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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

Peter Pace's Political Gaming on Libby and Gays Ends His Reign  —  Pete Pace is out, and it's good for the country.  —  This is not quite on the same par as Truman firing MacArthur, but a civilian leader firing a general now and then can be healthy — particularly when that General …

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.

5 Myths About Scooter and the Slammer  —  Judge Reggie B. Walton, who sentenced I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby to 30 months in prison last week for lying to federal investigators about his role in the leak of a CIA officer's identity, received 373 pages of letters about the high-profile convict whose fate he had to decide.

BANG YOUR HEAD AGAINST THE WALL SLOWLY. the Bush administration has been following through on their brilliant "pro-democracy" programs in Iran, so naturally we're all in a lot of trouble.  But most of all, the Iranian reform movement is.  —  Scott MacLeod at Time asks "Did the U.S. Incite Iran's Crackdown?"

Instahoglets June 9th 2007  —  Some links, some snark, and thee...  Tim F. of Balloon Juice looks at the recent revelations about two different Inspector generals and concludes that "the administration depends on IG's not to do their job."  Yep.  —  Ghost detainees in Europe and a dark mirror …

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 …

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.

Richard Rorty, 1931-2007  —  Richard Rorty, the leading American philosopher and heir to the pragmatist tradition, passed away on Friday, June 8.  —  He was Professor of Comparative Literature emeritus at Stanford University.  In April the American Philosophical Society awarded him the Thomas Jefferson Medal.

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.

Report Gives Details on CIA Prisons  —  NATO Pacts Exploited, European Probe Finds  —  The CIA exploited NATO military agreements to help it run secret prisons in Poland and Romania where alleged terrorists were held in solitary confinement for months, shackled and subjected to other mental …

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 …