Alaska Senator's Home Is Raided  —  Stevens Scrutinized In a Wide Inquiry Into Corruption in the State  —  Agents from the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service raided the Alaska home of Sen. Ted Stevens (R) yesterday as part of a broad federal investigation of political corruption in the state …

Short of Perjury  —  I find myself in an unaccustomed and unexpected position: defending Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.  —  Gonzales fans, if there are Gonzales fans left, except for the only fan who counts: Don't take any comfort from my assessment.  —  In his Senate testimony last week …

Chief justice likely to leave hospital today  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush called U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts at a Maine hospital Tuesday morning, and reported that Roberts "sounded like he was in good spirits," according to White House spokesman Tony Snow.

Ellison returns from trip to Iraq  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Keith Ellison made a weekend trip to Iraq, where a pair of sheiks urged Congress' only Muslim lawmaker to help in countering al-Qaeda's vision of Islam.  —  Ellison, D-Minn., said he met in Ramadi in Anbar province with the two sheiks …

Sept. 10 in Waziristan  —  The National Intelligence Estimate released July 17 put the problem plainly enough: Al-Qaeda has "regenerated key elements of its Homeland attack capability" using a new haven in the lawless frontier area of northwest Pakistan known as Waziristan.

Turning Point?  —  The New York Times ran a piece Monday by two non-"neoconservatives" — Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack — arguing that the war in Iraq can be won.  Is this indicative of some kind of mood change afoot?  Could we really win this war?  Could the rhetoric in Washington really change?

Bread and a Circus, Part I of II  —  [Note: Before we begin, a huge congratulations to Iraq for winning the Asian Cup in soccer.  As an American, I felt a sense of jubilation when Iraq took the title.  I have temporarily left Iraq, for my only "break" this year, and am in Singapore.

Clyburn: Positive Report by Petraeus Could Split House Democrats on War  —  House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Monday that a strongly positive report on progress on Iraq by Army Gen. David Petraeus likely would split Democrats in the House and impede his party's efforts to press for a timetable to end the war.

Cheney Says He Is A 'Unique Creature,' Refuses To Say He Is Part Of Executive Branch  —  In June, House investigators revealed that Vice President Dick Cheney had exempted his office from an executive order order designed to safeguard classified national security information by claiming …

New York Times Pulitzer Prize winner John Burns on Iraq, Iran and how the surge is working.  —  The Hugh Hewitt Show  —  HH: Pleased to welcome back to the Hugh Hewitt Show John Burns of the New York Times.  Mr. Burns, welcome, it's been about six months since we spoke, and I gather you're in Baghdad today?

Approaching Ames  —  The Ames Straw poll is now just days away.  And, while three of the four leading Republican contenders — John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson — have signaled they will not participate in the traditional early organizational test, they could have a significant impact on the ultimate outcome.

'Untouchable' corruption in Iraq ministries  —  Report partially faults PM's office, says health ministry in 'grip' of militants  —  Supplies and medicine in strife-torn Baghdad's overcrowded hospitals have been siphoned off and sold elsewhere for profit because of "untouchable" …

Edwards applies full-court press against media  —  If politicians ever heeded the old warning about avoiding fights with people who "buy their ink by the barrel," they aren't anymore — certainly not John Edwards.  —  Republicans in the 1990s got over their fear of the press and instead turned the …

Thompson Disputes Taking 'Fair Tax' Pledge  —  Proposal Would Replace Current Tax System With 23 Percent Sales Tax  —  Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., tells ABC News through a spokesperson that FairTax.org is wrong in claiming that the all-but-declared Republican presidential candidate …