Judge Walton's Lesson  —  Years ago, when campaigns were drowning in political rhetoric on the crime issue, I got The Post to reassign me temporarily to the District of Columbia courthouse so I could learn from front-line law enforcement what worked — and what didn't — to keep the streets safe.

I Am Paris Hilton  —  At the end of the film Spartacus a Roman general stands before a great multitude of slaves captured after their failed rebellion and demands that their leader, Spartacus, identify himself to face execution.  Spartacus steps forward and says, "I am Spartacus!" …

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.

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.

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?"

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 …

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.

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 …

Refusing Gotcha Questions  —  In last Sunday night's debate, Wolf Blitzer asked the candidates to raise their hands if they supported making English the official language of the United States.  Only Mike Gravel raised his hand.  Then Barack Obama spoke up: