June 17: Petraeus hints Iraq "surge" may be needed longer  —  Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, said he does not expect the "surge" of 30,000 additional troops to Iraq to finish their job by September, a critical month when lawmakers expect a clear read on whether …

Hamas May Find It Needs Its Enemy  —  ISLAMIST fighters of Hamas seized control of Gaza last week.  For the first time in the history of the Palestinians' fight for nationhood, there seemed a real possibility that two Palestines rather than one might emerge — one in Gaza, dominated by Hamas, the other in the West Bank, led by Fatah.

Sy Hersh on Taguba's Abu Ghraib investigation  —  Sy Hersh joined Wolf on CNN this morning to talk about his new piece in The New Yorker: "How Antonio Taguba, who investigated the Abu Ghraib scandal, became one of its casualties."  It's another important story that Sy has brought to our attention.

End Looms for Iraq Arms Inspection Unit  —  The search for Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction appears close to an official conclusion, several years after their absence became a foregone one.  —  The United States and Britain have circulated a new proposal to the members …

SC poll has Obama, Thompson as frontrunners  —  WASHINGTON - South Carolina appears poised to shake up the 2008 presidential race, with Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Fred Thompson the frontrunners in a new state survey by Mason-Dixon.  —  With strong support from the African American community …

Why Republicans Recruit House Boys  —  Eureka!  I think maybe something snapped into place for me today, though I'm not sure.  I'll let you decide.  —  Here's the question: why does the Republican Party recruit and promote so many closeted gay men?  —  I came to the question …

O'Reilly a non-factor in Mets clubhouse  —  Bill O'Reilly's right-wing politics may rub a lot of people the wrong way in New York, but his views had nothing to do with his ejection from the Mets' clubhouse yesterday before their game against the Yankees at the Stadium.

Brownback aide chided on anti-Mormon bid  —  WASHINGTON - An aide to GOP presidential candidate Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record) has been reprimanded for sending e-mail to Iowa Republican leaders in an apparent attempt to draw unfavorable scrutiny to rival Mitt Romney's Mormonism.

POINTING THE WAY FOR PROSECUTORS  —  Under fire, not in retreat  —  Gonzales' plan for attorney reviews would further politicize process  —  Atty Gen. Alberto Gonzales so far has survived a political crisis over the firing of nine U.S. attorneys, a rare potential vote of no-confidence …

Bias at the Beeb - official  —  There are some things you do not need an official report to tell you - that John Prescott thinks he is a babe magnet, that President Mugabe is not entirely in favour of white farmers and that Al-Qaeda takes a pretty dim view of the West.

Russert falls down on Scooter  —  Timmeh forgot to mention his role in the Scooter Libby case today during the panel discussion that featured two-free Scooter loving NRO'ers...What's the deal, Meet the Press?  And is the Republican base against the rule of law now?  —  Download (1271) |

"Liberal Hawks", Moderates, Iraq, and Iran — Oh My!  —  Ezra Klein condemns what he calls "liberal hawks" for embracing vagueness in their desire to avoid responsibility for their pro-war stance on Iraq and their enabling rhetoric towards a potential showdown with Iran.

Administration pushes for mandatory sentences  —  WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is trying to roll back a Supreme Court decision by pushing legislation that would require prison time for nearly all criminals.  —  The Justice Department is offering the plan as an opening salvo …

Sunday Discussion Group  —  Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) was interviewed the other day and asked for his opinion about former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R), who, of course, is a leading Republican presidential candidate.  —  "The real Romney is clearly an extraordinarily ambitious man …

Immigration bill is a fraud  —  I forget where I was when I first heard the phrase ''undocumented worker.'' Possibly it was after swimming the Rio Grande and emerging dripping on the northern shore to be handed a fake Social Security number and a driver's license.

BUBBLE, BUBBLE...Interest rates are going up: … This really demonstrates what a bubble we've been living in.  My first thought when I see a 30-year fixed rate of 6.74% is that it's an incredible bargain.  Until about 2002, I hadn't seen a rate that low in my entire adult life.

Jonathan Alter believes Dems are struggling in the political debate over war policy, in part because they're not nearly as good as Republicans at coming up with bumper-sticker slogans. … To help Dems along, Alter suggests "strategic redeployment" isn't muscular enough when it comes to sloganeering …