Senate Votes To Expand Warrantless Surveillance  —  White House Applauds; Changes Are Temporary  —  The Senate bowed to White House pressure last night and passed a Republican plan for overhauling the federal government's terrorist surveillance laws, approving changes that would temporarily …

Soldier Censored at Kos Convention  —  An as yet unidentified uniformed soldier attempted to address the panel on the subject of the "Surge".  He was unceremoniously escorted out by panelist Jon Soltz.  —  The soldier's words were either suppressed or inaudible on the convention's own video.

The Turn  —  Defeatists in retreat.  —  Hot July brings cooling showers, / Apricots and gillyflowers, as Sara Coleridge's doggerel has it.  But for the American antiwar movement, this July brought only a cold drizzle, wilted blossoms, and bitter fruit.  —  For the Iraq war's opponents, July began as a month of hope.

Candidates court bloggers, avoid commitment  —  CHICAGO — The second YearlyKos convention is a show of strength for the new blogging establishment: A parade of major Democratic politicians, including the leaders of the House and Senate and almost every presidential candidate …

And Now It's Oberstar's Turn  —  Yesterday, Senator Amy Klobuchar blamed the collapse of the I-35W bridge on a lack of highway funds — even though the 2005 highway bill increased federal funding to Minnesota by 46% over its five-year span.  Apparently realizing that line of argument wouldn't hold …

Police: Oakland Post editor's killer confesses to slaying  —  A 19-year-old handyman at Your Black Muslim Bakery admitted to police Friday night that he ambushed and killed Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey, investigators said.  —  Police said Devaughndre Broussard told them he killed Bailey …

OBAMA vs. CLINTON REVISITED....Mark Kleiman thinks there's more to the Hillary-Obama foreign policy contretemps than I'm giving it credit for.  I'm not so sure, but it will take a little bit of in-the-weeds explaining to say why.  Here goes.  —  First, on the question of striking al-Qaeda targets in Pakistan, Mark says:

ISRAEL: THE OUTSIDE STORY  —  Israel is a vibrant country without peer in ways that Americans would appreciate if they were aware of them.  Yet as a result of Israel's depiction in the mainstream media, Israel's image in the United States and elsewhere inverts reality.

Confirmation: GOP Won the Vote  —  Congressional Quarterly seems to have the definitive article on the furor in the House the other night.  They lead with the news of a 'ceasefire,' but later confirm that the vote ought to have been a Republican win.  —  The piece leads with the creation …

Gonzales Now Says Top Aides Got Political Briefings  —  Justice Department officials attended at least a dozen political briefings at the White House since 2001, including some meetings led by Karl Rove, President Bush's chief political adviser, and others that were focused on election trends prior …

AN OPENING  —  Presumably you've heard about "private contractors," the well-paid, well-armed, not always well-disciplined security people who do a lot of the work in Iraq that in earlier wars would have been done by the U.S. Army.  More than one left-wing blogger has caught flak for describing …

Bush surveys bridge, pledges aid  —  MINNEAPOLIS - President Bush pledged Saturday to cut red tape that could delay rebuilding a highway bridge that once arched over the Mississippi River but now lies crumbled in muddy water concealing some victims.  —  Bush, still dogged by his administration's …

In Iraq, a Perilous Alliance With Former Enemies  —  FORWARD OPERATING BASE ISKAN, Iraq — Inside a brightly lit room, the walls adorned with memorials to 23 dead American soldiers, Lt. Col. Robert Balcavage stared at the three Sunni tribal leaders he wanted to recruit.  —  Their fighters had battled U.S. troops.

Thug, Dictator, and Useful Idiot  —  Sean Penn is The Useful Idiot. … (Hat tip: Geepers.)