Bush Pick for No. 3 at Justice Withdraws  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush's pick to be the No. 3 official in the Justice Department asked to have his nomination withdrawn Friday, four days before he was to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.  —  Bill Mercer sent a letter …

One week of Operation Phantom Thunder  —  US forces in Baghdad and the Belts.  MNF-I map, click to view.  —  An update on the Battle of Iraq  —  Operation Phantom Thunder, the corps coordinated operation across three theaters in the Baghdad Belts, has completed it seventh day.

Talk talk talk  —  Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okl, claims he overheard Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, and Barbara Boxer, D-Calf, chatting about how out of control talk radio had become.  —  "They said we've got to do something about this," Inhofe told a talk radio host.

White House refuses to say if VP is in executive branch  —  Reporters finally pushed the White House today on the Vice President's belief that his office is some kind of fourth branch of government — not executive, not legislative, not accountable to anyone.  WH spokesperson Dana Perino's responses were almost comical.

A Mighty Heart  —  "A Mighty Heart" begins with shots of the teeming streets of Karachi, Pakistan, a city with a population that seems jammed in, shoulder to shoulder.  Terrorists will emerge from this sea of humanity, kidnap the American journalist Daniel Pearl and disappear.

GOP's Barrasso Picked as Wyoming's New Senator  —  Wyoming Republican John Barrasso will be joining the U.S. Senate as the interim successor to the late Republican Craig Thomas.  —  Barrasso, a 54 year old state senator and orthopedic surgeon, was appointed to the position Friday by Democratic …

Edwards Campaign: Times Refused To Talk To Beneficiaries Of His Anti-Poverty Programs  —  The Edwards campaign is pushing back hard against today's enormous front-page New York Times piece alleging that there was something untoward about the fact that the antipoverty programs set up by John Edwards provided a …

A Tale of Two Prosecutors  —  Mike Nifong is punished, but Patrick Fitzgerald isn't.  —  This week the Duke-Nifong drama oozed to its finale, with a payout to the victims, a confidentiality agreement, the usual salutes to the healing process, and plans on the part of the principals to begin putting the case behind them.

Bush Advisers Weigh Closing Guantánamo Prison Sooner  —  President Bush's top advisers have reopened an internal debate over how quickly to close the American detention unit for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to administration officials familiar with the deliberations.

WSMV-TV: Thompson Announcement Set For Nashville  —  Headquarters To Be Based At Fall School building  —  Reported By Dennis Ferrier  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Channel 4 News Nationwide Exclusive  —  Fred Thompson is set to announce that Nashville will be the home of his national campaign headquarters, WSMV is reporting.

Graham's approval plunges on immigration  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-S.C.) approval rating is taking a pounding in his home state as a result of his strong support for a bipartisan immigration reform bill, a new poll showed Friday.  —  Graham's approval rating has sunk to 31 percent …

NANCY PELOSI IS ALL FOR INCREASING VETERAN'S FUNDING, IF THE VETS ARE CANADIAN (UPDATED)  —  ***UPDATE: It's been pulled from the Pelosi website.  Details below.  Really, this again points out how very little the Democrats know about our military.  This is simply basic stuff …

'Sicko' leaves top Democrats ill at ease  —  Leading candidates are sidestepping direct comment on filmmaker Michael Moore's proposals for universal healthcare.  —  WASHINGTON — With the release of Michael Moore's "Sicko," a movie once again is adding sizzle to an issue that's a high priority …

LAYOFFS AT ABC NEWS  —  Now we know why ABC News lost out in the bidding for that Paris Hilton interview.  In order to save cash—er, rather, "maintain and enhance the reputation of ABC News for its unparalleled reporting"—news division head David Westin just announced a wave of lay-offs expected to eliminate a total of 35 jobs.