A HUGE loss : RIP  —  His ongoing struggle with an ailing heart is now past, as that extraordinary blogger, Steve Gilliard, has died.  —  He was only 41.  —  You will find many who will note this with sadness, as do I. They'll speak of his powerful words, his unrelenting moral insistence.

Zakaria: How to Restore America's Place in the World  —  What the world needs is an open, confident America.  —  Newsweek International  —  In the fall of 1982, I arrived in the United States as an 18-year-old student from India.  The country was in rough shape.

Proclaiming Liberalism, and What It Now Means  —  The struggle among conservatives to define their movement in the post-Bush era may be getting more attention these days, but liberal intellectuals and writers are doing some soul-searching of their own.  Not only are they trying to figure out what …

Gore: I'm not good at modern politics  —  NASHVILLE — Former vice president Al Gore said Friday that he still hasn't ruled out a presidential bid in 2008, but he doesn't expect to run and might not possess the skills necessary to be elected president now.  —  Gore spoke to The Tennessean today …

Democrats hide pet projects from voters  —  WASHINGTON - After promising unprecedented openness regarding Congress' pork barrel practices, House Democrats are moving in the opposite direction as they draw up spending bills for the upcoming budget year.  —  Democrats are sidestepping rules approved …

Iraq's Curse: A Thirst for Final, Crushing Victory  —  PERHAPS no fact is more revealing about Iraq's history than this: The Iraqis have a word that means to utterly defeat and humiliate someone by dragging his corpse through the streets.  —  The word is "sahel," and it helps explain …

Thompson Generates Buzz in Richmond  —  Speech at Virginia GOP Gala Comes the Day After He Filed Fundraising Papers  —  Actor and former senator Fred D. Thompson of Tennessee rallied a crowd of several hundred Republicans here last night, offering a bluntly conservative appeal …

Clinton, Giuliani Maintain Leads, But GOP Shows Signs of Shifting  —  Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York holds a solid lead over her rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, while the contest for the Republican nomination appears even more unsettled than it did when it began five months ago …

War in Afghanistan: No safe billet for Prince Harry as deaths mount in Helmand  —  Three more British soldiers killed by the Taliban.  Raymond Whitaker reports  —  Prince Harry may yet fulfil his desire to serve in a war zone - in Afghanistan rather than Iraq.

Attacks on U.S. Troops in Iraq Grow in Lethality, Complexity  —  Bigger Bombs a Key Cause of May's High Death Toll  —  As U.S. troops push more deeply into Baghdad and its volatile outskirts, Iraqi insurgents are using increasingly sophisticated and lethal means of attack …

Various items  —  (1) Relating to yesterday's post regarding Mike Allen's worshipful and one-sided profile of the departing Dan Bartlett, Newsweek's Richard "the-press-here-does-a-fantastic- job" Wolffe was on Countdown Friday night echoing, with an almost mournful tone, Allen's tribute to Bartlett.

Hitchens vs Hitchens  —  Am I my brother's reviewer?  A word of explanation is needed here.  Some of you may know that I have a brother, Christopher, who disagrees with me about almost everything.  —  Some of those who read his books and articles also know that I exist, though they often dislike me if so.

British Iraq pull-out plan  —  BRITISH commanders in Iraq have drawn up plans to allow Gordon Brown to withdraw almost all UK troops by the end of the year.  —  The British commander in southern Iraq, Major-General Jonathan Shaw, produced a "commander's tactical advice" several weeks ago, senior defence sources said last night.

Countdown to Israel's destruction has begun, says Ahmadinejad  —  Iranian president says Israel's disappearance imminent, 'Zionist regime' will have to bow down to Palestinians.  Iranian FM meets with Hamas, Jihad, leader in Damascus, urging them to continue struggle against Jewish state  —  Dudi Cohen