Rove E-Mail Sought by Congress May Be Missing  —  RNC Took Away His Access to Delete Files in 2005  —  A lawyer for the Republican National Committee told congressional staff members yesterday that the RNC is missing at least four years' worth of e-mail from White House senior adviser Karl Rove …

Pressure grows on World Bank boss  —  The executive board of the World Bank has said it did not approve a hefty pay rise ordered by its president Paul Wolfowitz for his partner.  —  Mr Wolfowitz has faced calls to resign after admitting he helped Shaha Riza win a promotion to a high-paying job at the international lender.

White House Claims Bush Was In The Dark About Iraq Troop Extensions, Fueling Speculation  —  On Tuesday, President Bush addressed the American Legion and accused Congress of forcing U.S. troops to extend their deployments in Iraq: … The very next day, his own Pentagon announced …

The Worst Person in the World—Continued  —  Solidarity with Karen...Keith Olbermann and I share a beloved high school English teacher—Arthur Naething.  We've done tributes together for the guy.  I love the way Keith writes and thinks.  I love his program.

DON'T FEEL TOO SORRY FOR THE DUKIES  —  Mike Nifong, the North Carolina prosecutor who pursued a case of rape and kidnapping against three Duke University lacrosse players, has been found to have been reckless and deceitful in the discharge of his duties according to the state's attorney general.

CONSERVATIVES DECRY POLITICIZATION OF THE FDA.  Oh, this is rich: The Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America are suing the FDA over the agency's approval of Plan B emergency contraception for over-the-counter sale.  Their complaint?  The FDA's decision was politically motivated.

The Surge: First Fruits  —  By the day, the debate at home about Iraq becomes increasingly disconnected from the realities of the war on the ground.  The Democrats in Congress are so consumed with negotiating among their factions the most clever linguistic device to legislatively ensure …

In White House Plan, War 'Czar' Would Cut Through Bureaucracy  —  When the commanding general in Iraq needed people for a rule-of-law initiative, he had to send a memo to the U.S. Central Command.  That command forwarded it to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  The Joint Chiefs forwarded it to the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

The prospect of all-female conception  —  Women might soon be able to produce sperm in a development that could allow lesbian couples to have their own biological daughters, according to a pioneering study published today.  —  Scientists are seeking ethical permission to produce synthetic sperm cells …

Zogby Poll: Giuliani, Clinton Hold Wide Leads in Nevada  —  Giuliani leads Republicans with 37% support and Clinton tops Democrat rivals at 35% as other major candidates lag behind  —  Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has surged to a double-digit lead over his Republican rivals …

Democratic politicians lose a soapbox with Imus  —  His show gave many of them a way to reach a national audience of white males — a crucial voting bloc.  —  WASHINGTON — They came by the hundreds that hot August day in tiny Johnson City, Tenn., gathering on an asphalt parking lot to meet …

President Bush Attends National Catholic Prayer Breakfast  —  Washington, D.C.  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all; please be seated.  Good morning.  Thank you.  It's good to be with you.  You know how to make a Methodist feel right at home.  (Laughter.)

Important Guest Post: Modern Foreign Policy Execution  —  Mark Safranski, the ZenPundit of 4GW (fourth generation warfare), has earned quite a deserved reputation for his studies.  This, of course, is an essential subject - indeed, critical to the accomplishment of U.S. foreign policy in an asymmetrical warfare world.