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: U.S. Support for Iraq Invasion Inches Up  —  American support for the initial invasion of Iraq has risen somewhat as the White House has continued to ask the public to reserve judgment about the war until General David Petraeus files his report in the fall.

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.

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."

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.

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 …

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 …

Electorate can show true colors in YouTube debate  —  CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) — Democratic presidential candidates will face a new kind of questioning Monday night when queries for their debate come straight from America's living rooms via YouTube.

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 …

Psycho-Death Cult  —  Archaeblogogist Ace does some digging, uncovers traces of an anti-military cult in our midst, in the recent past.  As in last week, briefly, at Kos, before the high priests feared what they had wrought and exorcised it.  Spirit summoned up here in a Google seance.

Christiana Hendrix, 1974-2007  —  Mike's wife Christiana was killed Friday afternoon while riding her Sportster.  Mike was on his own bike and wasn't injured.  Stunned and heartbroken doesn't begin to cover this.  Words always feel so useless and empty when someone you love dies …

YouTube Democratic Debate: Clergyman Asks Why Edwards Uses His Faith To Justify His Stance On Gay Marriage  —  Tonight's YouTube Democratic debate has been refreshing, to say the least.  One of the questions was raised by a Southern Baptist Minister to John Edwards dealing with his opposition …

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.

FILIBUSTERS....This chart got a lot of links over the weekend, and for good reason.  It's pretty eye-popping.  The accompanying article says that the trend toward more filibusters "has been evolving for 30 years," but really, that's pretty misleading even if it's technically true.