Approval of Congress lowest in a decade  —  Only about a quarter of Americans approve of how it's doing its job, a poll shows; most see 'business as usual.'  —  WASHINGTON — Fueled by disappointment at the pace of change since Democrats assumed the majority on Capitol Hill …

President Bush 'has watch stolen off wrist' during Albanian walkabout  —  Whatever happened to the president's watch?  —  One moment President George W. Bush was glad-handing Albanians on Sunday, proudly sporting a watch with a dark strap on his left wrist.  Moments later, it was gone.

Border Security Can Be Implemented Without Senate Bill  —  Today, nine U.S. Senators wrote a letter to President Bush urging him to fulfill the border security provisions listed in the Senate immigration bill whether the legislation passes or not.  Each border security trigger in the bill …

Rudy Giuliani's 12 Commitments  —  Rudy Giuliani gave a speech this afternoon announcing his "Twelve Commitments to the American people, a bold vision aimed at moving America forward through change and reform, overcoming new challenges and increasing accountability in Washington."

In Parting Shot, Blair Calls Press a 'Feral Beast'  —  In the land that produced "Scoop," Evelyn Waugh's novel of journalistic ambition and ineptitude, it would seem unsurprising for politicians to criticize reporters on occasion.  But was it justified, as Prime Minister Tony Blair did today, to call the press a "feral beast"?

Judges Say U.S. Can't Hold Man as 'Combatant'  —  The federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., ruled yesterday that the president may not declare civilians in this country to be "enemy combatants" and have the military hold them indefinitely.  The ruling was a stinging rejection …

President Bush Attends Dedication of Victims of Communism Memorial  —  Washington, D.C.  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming.  Please be seated.  Dr. Edwards, thanks for your kind words.  Congressman Lantos — no better friend to freedom, by the way; Congressman Rohrabacher, the same.

Do away with public schools  —  Government is inept at running schools.  It should subsidize education for needy students, then get out of the way.  —  HERE'S A GOOD question for you: Why have public schools at all?  —  OK, cue the marching music.  We need public schools because blah blah blah and yada yada yada.

Disaffected conservatives set a litmus test for '08  —  Want vow to curb presidential power  —  WASHINGTON — A new political group recently asked Mitt Romney to promise not to wiretap Americans without a judge's approval or to imprison US citizens without a trial as "enemy combatants."

Joe Lieberman Is At It Again  —  After wrongly supporting George W. Bush's strategic blunder of attacking Iraq, and continuing to support Bush's failed policies after the invasion, Senator Joe Lieberman made irresponsible comments this weekend regarding military action against Iran.

CAIR membership falls 90% since 9/11  —  Membership in the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has declined more than 90 percent since the 2001 terrorist attacks, according to tax documents obtained by The Washington Times.  —  The number of reported members spiraled …

U.S. Warns Iraq That Progress Is Needed Soon  —  The top American military commander for the Middle East has warned Iraq's prime minister in a closed-door conversation that the Iraqi government needs to make tangible political progress by next month to counter the growing tide of opposition to the war in Congress.

A Jolly Good Show, but the Wrong Side of the Pond  —  Give him a sword and a tunic, and Chuck Schumer would have made a passable Oliver Cromwell as he stood on the Senate floor yesterday.  —  The New York Democrat, playing a British parliamentarian, had come to seek a "vote of no confidence" …

Death or Glory Part III of IV  —  Death or Glory III of IV  —  Queen's Royal Lancers  —  There is an entirely different war out in the desert.  I've been telling American soldiers since my return from the British Army that our brothers and sisters are good to go, no matter what their own press says.

Edwards campaign: 'Go to hell' adviser 'speaks for himself'  —  After a top adviser to the campaign of presidential hopeful John Edwards told liberal bloggers to "go to hell," a spokesman for the former Democratic Senator from North Carolina denied that it reflected the candidate's sentiments.

Video recording leads to felony charge  —  Brian D. Kelly didn't think he was doing anything illegal when he used his videocamera to record a Carlisle police officer during a traffic stop.  Making movies is one of his hobbies, he said, and the stop was just another interesting event to film.

Now That I Have Your Attention...  Many of you have asked about how Democrats can get through the culture of the South and the Heartland...God, guns, gays, and race.  Since I have been stereotyped (by some) as a racist over the last 12 hours or so, let's start with the racial wedges that the Republicans have used against us.

Hamas captures Fatah security HQ  —  Hamas forces captured the headquarters of the Fatah-allied security forces in northern Gaza, seizing control of a key prize in the bloody power struggle between the sides, Hamas and Fatah officials said.  —  Hamas attacked the compound with mortars and automatic gunfire …

Mueller Often Uses FBI Jet Bought for Counterterrorism  —  When the FBI asked Congress this spring to provide $3.6 million in the war spending bill for its Gulfstream V jet, it said the money was needed to ensure that the aircraft, packed with state-of-the-art security and communications gear …

FCC '700': Why You Can't Get Your iPhone  —  The big news today is a letter that Senator John Kerry, who sits on the Commerce Commitee, sent to the FCC asking for a better internet in light of the FCC's upcoming 700 auction of spectrum space.  Kerry is a tremendous ally of the net neutrality fight …