Romney on 9/11: "Lighten Up"  —  UPDATE: I'm available for comment on my experience with Romney at Jerid@buckeyestateblog.com  —  I got up late; it was a Tuesday in Cleveland and I only had early morning swim practice MWF's.  Showering, I heard Steve, another guy on the third floor of the "Tyler" dorm yell from his room, "holy s**t!"

Poll: Americans Find Bush Unyielding on Iraq  —  Majority Says Congress Should Have Final Say on Troop Withdrawal  —  Most Americans see President Bush as intransigent on Iraq and prefer that the Democratic-controlled Congress make decisions over a possible withdrawal of U.S. forces, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Let's get away from usual party politics  —  Peace activist voices her independent streak  —  The feedback I have been receiving since I announced that I would challenge U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, for her House seat — unless she gives impeachment the go-ahead — has been running about 3-to-1 positive.

House Committee to Vote on Contempt Charges  —  Conflict Comes as Gonzales Prepares for Senate Testimony  —  The House Judiciary Committee will vote Wednesday on whether to hold current and former White House officials in contempt of Congress, signaling that Democratic lawmakers intend …

Daily Kos Founder Issues Warning Concerning 'Nasty Rhetoric'  —  Is Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas growing weary of the vitriol being expressed at his blog?  —  It appears so, as without explaining what incidents precipitated the need for such, Moulitsas posted a warning …

A teacher with faith and reason  —  DID YOU hear about the religious fundamentalist who wanted to teach physics at Cambridge University?  This would-be instructor wasn't simply a Christian; he was so preoccupied with biblical prophecy that he wrote a book titled "Observations on the Prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John."

Voters ask the questions during historic debate  —  (CNN) — The first question of the historic and unscripted YouTube debate in Charleston, South Carolina, got right to the point.  —  A young man from Utah asked, "What makes you any different than other politicians?"

Report Card on Prejudice in America  —  New Zogby/GSN Survey Reveals That:  — A Racist Lives Next Door - Most Americans believe they don't make decisions based on race...but think their neighbors do  —  They also think most Americans believe:  —  Most Americans believe …

Bill Kristol, Highly Recommended  —  Bill Kristol's the-war-is-being-won piece in The Washington Post brought him plenty of ridicule, but at least one person liked it.  —  President Bush read the July 15 Outlook article that morning and recommended it to his staff.

The Dems, the 'John Does' and the blogosphere  —  Public pressure is mounting on Capitol Hill Democrats to include the "John Doe" provision into a written conference report of the final 911 Commission bill.  —  The provision would protect the public for reporting suspicious behavior …

Bush's torture ban is full of loopholes  —  The president has issued an executive order to stop the CIA from using torture, but the ban is unenforceable.  —  A shackled detainee being taken to the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Dec. 6, 2006.

Reid's Anti-Reform Maneuvers  —  When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid picked up his ball and went home after his staged all-night session last week, he saved from possible embarrassment one of the least regular members of his Democratic caucus: Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

CNN's Hype Machine Goes Overboard  —  So have you heard there's going to be a Democratic debate tonight?  And one with normal people like you and me posing questions via streaming video?  You haven't?  Just turn on CNN.  Chances are you'll find out before the next commercial break.

I call bullsh*t on TPM's defense of its bullsh*t video.  —  TPM Café's Greg Sargent tries to respond to various bloggers, including me, who wrote about his blog post featuring a video clip of Giuliani supposedly "unhinged" and "screaming" the word "bulls**t."  Here's Greg in his new post: