Exit Strategies  —  Would Iran Take Over Iraq?  Would Al-Qaeda?  The Debate About How and When to Leave Centers on What Might Happen After the U.S. Goes.  —  If U.S. combat forces withdraw from Iraq in the near future, three developments would be likely to unfold.

AP Poll: GOP pick is 'none of the above'  —  WASHINGTON - And the leading Republican presidential candidate is ... none of the above.  —  The latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that nearly a quarter of Republicans are unwilling to back top-tier hopefuls Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson …

The Salon Interview: Elizabeth Edwards  —  On her confrontation with Ann Coulter, why she backs gay marriage — and why Edwards is a better choice for women than Hillary Clinton.  —  Elizabeth Edwards listens to her husband speak at a campaign event in Concord, N.H., April 2, 2007.

On Good Morning America, Sawyer falsely claimed Reid "vows to filibuster"  —  During the July 17 edition of ABC's Good Morning America, co-anchor Diane Sawyer falsely claimed that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) "vows to filibuster, talking all night to close out all topics besides a vote on Iraqi troop withdrawals."

Suicide bombing at Islamabad courthouse kills 13  —  Over 50 wounded in attack where ousted Chief Justice was scheduled to speak; government still negotiation with Taliban in North Waziristan  —  The suicide attacks that have plagued the Northwest Frontier Province have shifted to the heart of Pakistan in the capital of Islamabad.

Pace sees 'sea change' in parts of Iraq  —  RAMADI, Iraq—Upbeat on what could be his final visit to Iraq before retiring, the top U.S. general said Tuesday that parts of Iraq are undergoing a "sea change" in improved security.  —  Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff …

FBI: Iraqis Being Smuggled Across the Rio Grande  —  Brian Ross Reports:  —  The FBI is investigating an alleged human smuggling operation based in Chaparral, N.M., that agents say is bringing "Iraqis and other Middle Eastern" individuals across the Rio Grande from Mexico.

Bush office is anti-Muslim, group says  —  A Muslim civil rights group today blamed Bush administration policies for promoting "Islamophobia" and said the "war on terror" won't stop terrorists.  —  "The new perception is that the United States has entered a war with Islam itself," …

The Politico sewer  —  The Politico today is prominently touting on its front page another vapid, petty, and inane "news story" — the type of story which has, in just a few short months, become its hallmark: … Impressively, they followed up their Romney scoop with a hard-hitting …

Cigarmakers in a panic … Eric Newman punches the numbers on his calculator and gapes at the results one more time.  —  It's no mathematical error: The federal government has proposed raising taxes on premium cigars, the kind Newman's family has been rolling for decades in Ybor City, by as much as 20,000 percent.

Blogosphere Responds To O'Reilly's Baseless Attacks On The Netroots  —  Last night on The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly dedicated a segment to disingenuously attacking the upcoming YearlyKos convention, its namesake DailyKos, and one of the event's sponsors, JetBlue.

Myths and Realities of the George Bush Presidency … Near the end of his shows, humorist Mort Sahl used to ask, "Is there anyone I haven't offended yet?"  These days, I find myself asking the same question about President Bush.  Economic libertarians gripe about high government spending.