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.

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.

Pre-Spin Room Thoughts: McCain, Rudy, Romney  —  Invoking the Roger Simon rule: in my judgment, John McCain convincingly and incontrovertibly won tonight's debate.  He was strong, confident, answered tough questions with ease and dispatch, and seemed the most presidential.

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 …

Qassam Attack  —  So far tonight, 9 Qassam rockets have been fired at Israel, 7 hitting Sderot.  A 44-year-old woman has been moderately to seriously wounded, and her 4-year-old son lightly hurt when one of the rockets scored a direct hit on their home.  A rocket hit another house in Sderot, and another a schoolyard.

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.

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 …