U.S. Is 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 …

Part I: CNN/YouTube Democratic presidential debate transcript  —  This is part one of the transcript for the CNN/YouTube presidential debates.  To see the transcript of part two click here.  —  CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) — The eight candidates vying to be the Democrat nominee …

Comment by Rational Objectivist on Should the DailyKos be Subject to the Federal Election Commission?  —  After reading this thread carefully, I quite agree that there is significant risk in this course of action, but also agree that the best way to fight a bad law often is to enforce it rigorously.

[TS] Op-Ed Columnist: A Reality-Based Economy  —  The neopopulist story line about skyrocketing inequality and the tides of globalization is incredibly simple-minded.

Diplomats Received Political Briefings  —  White House aides have conducted at least half a dozen political briefings for the Bush administration's top diplomats, including a PowerPoint presentation for ambassadors with senior adviser Karl Rove that named Democratic incumbents targeted …

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.

Alberto Gonzales Testimony, Part I  —  (Image via Twolf1.  Alternate image via Cozumel: Texas Toast, the continuing saga...)  —  Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is set to testify today before the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Testimony will begin at 9:30 am ET — and will be covered live on C-Span3.

Bond Continues Misleading Constituents About Iraq  —  If Missouri really does pride itself on being "the show-me state," you have to wonder how long it's going to be before Missourians demand that Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) show them the truth.  —  Bond, who has been one of George W. Bush's …

Cheese Headcases  —  Wisconsin reveals the cost of "universal" health care.  —  When Louis Brandeis praised the 50 states as "laboratories of democracy," he didn't claim that every policy experiment would work.  So we hope the eyes of America will turn to Wisconsin, and the effort …

THE CIA SPEAKS, WITH FORKED TONGUE  —  We've previously noted the new book Sabotage by Rowan Scarborough.  Scarborough's book explores the CIA's efforts to undermine the Bush administration.  It is a subject that we have written about here frequently over the past several years.

Spitzer Aides Cited for Use of Police to Tarnish Bruno  —  Gov. Eliot Spitzer's aides, including one of his closest advisers, improperly used the State Police to gather information about the governor's chief rival, Joseph L. Bruno, the State Senate majority leader, in an effort to plant …

Not the Retiring Kind  —  As a retiree, Cindy Sheehan was the Michael Jordan of the peace movement.  —  "I am going to take whatever I have left and go home," she announced in her May 29 "resignation letter" as antiwar activist.  "Good-bye America."  —  The retirement — and Sheehan's attempt to …

Public Voice Adds Edge to Debate  —  Democrats Face Questions from Internet Users in Unorthodox Format  —  Democratic presidential candidates shared the spotlight Monday night with ordinary citizens from around the country in a two-hour debate that featured sharp and sometimes witty video questions …

Tax Break Used by Drug Makers Failed to Add Jobs  —  Two years ago, when companies received a big tax break to bring home their offshore profits, the president and Congress justified it as a one-time tax amnesty that would create American jobs.  —  Drug makers were the biggest beneficiaries …