SHE'S DEFACE OF ROSIE REVENGE  —  ROSIE O'Donnell left "The View" with a bang, not a whimper, following her on-air smackdown with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck on Wednesday.  —  Yesterday, Rosie's chief writer, Janette Barber, was allegedly escorted from the building after she was caught drawing moustaches …

Shiite Cleric Appears in Iraq After Stay in Iran  —  The powerful Iraqi cleric Moktada al- Sadr surfaced in his home base of Kufa in southern Iraq today, delivering a sermon in a local mosque after what American intelligence officials called a four-month sojourn in Iran.

John Boehner Breaks Down Again, Weeps Openly On House Floor During Iraq Debate  —  Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) broke down on the House floor today, sobbing uncontrollably as he urged his colleagues to vote in favor of the $100 billion Iraq war spending bill.

NBC: CIA warned of risks of war in the Mideast  —  Pre-war reports say agency predicted dangers of toppling Saddam's regime  —  Men place the coffin of an attack victim atop a vehicle in Baghdad on Friday.  —  NBC News Investigative Unit  —  In a move sure to raise even more questions …

See You in September  —  "Let's grow up, conservatives!"  —  Barry M. Goldwater's declaration at the 1960 Republican National Convention was designed to quell a rebellion against Richard M. Nixon, whom conservatives saw as selling out to liberals on various platform planks.

Inquiry widens into Justice Department hiring  —  The move follows testimony by a former Gonzales aide that she had considered politics in screening applicants.  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has broadened an internal investigation into whether aides to Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales …

Prosecutors: Up to 3 years for Libby  —  WASHINGTON - Former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has shown no remorse for corrupting the legal system and deserves to spend 2 1/2 to 3 years in prison for obstructing the CIA leak investigation, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said Friday.

McCain responds and then some  —  McCain responds to Obama in tough enough, if predictable, language:  —  "While Senator Obama's two years in the U.S. Senate certainly entitle him to vote against funding our troops, my service and experience combined with conversations with military leaders …

Colombia to honor Bill Clinton amid growing Democrat scrutiny  —  BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombia will honor former President Clinton for his efforts to reverse the country's image for violence and drugs at a gala event next month in New York City.  —  The June 8 event may become a political lightning rod …

Saudis arrest Christian for entering Mecca  —  Saudi officials have arrested a man in Mecca for being a Christian, saying that the city, which Muslims consider to be holy, is off-limits to non-Muslims.  —  Nirosh Kamanda, a Sri Lankan Christian, was detained by the Saudi Expatriates Monitoring Committee …

Fact-Checking Valerie Plame Wilson, Pt. 1  —  The Senate Intelligence Committee has just released a new report as part of its continuing investigation into prewar intelligence.  In the report, the committee's vice chairman, Republican Sen. Christopher Bond, has included a set of "additional views" …

More Than Ever, It Pays to Be the Top Executive  —  Like most companies, Office Depot has long made sure that its chief executive was the highest-paid employee.  Ten years ago, the $2.2 million pay package of its chief was more than double that of his No. 2.  The fifth-ranked executive received less than one-third.

THE END OF THE DREAM....Everyone knows that income inequality has been widening dramatically in the past three decades, as the rich get (lots) richer and the working class mostly stagnates.  But hey — this is America!  At least we still have lots of social mobility, right?

Letting Fear Rule  —  Nativism Is a Recipe for Long-Term GOP Losses  —  In 1882, Congress passed and President Chester Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act.  Today we don't name laws as bluntly as we used to.  But anti-immigrant sentiments are very much alive, this time expressed …

Cheney's Iran Fantasy  —  I can confirm, through military and intelligence sources, part of Steve Clemons' account of Cheney's crazed bellicosity regarding Iran.  In fact, having just received a second-source confirmation of the following story, I was intending to post it today: