Patterns of War Shift Amid U.S. Force Buildup  —  Nearly two months into the new security push in Baghdad, there has been some success in reducing the number of death squad victims found crumpled in the streets each day.  —  And while the overall death rates for all of Iraq have not dropped significantly …

GOP-issued laptops now a White House headache  —  Democrats say a private e-mail system was used in violation of federal rules.  —  WASHINGTON — When Karl Rove and his top deputies arrived at the White House in 2001, the Republican National Committee provided them with laptop computers …

A Call for Manners in the World of Nasty Blogs  —  Is it too late to bring civility to the Web?  —  The conversational free-for-all on the Internet known as the blogosphere can be a prickly and unpleasant place.  Now, a few high-profile figures in high-tech are proposing a blogger code …

Gingrich Assails Gonzales on Prosecutor Firings  —  Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, today became the latest Republican to criticize Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales for the controversial dismissals of eight United States attorneys and said Mr. Gonzales should consider stepping down.

White House says economic surge robust  —  WASHINGTON (Map, News) - The White House says the economic surge that began five and a half years ago on President Bush's watch is more robust than the much-touted expansion during the Clinton administration.  —  "This is a much stronger expansion …

President Renewing Efforts on Immigration  —  Plan for Overhaul Faces Battle in Divided Congress  —  President Bush will relaunch his push for an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws today in Arizona, with a fresh speech on the border and a new congressional leadership that is friendlier to his views …

The right-wing brain in action  —  (updated below - Update II - Update III)  —  Michael Ledeen, the Corner, today: … Glenn Reynolds, linking to that post, today: … Glenn Reynolds, November 4, 2006 — a mere 5 months ago: … Yes: "untermenschen" — that, as Reynolds and Ledeen …

Guantanamo detainees resume hunger strike  —  Prisoners protest a move into a harsher facility, according to their lawyers.  —  MIAMI — Terrorism suspects at a maximum-security prison at the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have resumed a mass hunger strike to protest the conditions …

WHY IS "WALTER MURPHY" ON THE NO-FLY LIST?:  Over at Balkinization, Mark Graber posts a story from Walter Murphy, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence Emeritus at Princeton (and the author of one of my favorite books, Wiretapping on Trial), about having his name appear on the No-Fly List.

The Tribune Company Sale: An Object Lesson in the Price of Biased Reporting?  —  OVERVIEW: I believe that the sale of The Tribune Company last week to investor Sam Zell is an unrecognized low-water mark in the newspaper publishing business.  In fact, after subtracting the value …

Bush's approval rating sits below 40%  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush is reaching levels of consistency that no White House would want.  —  Bush's job-approval rating in a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Monday through Thursday is 38%.  His standing has stayed below 40% for seven consecutive months.

For Thompson, Delay Is Costly  —  Money, Support Head  —  To Declared Candidates  —  In Run for White House  —  WASHINGTON — If Fred Thompson decides to run for president, he will have some powerful supporters: The self-described "Tennessee Mafia," a group of Republican politicians …

Huckabee Takes A Shot At Romney's Hunting  —  Former Arkansas Gov. Says American People Just Want To Hear The Truth  —  (CBS/AP) GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney was wrong to suggest he was a lifelong hunter even though he never took out a license, campaign rival Mike Huckabee said Sunday on Face The Nation.

Why So Gloomy?  —  Judging from the media in recent months, the debate over global warming is now over.  There has been a net warming of the earth over the last century and a half, and our greenhouse gas emissions are contributing at some level.  Both of these statements are almost certainly true.