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.

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 …

Did informant aid Fort Dix plotters?  —  Entrapment defense may be presented in court for alleged plot against U.S.  —  CHERRY HILL, N.J. - He railed against the United States, helped scout out military installations for attack, offered to introduce his comrades to an arms dealer and gave …

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 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.

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. …

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.

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 …

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 …

Canadian Drugs, Eh?  —  Washington fights over an unwanted program.  —  Listen to Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe discuss importing drugs from Canada, and you'll hear endless happy talk about "more competitive prices," "substantial savings" and how "crucial" reimportation is to "the American consumer."

Edwards Says He Didn't Know About Subprime Push  —  The hedge fund that employed John Edwards markedly expanded its subprime lending business while he worked there, becoming a major player in the high-risk mortgage sector Edwards has pilloried in his presidential campaign.