Dems set war bill without Iraq timeline  —  WASHINGTON - In grudging concessions to President Bush, Democrats intend to draft an Iraq war-funding bill without a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and shorn of billions of dollars in spending on domestic programs, officials said Monday.

McCain Hits Romney Hard  —  Mitt Romney has been trying to make quite a bit of political hay out of the compromise immigration bill — he sees it as one of John McCain's key weaknesses as relates to the Republican base and a great way to differentiate himself as the One True Conservative in the race …

Edwards not involved in haircut  —  As he told the New York Times's Matt Bai of the haircut mess, "Other people arrange these things, and I wasn't personally involved in it."  —  To be fair, this one should probably just be filed, at least in part, under the weirdness of the campaign life …

Executive Summary: The Fiscal Cost of Low-Skill Immigrants to the U.S. Taxpayer  —  Each year, families and individuals pay taxes to the government and receive back a wide variety of services and benefits.  When the benefits and services received by one group exceed the taxes paid …

Pentagon Studies Long-Term Commitment in Iraq  —  · The White House and Pentagon are under increasing pressure from Congress and the public to end U.S. military involvement in Iraq.  But the Pentagon is considering maintaining a core group of forces in Iraq, possibly for decades.

Secret plans to turn staff into police informers  —  Council workers, charity staff and doctors will be required to tip off police about anyone whom they believe could commit a violent crime, under secret Home Office plans.  —  Civil liberties campaigners last night said that the proposal raised …

I'm pro-life, but not religious  —  AT ONE POINT during John Kerry's 2004 presidential run, the candidate told the press that as a matter of his "Catholic belief" he thought life began at conception and thus "oppose(d) abortion personally."  Being the modest sort, however …

The Ultimate Nineties Alt-Rock Playlist  —  By popular demand, you'll find the playlist for the Nineties Alt-Rock Party below.  A few words.  For one thing, this is just the songs in alphabetical order; at the party itself, the Party Shuffle was in effect.

Training Iraq's Death Squads  —  Tucked into the corner of Major Ali's mirror is a postcard displaying the handsome, airbrushed visage of Imam Hussein, the venerated Shiite martyr.  Ali probably needs no reminder of sacrifice when he sees his tired reflection.

Lead or Step Aside, EPA  —  It's bad enough that the federal government has yet to take the threat of global warming seriously, but it borders on malfeasance for it to block the efforts of states such as California and Connecticut that are trying to protect the public's health and welfare.

In 4th Decade On High Court, Stevens Stays True to Form  —  Justice Known for Dissents Enters Top 10 for Tenure  —  Those who wonder if Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens might be tiring of the same old same old after 31 years on the job won't find any evidence in the court's workload this term.

Iran's secret plan to force US out of Iraq in summer  —  Iran is secretly forging ties with al-Qaida elements and Sunni Arab militias in Iraq in preparation for a summer showdown with coalition forces intended to tip a wavering US Congress into voting for full military withdrawal, US officials say.

They're Ugly and Stupid and Nobody Likes Them  —  I know I've had boatloads of fun mocking wingnut bloggers for being the toenail clippings of the Mighty Wurlitzer, unable do anything but echo the messages that come down to them from on high while liberal blogs organize, raise money …

Disney Explains Reaction to Hamas Show  —  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - The Walt Disney Co. didn't speak out when Hamas militants used a Mickey Mouse look-alike to preach Islamic domination because the company felt it would be ineffective, Disney's chief executive said Monday.