Standing by the Wrong Guy  —  Just when it seemed George W. Bush's sinking prestige with his Republican base had bottomed out, his stock hit new lows.  The president's seeming indifference to the sentencing of Scooter Libby was bad enough.  But it coincided with Bush's apparent determination …

Tribal Coalition in Anbar Said to Be Crumbling  —  U.S.-Backed Group Has Fought Al-Qaeda in Iraq  —  A tribal coalition formed to oppose the extremist group al-Qaeda in Iraq, a development that U.S. officials say has reduced violence in Iraq's troubled Anbar province, is beginning to splinter …

THAAAT'S What We Were All Waiting For?  Angry 'Sopranos' Fans Crash HBO Website  —  The line to cancel HBO starts here.  What a ridiculously disappointing end lacking in creativity to The Sopranos saga.  But if you're one of those who found it perversely interesting, then don't bother to read on.

Majority of Republicans Doubt Theory of Evolution  —  More Americans accept theory of creationism than evolution  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The majority of Republicans in the United States do not believe the theory of evolution is true and do not believe that humans evolved over millions of years from less advanced forms of life.

The Party of Economic Seriousness  —  The collapse of the immigration bill last week holds a political lesson.  It isn't just Democrats who flunk Globalization 101.  Indeed, Democrats may be supplanting Republicans as the grown-ups on this issue.  —  Anyone who understands Globalization 101 knows …

Video: Dennis Miller goes nuclear on Harry Reid  —  The e-mails are flooding in.  You want it?  You got it.  —  If Rasmussen's right, this should resonate broadly.  —  Blowback

Studies say death penalty deters crime  —  Anti-death penalty forces have gained momentum in the past few years, with a moratorium in Illinois, court disputes over lethal injection in more than a half-dozen states and progress toward outright abolishment in New Jersey.

Libby's Supporters Who Wrote to Judge Learn That Letters Take on New Life on the Web  —  In what may be a sign of things to come, the lawyers for I. Lewis Libby Jr. last month invoked the rarely used courtroom tactic: the "bloggers can be mean" defense.  —  The issue was whether to release …

Poll: Rural Vote No Longer a Lock for Republicans  —  · A new national poll indicates rural Americans are no longer reliably Republican, and the Bush administration's conduct of the war in Iraq seems mainly to blame.  —  People from the nation's smallest places had the biggest impact in the last two presidential elections.

EXCLUSIVE: Hilton Calls Barbara Walters from Jail  —  She 'Was Severely Depressed and Felt as if I Was in a Cage,' but now Has 'New Chance'  —  In jail serving out the remainder of her sentence for violating parole on reckless driving charges, Paris Hilton phoned ABC News' Barbara Walters Sunday …

Court to hear crack vs. powder case; issues five unanimous rulings.  —  The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to take up at its next Term the long-standing dispute over the wide disparity in punishment for crack cocaine crimes than for offenses involving cocaine powder a 100 to 1 ratio.

Excuses  —  I have to say that I'm really disappointed in this Ken Baer article.  Back in March, Time ran an article about widespread criticism of Mahmoun Ahmadenijad in Iran.  Ezra Klein did a blog post noting that the existence of such criticism seemed to undermine the narrative that Iran is a totalitarian society:

Thousands Hail Bush in Visit to Albania  —  His poll numbers may be in the basement, but when he zipped through this small, relentlessly pro-American nation on Sunday, President Bush was treated like a rock star.  —  Military cannons boomed a 21-gun salute in his honor.

Reagan's famous line nearly clipped from Berlin speech  —  SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Top administration officials said the speech was all wrong.  Too provocative, said the National Security Council.  Too tough, said the State Department.  —  The president overruled his advisers and …