Iran Strategy Stirs Debate at White House  —  A year after President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced a new strategy toward Iran, a behind-the-scenes debate has broken out within the administration over whether the approach has any hope of reining in Iran's nuclear program …

What Next on Palestine: Time to Get Real  —  Hamas is now in control of Gaza after a cruel, if somewhat surprisingly easy, military victory over Fatah.  The images coming out of the Palestinian territories have been harsh to say the least and neither side looks good to put it mildly.

N.C. State Bar: Nifong Guilty of Ethics Violations  —  Panel Reaches Verdict as Exonerated Duke Players Watch  —  Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong has been found guilty by the North Carolina State Bar for a battery of ethics violations in the Duke Lacrosse case.

Iraq Contractors Face Growing Parallel War  —  As Security Work Increases, So Do Casualties  —  BAGHDAD — Private security companies, funded by billions of dollars in U.S. military and State Department contracts, are fighting insurgents on a widening scale in Iraq, enduring daily attacks …

Timmeh  —  Could The Nation team up with Air America and offer to sponsor a Republican debate please?  We'll even let Lionel be involved.  —  Though, this bit of punditing from the patron saint of  —  Buffalo was even better:

An Also-Ran in the GOP Polls, Ron Paul Is Huge on the Web  —  On Technorati, which offers a real-time glimpse of the blogosphere, the most frequently searched term this week was "YouTube."  —  Then comes "Ron Paul."  —  The presence of the obscure Republican congressman from Texas on a list …

Hispanic Leaders Blast Schwarzenegger's Advice to Turn Off Spanish TV  —  Some Hispanic leaders lashed out Friday at California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's advice that immigrants should "turn off the Spanish television set" to better learn how to speak English.

Polished and Upbeat, Romney Tries to Connect  —  WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Mitt Romney loves the word "great."  As in, "Have a great day," "Things are going great," "I'm feeling great."  Mr. Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, also looks great, sounds great and smells great, like shaving cream.

Another Justice Dept. Official Resigns  —  Another Justice Department official involved in last year's dismissals of federal prosecutors is resigning, department officials said on Friday.  —  In this case, the departure of Michael J. Elston, chief of staff to the outgoing deputy attorney general …

Special Counsel Probe Into Rove's Politicization Of Government Advances  —  The Office of Special Counsel, which has already recommended that GSA chief Lurita Doan be suspended or fired for participating in partisan activities while on the job, is now moving forward with its investigation of nearly 20 other administration agencies.

CATO....You know, I keep hearing that unlike, say, the Heritage Foundation, the folks at Cato are relatively honest.  They've got their ideology just like the rest of us, but they aren't dishonest shills willing to torture the facts any old way that's convenient.

Inability to meet "grand challenges" of physics likely to hurt US competitiveness  —  The National Academies of Science produces regular reports on the state of scientific research in the US.  Their latest effort along these lines has just been released, and the academy has put the spotlight …

The group blog of The American Prospect  —  SHADOW GOVERNMENT IN WAITING.  The Bush administration had the American Enterprise Institute as its ideological brain trust and frequent employment agency.  The next White House will likely have the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) …

Lieberman Smacks Harry Reid, Again  —  Here's Joe on the Ray and Diane show from yesterday morning (mp3), in just his latest attack on Democrats - and Harry Reid in particular: … This isn't the first time Joe has gone after Reid by reinforcing a right-wing attack.  Take this, from April:

The Upward Moving Middle Class  —  Everybody else may know this, but each time I reflect upon these Census Bureau numbers (2006), they surprise me.  Anyone who has an annual household income above $92,000 is in the top quintile of the population—with all the other "rich."