Kristol Defends Cheney, Williams Says He's Creating A 'Secured Undisclosed Bunker Of His Mind'  —  This morning on Fox News Sunday, Weekly Standard editor William Kristol defended Vice President Cheney's decision to exempt himself from an executive order designed to safeguard classified national security information.

Frank Rich: They'll Break the Bad News on 9/11  —  Frank Rich looks at how the Bush Administration will try to play the American public yet again as the September deadline for the Iraq fiasco approaches.  —  Frank Rich, The New York Times, June 24, 2007  —  By this late date we should know the fix …

The human rights outrage in Iran...and a challenge to Rosie O'Donnell and her ilk  —  Today I am joining blogs Gateway Pundit, Ali Eteraz, and Iran Focus in reprinting the latest batch of Iranian repression photos being distributed by the regime's state-run FARS News agency and ISNA.

The article is not explicit, but an underlying theme of the Washington Post's profile on Dick Cheney is that his unprecedented power is only possible because Bush is anxious to get out of the way. … "Side-by-side wing chairs"?  I'm reminded of the embarrassing point in 2004 …

Senate renews debate on immigration bill  —  WASHINGTON - Senators pushing a new immigration policy appealed Sunday to wavering supporters ahead of renewed debate on securing the borders and dealing with 12 million undocumented immigrants.  —  A fragile compromise was pulled from the Senate in early June …

Old girlfriends cast their vote for Thompson  —  IN the battle for the women's vote, Fred Thompson has a secret weapon against Hillary Clinton - the legions of former girlfriends who still adore him and who want him to be president.  —  The Hollywood actor and former Tennessee senator racked …

'We Will Try to Form an Islamic Society'  —  Mahmoud Zahar — a founder of Hamas, and one of its most militant hardliners — has called for an Islamic state in the Gaza Strip.  After the Hamas takeover of the territory last week, he's also threatened Fatah with more violence in the West Bank.

We've replaced Rushdie in hiding  —  A year or so after the Ayatollah Khomeini took out an Islamist mob contract on Salman Rushdie in 1989, the novelist appeared, after elaborate security arrangements, on a television arts show in London.  His host was Melvyn Bragg, a longtime British telly grandee …

Aussie hired by state GOP embroiled in immigration lawsuit  —  Michael Kamburowski, the Australian immigrant hired as a top official in the California Republican Party, was ordered deported in 2001, jailed three years later for visa violations — and has filed a $5 million wrongful arrest lawsuit …

Complaining about the "Public Editor"  —  Last month, the New York Times appointed a new public editor, Clark Hoyt.  Judging by today's column, he will carefully defend the Times from the grave risk that it tilts too far to the right.  —  Hoyt considers the torrent of criticism the Times …

'Meet the Press' transcript for June 24, 2007  —  MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: Immigration, what should happen to the 12 million undocumented immigrants now living in the U.S.  ? How much does our economy rely on their work?  Are we serious about border security?

Russert: ISG Commissioners Say Giuliani's Excuse For Leaving Is Untrue  —  Earlier this week, Newsday reported that former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani quit the Iraq Study Group after co-chairman James Baker offered "him a stark choice: either attend the meetings or quit."

Poll: What Americans (Don't) Know  —  We asked Americans about current events, history and cultural literacy.  And we got some pretty disheartening results.  —  For our What You Need to Know Now cover story, we asked our polling firm to test 1,001 adults on a variety of topics …

Blair tells Pope: I'm ready to be a Catholic  —  Tony Blair yesterday used his last official foreign engagement before leaving office to tell Pope Benedict he wanted to become a Roman Catholic, a Vatican source said last night.  —  But, in talks lasting more than half an hour …