Bush and Democrats in Accord on Trade Deals  —  The Bush administration reached agreement on Thursday with the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and other Democrats to attach environmental and worker protections in several pending trade accords, clearing the way for early passage of some pacts and improving prospects for others.

A beautiful mosaic of anti-blogger hatred  —  Various prominent personages share their visceral contempt for blogs:  —  John Yoo at an April 18 Civil Liberties debate (via blogger Roger Ailes): … As Ailes says: "Yoo wishes they never existed because, unlike illegally-detained prisoners …

As Gas Prices Rise Again, Democrats Blame Big Oil  —  A week after U.S. gasoline prices hit a near-record $3.05 a gallon, Democrats in Congress are promoting legislation taking aim at the big oil companies, although industry experts say that the efforts aren't likely to have any effect.

Calvert to replace Doolittle on Appropriations panel  —  The House Republican Steering Committee appointed Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) to fill an open Appropriations Committee seat that has been vacated by embattled Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.).  —  Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) …

How the CIA Failed America  —  George Tenet sets the stage in his memoir by recalling a conversation he claims to have had with me on Sept. 12, 2001: "As I walked beneath the awning that leads to the West Wing[, I] saw Richard Perle exiting the building just as I was about to enter. …

Gun Shy  —  Sipping soda from a straw and leaning on his elbows at Perkins, Troy Scheffler seems harmless enough.  The 31-year-old Hamline University grad student resembles a post-Pulp Fiction John Travolta—slightly overstuffed, with graying sideburns and a small, tense smile.

Bush open to benchmarks for Iraq … WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush said Thursday he will veto any bill with "haphazard, piecemeal funding," but agreed that setting benchmarks is a good way to evaluate progress in Iraq.  —  Bush said he has asked his chief of staff, Josh Bolten …

Lawmaker: Fort Dix hero may need immunity  —  The New Jersey store clerk whose tip led to the arrest of six terror suspects needs legislative protection from being sued as a "John Doe" or whistleblower, lawmakers said yesterday.  —  "The events in Fort Dix are just another reminder of the need …

The Religion Test  —  John F. Kennedy's election in 1960 was supposed to have laid the "religious question" to rest, yet it arises again with a fury.  What does the Constitution mean when it says there should be no religion test for office?  It plainly means that a candidate can't be barred …

Poll: Congress' Approval Same As Bush  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - People think the Democratic-led Congress is doing just as dreary a job as President Bush, following four months of bitter political standoffs that have seen little progress on Iraq and a host of domestic issues.

Karl Rove's big election-fraud hoax  —  By evil chance, I spent the Saturday night before Election Day 2000 at a jolly dinner for high-level Republicans.  Most of the talk over the entrees concerned why then-candidate George W. Bush had been too pusillanimous to tell the voters that Al Gore …

President Open to Benchmarks in Iraq Measure  —  Hours before the House approved a plan on Thursday to finance the Iraq war only through midsummer, President Bush offered his first public concession to try to resolve the impasse on war spending, acknowledging rising pressure from his own party and the public.

Delicate Flowers  —  I was at a big old get together yesterday evening featuring some people from the blogosphere, some old media types, folks with old media origins who now do some new media work, folks with new media origins who now work for MSM outlets, and even some people who aren't journalists …

CBS fires Gen. Batiste over VoteVets ad.  —  Iraq veteran Gen. John Batiste "has been asked to leave his position as a consultant to CBS News" over a new VoteVets ad criticizing the Iraq war.  He was interviewed tonight by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann.  Watch it:  —  Digg It!  —  The URI to TrackBack this entry is:

John Edwards' big ideas costly  —  WASHINGTON - Presidential candidate John Edwards is offering more policy proposals than any other candidate in the primary and his ideas are winning loud applause from Democratic audiences.  —  The question is whether other voters will cheer when they see the price tag …

Romney Works to Put Skeptics' Doubts to Rest  —  Bart Pals, a county chairman for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, had been given talking points to use when he introduced the former Massachusetts governor at an event in northern Iowa on Wednesday.  —  But Mr. Pals chose to depart …

Bloggers could be dead link for Clinton  —  As Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination, her biggest opposition may not come from primary rivals or Republican challengers, but rather from the leftist blog community that often views her as a political punching bag.