Gonzales Pressed Ailing Ashcroft on Spy Plan, Aide Says  —  On the night of March 10, 2004, a high-ranking Justice Department official rushed to a Washington hospital to prevent two White House aides from taking advantage of the critically ill Attorney General, John Ashcroft, the official testified today.

Jerry Falwell dies at age 73  —  One of the nation's most notorious TV preachers, Jerry Falwell, died today in Lynchburg, Va. … More soon.  —  Update: I have to admit, writing about Falwell's death poses an awkward challenge for me.  When I worked at Americans United for Separation …

Bush Taps New 'War Czar'  —  ABC News Learns Pentagon Official Selected to Oversee Iraq, Afghanistan Wars  —  After a frustrating search for a new "war czar" to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, ABC News has learned that President Bush has chosen the Pentagon's director of operations, Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, for the role.

Video: Rudy blasts Ron Paul's apology for 9/11  —  Ahem.  —  The smartass reply would have been to ask Paul whether, if in fact conditions in Iraq precipitated 9/11, it wasn't perfectly appropriate then to take extreme measures to try to remedy those conditions afterwards.

Video: MSNBC quotes WhiteHouse.org on Falwell's political influence  —  Yeah, WhiteHouse.org.  The most infamous, relentlessly anti-Bush parody site on the 'Net.  —  You can imagine how it played out.  Producer to intern: "We need a fawning description of him from the White House website …

Exclusive: Thompson Responds to Michael Moore Challenge  —  Breitbart.tv Exclusive: The confrontation over Cuba continues.  Michael Moore has challenged Fred Thompson to a health care debate.  At issue — Moore's trip to Cuba and Thompson's criticism of that trip.

Palmetto Punditry  —  The debate took a while to gain any traction, but there were some clarifying moments for me.  The questions were often excellent - especially the tough ones at the beginning about the war.  The Republicans, we learned, have absolutely no idea what to do about Iraq.

Experts: IAEA chief exaggerated Iranian nuclear progress  —  Reliable information or a diplomatic manipulation - that is the big question surrounding the statements on Monday by Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to the effect that Iran has achieved …

Wolfowitz Out?  —  White House Opens Door for Wolfowitz Ouster  —  World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz is fighting for his job amid a conflict of interest controversy that centers around his personal relationship with his girlfriend — a longtime World Bank employee.

Sources: Senate GOP on Verge of Amnesty Deal  —  Sources on Capitol Hill tell me the Senate may be very close to a deal on comprehensive immigration reform.  —  But as the immigration deal comes together, Senate conservatives are growing uneasy about the state of the negotiations …

Surging Ahead in Iraq  —  The new strategy can work.  But Washington has to give it time.  —  There is a serious and widening disconnect between the timetables that commanders are using to guide their actions in Iraq and those being demanded by politicians in Washington.

In Study, College-Prep Classes Left Many Unready  —  Only one-quarter of high school students who take a full set of college-preparatory courses — four years of English and three each of mathematics, science and social studies — are well prepared for college, according to a new study …

Longtime Omaha GOP Pol Explores Bid for Hagel's Senate Seat  —  Nebraska Republican Hal Daub — who spent most of the 1980s in the U.S. House, staged two unsuccessful Senate bids and later was mayor of Omaha — said Tuesday that he is seriously considering a campaign for the Senate seat …