Immigrant bill hurts Martinez in polls  —  The Florida Republican senator's approval ratings are at an all-time low.  —  WASHINGTON — A new poll shows that U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez's approval ratings with voters have plunged to an all-time low, apparently reflecting his support for a controversial immigration-reform bill.

A Victim?  Hardly!  —  The Paris Hilton saga has become so compelling that many political bloggers who swore off mentioning her have weighed in on the topic, including myself.  Hilton got hauled off screaming and crying to jail after having been released by Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca five days …

Chinese Leave Guantánamo for Albanian Limbo  —  TIRANA, Albania — Ahktar Qassim Basit says he is not angry about the four years he spent as an American prisoner at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, before his captors mumbled a brief apology and flew him to this drab Balkan capital to begin a new life as a refugee.

What Al Wishes Abe Said  —  You can't really blame Al Gore for not using footnotes in his new book, "The Assault on Reason."  It's a sprawling, untidy blast of indignation, and annotating it with footnotes would be like trying to slip rubber bands around a puddle of quicksilver.

Dean: Democratic president would end war  —  WASHINGTON - The high hurdles faced by congressional Democrats in their efforts to end the Iraq war make electing a Democratic president in 2008 the best way to finish the conflict, Democratic party chairman Howard Dean said Saturday.

Right message, wrong messenger  —  Take a wild guess who shared these words of wisdom during a recent commencement address (via Jonathan Schwarz): … The words of Al Gore?  Bill Moyers?  Eric Alterman?  —  Try Katie Couric, anchor of the CBS Evening News, who would appear to have some power …

Uncured Bork  —  Reading Emptywheel's post about that horrible old man, Robert Bork, (and his equally horrible buddies) made me wonder if they have reason to believe they can get Libby's conviction reversed on a technicality.  —  After all, this isn't the first time we've been to this rodeo.

A Failure of Leadership  —  The immigration compromise collapsed on the floor of the Senate Thursday night.  Many of its hard-line foes are celebrating, but their glee is vindictive and hollow.  They have blocked one avenue to an immigration overhaul while offering nothing better …

President Bush Participates in Joint Press Availability with Prime Minister Prodi of Italy  —  PRIME MINISTER PRODI: (As translated.)  Good afternoon, everyone.  I am delighted to have received President Bush today, and I thank President Bush for having chosen to spend a couple of days …

Bush in holy gaffe  —  Vatican City - US President George W Bush drew gasps at the Vatican on Saturday by referring to Pope Benedict XVI as "sir" instead of the expected "His Holiness", pool reporters said.  —  They could clearly hear the US leader say "Yes, sir" when the pope asked …

'Hardball with Chris Matthews' for June 7  —  Guests: Ben Affleck, Loretta Sanchez, Brian Bilbray, Ezra Klein, Karen Hanretty  —  CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Hollywood stars have a big voice in politics.  —  Let's see if one of them, Ben Affleck, can answer some tough questions.  —  Let's play HARDBALL.

Talk of Resurrecting Immigration Bill Begins as Autopsy Goes On  —  Supporters of immigration reform launched new talks to save their tattered bill yesterday, with the chief architects of the bipartisan compromise confident that they could resurrect it — even as recriminations flew over its stunning collapse.

Romney Brothers Dish on Dad  —  Blog by Presidential Candidate's Five Sons Reveals G-Rated Details of Former Governor's Family Life  —  BOSTON — Tagg Romney, 37, loves the Sox and has a thing for Billy Joel.  Matt Romney, 35, always tunes in to "Saturday Night Live," and Josh Romney, 31, likes to surf and water-ski.

Three arrested in arms plot to kill Americans  —  A suspected international arms dealer was arrested yesterday in Spain and charged with conspiracy to sell millions of dollars in weapons to a State Department-designated foreign terrorist organization in Colombia to kill Americans.

Polarization Nation  —  America's current culture war emerged clearly into the light of day about twenty years ago, with the publication of Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind.  Five years later, in 1992, James Davison Hunter's book, Culture Wars, cemented the phenomenon's name.