More details on Flight 327 released  —  The inspector general for Homeland Security late Friday released new details of what federal air marshals say was a terrorist dry run aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 327 from Detroit to Los Angeles on June 29, 2004.  —  Several portions of the report remain redacted.

GOP rivals embrace unproven Iraq-9/11 tie  —  WASHINGTON — In defending the Iraq war, leading Republican presidential contenders are increasingly echoing words and phrases used by President Bush in the run-up to the war that reinforce the misleading impression that Iraq was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Bush's Monica problem: the Gonzales mess  —  Gonzales, the president's lawyer and Texas buddy, is twisting slowly in the wind, facing a vote of no confidence from the Senate.  —  The United States Department of Justice has not always been above politics.  John F. Kennedy, after all …

Doubts Grow as G.I.'s in Iraq Find Allies in Enemy Ranks  —  BAGHDAD — Staff Sgt. David Safstrom does not regret his previous tours in Iraq, not even a difficult second stint when two comrades were killed while trying to capture insurgents.  —  "In Mosul, in 2003, it felt like we were making the city a better place," he said.

U.S. rescues 42 Iraqis from Al Qaeda hideout  —  BAGHDAD — U.S. forces raided an Al Qaeda hide-out northeast of Baghdad on Sunday and freed 42 Iraqis imprisoned inside, including some who had been tortured and suffered broken bones, a senior U.S. military official said Sunday.

SO MY PANEL was on — hold your breath — blogging, and featured Anthony Duignan-Cabrera of Space.Com, Alan Boyle of MSNBC's Cosmic Log, Rob Pearlman of CollectSpace, and uber-spaceblogger Jeff Foust.  (Another uber-spaceblogger, Clark Lindsey, wasn't here, and was missed.)

'This Week' Immigration Showdown  —  Sen. Menendez and Secretary of Commerce Gutierrez Debate Family Reunification and the Proposed Immigration Reform  —  Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., spoke out against proposed immigration legislation in the Senate on ABC News' "This Week With George Stephanopoulos."

SHEEN RETHINKS NUTTY 9/11 FILM  —  SUPPORT for the loopy 9/11 documentary "Loose Change" - which argues that the World Trade Center terror attack was part of a secret U.S. government conspiracy - is quickly losing steam.  —  A source tells us Charlie Sheen "is having second thoughts" …

Bush sanctions 'black ops' against Iran  —  President George W Bush has given the CIA approval to launch covert "black" operations to achieve regime change in Iran, intelligence sources have revealed.  —  Mr Bush has signed an official document endorsing CIA plans for a propaganda …

Back to the Schools  —  Oh man.  I don't think I've seen anyone make a serious effort to argue that ongoing school construction endeavors in Iraq outweigh the fact that we aren't achieving any of our mission objectives, but apparently Chris Muir didn't get the memo that these talking points are inoperative:

Unflattering Books Cause Hardly a Ripple  —  Politics as Usual As Sen. Clinton Traverses Iowa  —  As Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) campaigned across Iowa this weekend, she was asked about the war in Iraq, illegal immigration and even whether her husband, former president Bill Clinton …

An Interreligious Conversation with MvdG: Part One  —  TMV Co-Blogger Michael vdG will ask me questions on his own blog and I will answer them here as time permits.  —  Michael begins by asking me what Jews believe about an Afterlife.  My best answer is, it depends!

Clueless  —  Of all the people who deserve some blame for the debacle in Iraq, don't forget the American public.  Today, about two-thirds of Americans oppose the war.  But back in March 2003, when United States troops stormed into Iraq, nearly three out of four Americans supported the invasion.

U.S. Security Contractors Open Fire in Baghdad  —  Blackwater Employees Were Involved in Two Shooting Incidents in Past Week  —  Employees of Blackwater USA, a private security firm under contract to the State Department, opened fire on the streets of Baghdad twice in two days last week …

Borger Predicts 'Mass Resignation' Of House Members Due To Stricter Ethics Standards  —  On Thursday, the House passed new ethics legislation "that would penalize lawmakers who receive a wide range of favors from special interests, and would require lobbyists to disclose the campaign contributions they collect and deliver to lawmakers."

Cheney delivers call to arms at West Point  —  VP warns graduates that 'nobody can promise us we won't be hit again'  —  WEST POINT, N.Y. - Vice President Dick Cheney on Saturday urged the 978 new graduates of the U.S. Military Academy to provide leadership to troops fighting terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan.