Why Bush Gave Scooter Libby a Pass  —  As is often the case in the Bush White House, it was a decision made swiftly, and with stealth.  For weeks, allies of I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby had aggressively lobbied the president to pardon Dick Cheney's former chief of staff.

Fifty bucks for a beer?  It was Livid Earth in Sydney  —  Cool start ... scientists from the British research station in Antarctica were the first to kick off the Live Earth concerts with their indie band, Nunatak.  —  Out front, Crowded House were getting reacquainted …

Muqtada al Sadr back in Iran  —  Muqtada al-Sadr.  —  Mahdi Army leader leaves Iraq and goes to Iran for second time this year  —  Muqtada al Sadr, the leader of the Shia Mahdi Army and the Sadrist bloc in parliament, has left Iraq and is in Iran, military sources told Reuters.

In White House, Debate Is Rising on Iraq Pullback  —  White House officials fear that the last pillars of political support among Senate Republicans for President Bush's Iraq strategy are collapsing around them, according to several administration officials and outsiders they are consulting.

What does Al know that we don't?  —  Why, given the opportunity that's been presented to him on a silver Prius, is this man not going to run for (and win) the presidency of the United States?  If ever there was a clarion call to be answered it is this one: heed the will of the majority of the people …

CIA leak: Now it can be told  —  Sun-Times columnist and famous Washington insider Robert Novak is one of the most controversial political reporters in America.  In the sweeping memoir The Prince of Darkness, the private man opens up for the first time about his life and career.

All Grown Up — and Going to War  —  July is a month I sincerely hoped would never come.  —  At the end of this month, my young son, my only child, deploys with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.  His departure had been six months away, three months; now it is a matter of weeks.

Edwards to announce poverty tour  —  Can JRE pull off a JFK, or an RFK (asks Politico chief political writer Mike Allen, who is sharing guestblogging duties while Ben is on vacation)?  John Edwards plans to announce Monday that he'll take a break from fund-raising and campaigning …

Three men in jail over bomb at church  —  Three Burleson men who belong to a "radical Christian activist group" were in the Johnson County Jail on Friday night after a church deacon caught two of them attempting to ignite an explosive device on Independence Day at a church under construction in north Burleson, authorities said Friday.

Files show talks on 'vote caging'  —  Discussions with elections chief were prior to '04 election  —  TALLAHASSEE - Internal city memos show the issue of Republican "vote caging" efforts in Jacksonville's African-American neighborhoods was discussed in the weeks before the 2004 election …

Face the Snark?  Face the Fred.  —  The past few few days have been chock full of fascinating info about Fred Thompson.  Thompson is of course the ungainly actor and undeclared GOP presidential aspirant who smells really nice, at least according to Chris Matthews.

Justice Secures His Place as a Critic of Integration  —  When Justice Clarence Thomas provided a pivotal vote last month as the Supreme Court struck down school integration plans in Louisville, Ky., and Seattle, he suggested the concept of integration was inherently demeaning to black children …

Son is Gore's Al-batross  —  With Al Gore in the news for battling global warming and Al Gore 3rd in the news for getting toasted, my favorite NYPD detective recalled a story that helps explain how father and son each became a particular kind of loser.  —  The story was told to the detective …

Blackwater manager blamed for 2004 massacre in Fallujah  —  When four Blackwater USA security guards were ambushed and massacred in Fallujah in 2004, graphic images showed the world exactly what happened: four men killed, their bodies burned and dragged through the streets.

She's Baaaa-aaack!  —  Mother Sheehan is back!  —  That pain-filled exodus away from the cameras lasted... a little more than a month.  —  She made a moving announcement to the media last week that she was back in the game- insisting that she was not a media whore.

Back-to-back Colo. fundraisers for Sen. Clinton  —  Aspen - Sen. Hillary Clinton drew powerful, deep-pocketed crowds at a pair of fundraisers here Saturday, speaking at length on issues from health care to the environment to removing American troops from Iraq.