It's Official: McCain's Press Staff Resigns  —  Sen. John McCain's top three press aides resigned this morning, Republicans close to the campaign said and one of those aides confirmed.  —  The campaign's research director and two other press staffers also stepped down.

Memo to Senate Democrats: Force Republicans To Actually Filibuster  —  In an interview with the Young Turks on Friday, Senator Kent Conrad indicated that there was "growing consensus" in the Democratic Senate caucus to actually make Republicans stand in the well of the Senate and filibuster popular Democratic legislation.

What John Yoo Says  —  The Daily Kos FP on what John Yoo says and how this means President Bush can attack Iran without Congressional authorization: … John Yoo is, of course, full of it, as Yale Law Professor Bruce Ackerman explained: … More.  —  Which reminds me, as Glenn Greenwald noted …

D.C. to Appeal Handgun Case to High Court  —  D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty announced today that the city will appeal to the Supreme Court to uphold a long-time ban on handguns that was overturned by a lower court in March.  —  "The handgun ban has saved many lives and will continue …

DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: PLEASE LEAVE IRAN IN LIMBO  —  I trust you and yours are doing well.  I'm writing because Ewen MacAskill and Julian Borger have this story in the Guardian that says you want to solve Iran by the time you leave office: … This story jibes with what I'm hearing about your mindset as well.

Bill Kristol: On the Train to Delusionville  —  I know it's a pretty high bar, but Bill Kristol, the founder of the Project for a New American Century that spawned the Iraq war, the man whose editorials often seem to be inserted directly into the president's speeches, and who once boasted that …

Giuliani to Reveal Five-Star Conservative Judicial Advisory Panel  —  WASHINGTON — GOP frontrunner Rudy Giuliani will unveil his "Justice Advisory Committee" this week on a two-day swing through heavily Republican western districts of Washington, D.C., home of the first presidential caucuses in 2008.

Thompson Reaches to the Right  —  Laying the groundwork for evangelical support  —  For months, conservative evangelical activists have been fretting over a Republican presidential field whose front-runners are the pro-abortion rights Rudy Giuliani, the formerly pro-gay rights Mitt Romney …

GOP senator to Rove: Bush legacy on the line in Iraq  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — A Republican senator says he warned top White House aide Karl Rove that President Bush quickly needs to craft a workable plan to withdraw U.S. troops fom Iraq in order to salvage his legacy.

A GOP comeback strategy  —  Way behind in the polls, the party should exploit the anti-politician mood and offer a hopeful message.  —  ALL THE BIG questions for 2008 are on the Democratic side: Can Hillary Clinton show her humanity?  Does Obama have enough experience?  Will Edwards find a cheaper barber?

[TS] Op-Ed Columnist: The Waiting Game  —  The opponents of universal health care appear to have run out of honest arguments.

51% Say Wait Till September for Iraq Policy Change  —  Fifty-one percent (51%) of American voters say that the United States should wait for the September progress report before making major policy changes in Iraq.  A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 38% disagree.

Mistrust as Iraqi Troops Encounter New U.S. Allies  —  Abu Azzam says the 2,300 men in his movement include members of fierce Sunni groups like the 1920s Revolutionary Brigade and the Mujahedeen Army that have fought the American occupation.  Now his men patrol alongside the Americans …

Young Adults Are Giving Newspapers Scant Notice  —  With the United States military fighting a protracted war in Iraq and a wide-open presidential campaign already making headlines daily, Americans of all ages are interested in current affairs and are consuming news like never before, right?

Mahdi Army, Not Al-Qaeda, is Enemy No. 1 in Western Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD — The lights were on in Baghdad.  Something was wrong.  —  Two platoons were creeping through the southwestern neighborhood of al-Amil well past midnight last week.  Headlights snapped off, night vision lenses lowered into place …