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: 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.

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 …

Yes, Hypocrisy Matters  —  It's no surprise to see that James Kirchick, assistant to New Republic editor in chief Martin Peretz, shares his patron's passion for the cause of keeping Paul Wolfowitz in office at the World Bank.  Kirchick says Wolfowitz's critics are making baseless charges …

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 …

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.

Bloomberg poised for third-party campaign  —  New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is prepared to spend an unprecedented $1 billion of his own $5.5 billion personal fortune for a third-party presidential campaign, personal friends of the mayor tell The Washington Times.

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.