NBC: 11 Republicans Berate Bush Over Iraq In Private White House Meeting  —  In a sign of the growing fissure between the White House and its congressional allies over the war, NBC News reports tonight that 11 Republican members of Congress pleaded yesterday with President Bush and his senior aides to change course in Iraq.

Cheney Makes Surprise Visit to Baghdad  —  Vice President Dick Cheney made an unannounced visit to Baghdad today, meeting with Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and other Iraqi leaders to pressure them to show more progress in quelling violence in Iraq, and to do so quickly.

Charges may result from firings, say two former U.S. attorneys  —  Two former U.S. attorneys said today they believe ongoing investigations into the dismissals last year of eight federal prosecutors could result in criminal charges against senior Justice Department officials.

All you need to know about the Beltway journalist mind  —  Radar Online has a new profile of presidential candidate Mike Gravel.  The article recounts what happened when the reporter, Jebediah Reed, basically followed Gravel as he was profiled by The Today Show.

US Embassy: wear flak jackets, helmets  —  BAGHDAD - The U.S. Embassy has ordered its staff to wear flak jackets and helmets while outdoors or in unprotected buildings following an increase in mortar and rocket attacks against the heavily protected Green Zone.

Giuliani Plans to Publicly Embrace Abortion Rights  —  After months of conflicting signals on abortion, Rudolph W. Giuliani is planning to offer a forthright affirmation of his support for abortion rights in public forums, television appearances and interviews in the coming days …

U.S. … FORT DIX, N.J. — The three brothers being charged as part of the alleged Fort Dix terror plot may have been smuggled across the southern border, FOX News has learned.  —  Dritan "Anthony" or "Tony" Duka, 28; Shain Duka, 26; and Eljvir "Elvis" Duka, 23, were in the United States illegally.

BILL RICHARDSON....Call me crazy, but am I the only one who thinks that these new ads from Bill Richardson are wildly, bizarrely, wrong?  Sure, they're funny, and I know they're aimed at those crazy hipsters who watch YouTube, not the old fogies who watch CNN, but still: isn't Richardson's whole problem …

On 'Codpieces' and Community: Strib's Boyd Discusses Editorial Page Shakeup  —  If you've ever heard the Star Tribune called the Red Star, you can probably blame Jim Boyd, at least in part.  As deputy editor of the paper's editorial page, he's one of a handful of editorial writers who plots …

The Sunni Awakening  —  The Albu Fahd tribe joins the Anbar Salvation Council and vows to fight al Qaeda in Iraq  —  Poster shows Sheikh Abu-Risha staring down figures representing Al Qaeda in Ramadi.  (Photo by Sam Dagher, CSM).  Click to view.  —  The Anbar Salvation Council …

Obey to Kucinich: #$%@!!!  —  Rep. Dave Obey (D-Wis.) is at it again.  He's already been captured on "YouTube" denouncing "idiot liberals" over the war.  —  Tuesday he went a step further.  He offended some fellow Democrats with delicate ears when he used extremely strong language …

The Real Case Against Mark Penn  —  I predicted a few weeks ago that we would start to see more stories about the bizarrely conflicting roles of one Mark Penn, who holds down the job of "Worldwide President and CEO" of the fifth-largest public relations firm in the universe (Burson-Marsteller) …