Plame lawsuit dismissed in CIA leak case  —  WASHINGTON - Former CIA operative Valerie Plame lost a lawsuit Thursday that demanded money from Bush administration officials whom she blamed for leaking her agency identity.  —  Plame, the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson …

Raw Story uncovers even more pricey primping by Romney  —  The perception that Mitt Romney is some sort of pretty-boy was burnished earlier this week when reports emerged that he spent $300 in campaign funds for makeup "consulting" this year.  It turns out Romney has maintained an expensive beauty regimen for years.

Pentagon rebukes Sen. Clinton on Iraq  —  WASHINGTON - The Pentagon told Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton that her questions about how the U.S. plans to eventually withdraw from Iraq boosts enemy propaganda.  —  In a stinging rebuke to a member …

Democrats cut 'John Doe' provision  —  Congressional Democrats today failed to include a provision in homeland security legislation that would protect the public from being sued for reporting suspicious behavior that may lead to a terrorist attack, according to House Republican leaders.

Facing al-Qaeda  —  HOMELAND Security Secretary Michael Chertoff makes a good point: No one who has been following the news should have been surprised by the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies that al-Qaeda is growing stronger and that the threat that it will stage another major attack against the U.S. homeland is a serious one.

General David Petraeus on the conditions on the ground in Iraq  —  The Hugh Hewitt Show  —  HH: Welcome, General.  You took over command of the multinational forces in February of this year, February 10.  In the past five months, how have conditions in Iraq changed?

Iraq and the Defense Bill: A Post-Mortem Guide for the Perplexed  —  So Harry Reid (D-NV) withdrew the defense authorization bill this morning after the Democrats weren't able to break the GOP filibuster.  —  The indignation spilled out across the aisle, with Republicans bemoaning Reid's …

FOX News Poll: Republicans Losing Ground in '08 Race  —  NEW YORK — Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton now holds a slight lead over top Republican Rudy Giuliani for the first time in a hypothetical 2008 presidential matchup.  In fact, to varying degrees, Clinton and fellow Democratic …

An Epic Showdown as Harry Potter Is Initiated Into Adulthood  —  So, here it is at last: The final confrontation between Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, the "symbol of hope" for both the Wizard and Muggle worlds, and Lord Voldemort, He Who Must Not Be Named …

Sunni insurgency: Out of the shadows  —  I just want to draw attention to a really important story about Iraq, which could easily get lost in the questions about the Mashhadani capture - the report in the Guardian about the moves to cement the public political profile of the major Sunni insurgency groups …

Blogosphere Day: Time to Invest in Our Future  —  When I entered the 2004 presidential race, it was with the support of tens of thousands of Americans organizing online (and later translating it offline) to create a movement to change America.  It opened my eyes to the power of the internet.

Dave Chappelle: Next White House press secretary?  —  From CNN White House Correspondent Ed Henry  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — One of the best parts of the White House beat is that you just never know who's going to show up at those black iron gates at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Has anyone seen our 'war czar'?  —  An AP report this morning notes that the White House is continuing to lobby lawmakers on Iraq policy, in part by offering access to top officials responsible for implementing war policy. … That's a rather passive way of describing the war czar's role, isn't it?