Vice President Exempts His Office from the Requirements for Protecting Classified Information  —  The Oversight Committee has learned that over the objections of the National Archives, Vice President Cheney exempted his office from the presidential order that establishes government-wide procedures …

White House near decision to close Guantanamo  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration is nearing a decision to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and move the terror suspects there to military prisons elsewhere, The Associated Press has learned.

Poll: Bush hits lowest approval rating of presidency  —  President Bush registers the lowest approval rating of his presidency—making him the least popular president since Nixon—in the new NEWSWEEK Poll.  —  Iraq isn't the only issue dragging Bush's approval ratings down

Operation Phantom Thunder: The Battle of Iraq  —  Baghdad and the Belts.  Red bordered units identified as active in offensive operations.  Click map to view.  —  A status update on the operations in the Baghdad Belts and beyond  —  Operation Phantom Thunder, the name of the overarching operation …

Breaking: Senate Judiciary Committee Authorizes Subpoenas For NSA Domestic Spying Documents  —  The Senate Judiciary Committee just voted 13-3 to authorize chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to issue subpoenas for documents related to the NSA warrantless surveillance program.

RUSHDIE'S KNIGHTHOOD REIGNITES "SALMANOPHOBIA" AT HOME AND ABROAD.  —  "I am delighted for him," Ian McEwan said, when told that his friend and fellow novelist Salman Rushdie had been knighted.  "He's a wonderful writer, and this sends a firm message to the book-burners and their appeasers."

Rival camps take aim at Romney's religion  —  Gathering for their April meeting at the county courthouse, Republican activists from Warren County, Iowa, planned for this summer's county fair and vented about illegal immigration.  —  And then the county chairman for Senator John McCain's …

Nader ponders run, calls Clinton 'coward'  —  Ralph Nader says he is seriously considering running for president in 2008 because he foresees another Tweedledum-Tweedledee election that offers little real choice to voters.  —  "You know the two parties are still converging …

The Film Take Back America Took Back  —  As a result of the attention surrounding my film about the 2007 Conservative Political Action Conference-it was a YouTube hit-the liberal Campaign for America's Future asked me to produce a similar video about their annual conference, Take Back America (TBA), held in Washington.

Torture  —  In a weird kind of way I actually sorta agree with Scalia.  It isn't that I think the Jack Bauer ticking time bomb scenario is a real one which would ever actually exist except in fiction, but it's reasoning like Scalia's which tells us precisely why we don't actually …

A Visit to Fatah's Torture Chamber  —  A building formerly occupied by Fatah's intelligence service in Gaza was long notorious for torture and execution.  Now Hamas is in control — and is letting former inmates visit the chamber of horrors.  —  The cells are small, perhaps six feet by six feet …

Obama Announces FY08 Federal Funding Requests  —  Discloses earmarks to improve government transparency  —  WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today announced that he had requested federal funding for the following projects, in the amounts designated by his constituents …

WHERE BIAS AND CLUELESSNESS INTERSECT  —  MSNBC features a report on the campaign contributions by MSM journalists.  The report is based on the public records of the Federal Election Commission.  I doubt anyone will be surprised to learn that of the 144 journalists who made political contributions …

Lincoln's Example for Iraq  —  In his only term in Congress, Abraham Lincoln was an ardent opponent of the Mexican War.  He introduced a series of resolutions that challenged President James Polk to show the "spot" of American soil on which Mexicans had spilled American blood …

Edwards predicting big second-quarter drop-off  —  Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) is expecting a significant drop-off in campaign contributions for the second quarter that might look like a pittance compared to the dollar amounts Democratic rivals Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) are expected to raise.

MyDD Interview with Nancy Pelosi  —  Yesterday morning, Wednesday June 20, I had the opportunity to sit down for a few minutes with the Speaker of the United States House, Nancy Pelosi.  —  During the interview, which immediately followed Speaker Pelosi's speech at the Take Back America conference …