Rep. Jefferson indicted in bribery probe  —  WASHINGTON - Louisiana congressman William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record) received more than $500,000 in bribes and sought millions more in nearly a dozen separate schemes to enrich himself by using his office to broker business deals in Africa, according to a federal indictment Monday.

Guantanamo judge dismisses terror case  —  GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - A military judge dismissed terrorism-related charges Monday against a prisoner charged with killing an American soldier in Afghanistan, delivering a blow to the Bush administration's attempt to try Guantanamo detainees in military courts.

Wyoming Sen. Craig Thomas Dies at 74  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Wyoming Sen. Craig Thomas, a three-term conservative Republican who stayed clear of the Washington limelight and political catfights, died Monday.  He was 74.  —  The senator's family issued a statement saying he died Monday evening …

Democrats Lose Their Edge  —  Poll Shows Congressional Approval Ratings Have Returned to Pre-Election Levels  —  The Democrats in Congress have lost much of the leadership edge they carried out of the 2006 midterm election, with the lack of progress in Iraq being the leading cause.

The great right-wing fraud to repudiate George W. Bush  —  The great fraud being perpetrated in our political discourse is the concerted attempt by movement conservatives, now that the Bush presidency lay irreversibly in ruins, to repudiate George Bush by claiming that he is not, and never has been, a "real conservative."

CBO: Bill would only reduce illegals by 25%  —  The Senate's immigration bill will only reduce illegal immigration by about 25 percent a year, according to a new Congressional Budget Office report, Stephen Dinan will report Tuesday in The Washington Times.  —  The bill's new guest-worker program …

Ruling Helps Prosecutors in Death Penalty Cases  —  The Supreme Court today strengthened the hand of prosecutors in death penalty cases by making it easier to remove potential jurors who express ambivalence about the death penalty or confusion about how it should be applied.

Chicken bones say Polynesians beat Europeans to New World  —  Researchers use genetic analysis and radiocarbon dating of bones found in Chile to turn previously held ideas on their head.  —  After decades of contention, New Zealand researchers have provided the first direct evidence …

Scarborough has an "Imus moment"  —  Presidential candidate Fred Thompson's second-and-current wife Jeri, who is considered by some to be a "trophy wife," was the topic of an interesting conversation on Friday's Morning Joe radio talk show, which aired live on MSNBC.

Key Bush backers rally to Fred Thompson  —  George P. Bush, a nephew of President Bush who recently joined the Navy Reserve, has contributed to the prospective presidential campaign of Fred Thompson and signed an e-mail asking friends and associates to do the same, The Politico has learned.

F.C.C. Rebuffed by Court on Indecency Fines  —  If President Bush and Vice President Cheney can use vulgar language, then the government cannot punish others for doing the same thing on television.  —  That, in essence, was the decision today when a federal appeals court struck …

Smokers told to quit or surgery will be refused  —  Smokers are to be denied operations on the Health Service unless they give up cigarettes for at least four weeks beforehand.  —  Doctors will police the rule by ordering patients to take a blood test to prove they have not been smoking.

My Time in Swampland  —  As I settle in as a guest blogger here at Swampland, I'd like to thank Time and its readers for inviting me to share my views.  I hope I can raise the debate about the direction in which the conservative movement and the nation are heading.  I welcome questions and comments.