —  The new Congress has barely made it past its start before a new face has been put on lobbyist influence.  Dianne Feinstein, the senior Senator from California, has resigned her leadership position on a subcommittee which put billions of dollars into her family's business (via QandO):

MCCAIN STANDS IN THE GAP  —  Let's put aside for a moment McCain/Feingold and the right's other grievances against John McCain.  When it comes to the war on terror, is he the Lincoln of our time?  McCain has now launched a petition drive, under the name Surrender Is Not an Option.  McCain says:

Gore climate event turned away from D.C.  —  GOP senator says the proposed 'Live Earth' concert is partisan and shouldn't be at the Capitol.  —  WASHINGTON — When former Vice President Al Gore testified before Congress last week, his appearance was viewed as the triumph of environmentalists …

Bush's long history of tilting Justice  —  The administration began skewing federal law enforcement before the current U.S. attorney scandal, says a former Department of Justice lawyer.  —  THE SCANDAL unfolding around the firing of eight U.S. attorneys compels the conclusion …