Open thread: The CNN YouTube freak show debate; Update: Private jet show of hands video added; Update: Biden tells gun owner he "needs help"; Update: I'll meet with Castro, Chavez, Ahmadinejad, says Obama  —  7 p.m. ET.  God help me, this one might actually be worth watching.

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 Finds Democrats Favored On War  —  But Bush, Congress Both Get Low Ratings on Iraq  —  Most Americans see President Bush as intransigent on Iraq and prefer that the Democratic-controlled Congress make decisions about a possible withdrawal of U.S. forces, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Doubts Raised on Magazine's 'Baghdad Diarist'  —  Just who is the "Baghdad Diarist"?  —  It is a question that many people are asking The New Republic, the Washington political magazine that has been running articles attributed to an American soldier in Baghdad.

Sheehan Arrested in Impeachment Protest  —  ARLINGTON, Va. — Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan on Monday moved another step _ actually several thousand of them _ toward carrying out her promise to run against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi because the California Democrat won't consider impeachment proceedings against President Bush.

House Panel Nears A Legal Clash With Bush Over Firings  —  Gonzales to Tell Senators He Will Not Quit  —  The House Judiciary Committee announced yesterday that it will press toward a constitutional showdown with the Bush administration over the U.S. attorney firings scandal …

VIDEO: CNN/YouTube Debate  —  YouTube Debate: Most Watched Question  —  YouTube Debate: Will You be different?  —  YouTube Debate: Do you consider yourself a liberal?  —  YouTube Debate: Kucinich as President?  —  YouTube Debate: Who would your Republican runningmate be?

"With us or against us"  —  There has lately been an alarming rise in diaries and comments that seek to impugn (without evidence) the motives of those they disagree with on various issues.  —  Yes, there's the impeachment stuff, but this nasty rhetoric is also rampant in the primary war diaries.

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 …

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 …

U.S. Seen in Iraq Until at Least '09  —  While Washington is mired in political debate over the future of Iraq, the American command here has prepared a detailed plan that foresees a significant American role for the next two years.  —  The classified plan, which represents the coordinated strategy …

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 …

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."