Rivals try to deflate F. Thompson campaign  —  Fred Thompson has had a relatively easy ride as he has flirted with a bid for the Republican presidential nomination.  His strategists have found traction promoting him as the heir to Ronald Reagan — and a conservative alternative to the top tier of the GOP field.

U.S. official: Mosque attack may have been inside job … BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Authorities have evidence that Wednesday's bombing of the Askariya Mosque in Samarra was an inside job, and 15 members of the Iraqi security forces have been arrested, a U.S. military official said.

BREAKING: Top White House Officials Subpoenaed Over Attorney Scandal  —  Former White House counsel Harriet Miers and former top Karl Rove aide Sara Taylor, who served as White House political director before resigning last month, have been issued subpoenas over their connections to the U.S. attorney scandal.

Our Common Struggle  —  America had its civil war.  Why expect freedom to come easy to Iraq?  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq—Americans keen to understand the ongoing struggle for a new Iraq can be guided by the example of their own history.  In the 1860s, your country fought a great struggle of its own …

14 Palestinians killed as Hamas nears complete Gaza conquest  —  At least 14 Palestinians were killed by Hamas fire Wednesday, including 13 members of Fatah, as Hamas was on the verge of completing its conquest of the Gaza Strip.  —  Hamas is now in control of southern, central …

Bush Lobbies G.O.P. Senators on Immigration  —  In an effort to revive a crippled immigration bill, President Bush visited the Capitol on Tuesday to try to assure wary Senate Republicans personally that border security was a driving force behind his push for changes in immigration law.

The Progressive Majority: Why a Conservative America is a Myth  —  For anyone interested in where the American public really stands on the big issues that distinguish progressives from conservatives — including the issues at the forefront of today's political debates — "The Progressive Majority …

Dan Rather Takes On Network News With His Tart Remark  —  "It may not have been the wisest thing I've done this week," Dan Rather joked yesterday by phone from his office in New York.  —  Wise or not, the former CBS anchor's comments about the network's evening newscast have created a firestorm …

Don Herbert, 89; TV's 'Mr. Wizard' taught science to young baby boomers  —  Don Herbert, who explained the wonderful world of science to millions of young baby boomers on television in the 1950s and '60s as "Mr. Wizard" and did the same for another generation of youngsters on the Nickelodeon cable TV channel in the 1980s, died Tuesday.

Broward may cancel deal with radio station because it airs Rush Limbaugh  —  Rush Limbaugh has long been a thorn in the side of liberals, but now, because of him, some Democratic politicians don't even want to join with a local radio station to broadcast hurricane information.

Coleman faces challenge from his former adviser  —  An Iraq war veteran and former adviser to Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) yesterday said he is considering a primary challenge against the lawmaker in 2008.  —  Retired Lt. Col. Joe Repya (R) lost a race for the state Republican Party chairmanship last week …

The Rightosphere Temperature Check For June  —  Right Wing News emailed more than 240 right-of-center bloggers and asked them to answer 8 questions.  The following 52 blogs responded,  —  Aaron's CC, The Absurd Report, The Agitator, The American Princess, Argghhhh!, AtlanticBlog, Bad Example …

Due Process: No One's Kidding You, Tony  —  White House spokesman Tony Snow got incredulous at his briefing today when asked if indefinite detentions of enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay undermines President Bush's global push for democratization.  Quoth Snow: "Are you kidding me?"

Money pinch to close Antioch  —  Yellow Springs college hopes to reopen in 2012  —  digg us!  del.icio.us!  —  When Steve Duffy was a high school student in the 1960s, his history teacher told him that one of the most utopian places on the planet was in Yellow Springs, Ohio, at a college called Antioch.