THE HOUR IS LATE  —  From Baghdad comes news of a popular uprising against al Qaeda: … We have noted a number of similar stories over the past several years.  No doubt a large majority of Iraqis have little sympathy for al Qaeda and other extremist groups, and want the violence to end.

RNC fires phone solicitors  —  The Republican National Committee, hit by a grass-roots donors' rebellion over President Bush's immigration policy, has fired all 65 of its telephone solicitors, Ralph Z. Hallow will report Friday in The Washington Times.  —  Faced with an estimated 40 percent fall-off …

A spreading terror  —  Iraq now set up as a school for insurgents ready to be exported, says GEORGIE ANNE GEYER  —  Anyone who knows anything about cancer knows that the danger point comes when the cancer suddenly and unexpectedly appears in another supposedly "clean" part of the body.

Inspector Ignored Warning On TB Patient  —  Man Quarantined With Dangerous Strain Of Tuberculosis ID'd As Lawyer And Son-In-Law Of CDC Microbiologist  —  (CBS/AP) A U.S. border inspector who allowed an Atlanta lawyer infected with a dangerous strain of tuberculosis back into the country …

McCain Agrees We Need a Cap To Maintain "White, Christian, Male Power Structure"  —  John McCain's campaign posted this YouTube clip of the Senator on the O'Reilly Factor:  —  Near the end of the video, there was this exchange:  —  Bill O'Reilly: But do you understand what the New York Times wants, and the far-left want?

Endgame Ahead  —  While the rest of us enjoyed our holiday, 10 more Americans were killed in Iraq on Memorial Day — adding to the human toll of that accursed war.  —  This summer threatens to bring more such grim days as the expanded ground forces move deeper into Baghdad neighborhoods …

President Bush Discusses United States International Development Agenda  —  Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center  —  Washington, D.C.  —  MRS. BUSH: Thank you, George, for that kind introduction.  Thanks to the United States Global Leadership Council for hosting us this morning.

NASA Chief Questions Urgency of Global Warming  —  · NASA administrator Michael Griffin defends the space agency's programs, including plans for a permanent moon base and manned missions to Mars.  He also says that while NASA studies climate change, the agency has no authorization to …

The Final Option  —  Left to Right: Lieutenant Colonel Doug Crissman; General Hamid; Sayed the interpreter.  Seconds after this photo, LTC Doug Crissman grabbed General Hamid's pistol.  (Note: the pistol was already unsnapped.)  —  Hit, Anbar Province, Iraq

The Case for Conservatism  —  Conservatism's recovery of its intellectual equilibrium requires a confident explanation of why America has two parties and why the conservative one is preferable.  Today's political argument involves perennial themes that give it more seriousness than many participants understand.

Why Do We Stay In Iraq?  —  Josh Marshall heads down the path to madness in order  —  to try to answer that question.  —  The answer is unknowable because there isn't one.  There are a variety of powerful actors who have different motives.  It's as true, if not more true …

Man says he's got a new Loch Ness video  —  EDINBURGH, Scotland - The Loch Ness monster is back — and there's video.  A man has captured what Nessie watchers say is possible footage of the supposed mythical creature beneath Scotland's most mysterious lake.

Living in Terror  —  Let me ask you a hypothetical question.  What do you think America would do if Canadian soldiers were firing dozens of missiles every day into Buffalo, N.Y.?  What do you think our response would be if Mexican troops for two years had launched daily rocket attacks on San Diego — and bragged about it?

Mitt Romney's Disappointing Campaign  —  Mitt Romney is the fastest-talking presidential candidate I have ever seen.  He dashes through his stump speech like a racehorse in full gallop — he even looks a bit equine — his feet barely touching the ground as he skims the surface of issues.

NINE DAYS AFTER PHOTOS RELEASED, NETS AND TOP PAPERS SILENT OVER AL-QAEDA TORTURE HOUSE  —  Yet Top Media Ran More Than 6,000 Stories on Abu Ghraib Abuses  —  "The elite media's liberal bias is abundantly clear in this case.  U.S. soldiers raided several al-Qaeda safe houses in Iraq …

John Edwards: 'I read Iraq report'  —  John Edwards told a Google "town hall" yesterday that he had read the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate, the summary of the evidence that led to war in Iraq.  —  "There was this National Intelligence Estimate, that was confidential, that only …

OF ASHES AND SASHES  —  Vacancy Signs Point to a Very "Special" Summer  —  Just as Ben Franklin assured us of two certainties in life, let the Crystal Ball assure you of two certainties in congressional special elections this year: deaths and taxpayer-funded University posts will be the cause …

Fred Thompson, "tough guy" and "folksy cultural conservative"  —  Newsweek's Howard Fineman — last seen expressing admiration for the "reassuring" "male" qualities exuded by the GOP presidential field — was on Hardball last night heaping praise on Fred Thompson.