Blogger Finds Y2K Bug in NASA Climate Data  —  Years of bad data corrected; 1998 no longer the warmest year on record  —  My earlier column this week detailed the work of a volunteer team to assess problems with US temperature data used for climate modeling.

In A Three Minute Monologue, Matthews Gushes Over Bush's 'Great Neo-Conservative Mind'  —  Immediately following President Bush's press conference today, MSNBC's Chris Matthews spent three unbroken minutes fawning over the president's "powerful rendition" of his "philosophy" without uttering a single critical word.

Marine's Charges Dropped in Iraq Deaths  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) - A general dropped all charges Thursday against a Marine who had been accused of killing three Iraqi brothers in response to a roadside bomb attack in Haditha in 2005.  —  "The evidence does not support a referral to a court-martial …

President Bush Discusses American Competitiveness Initiative During Press Conference  —  THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, thank you.  When I came into office in 2001, our nation was headed into a recession.  So we cut the taxes across the board.  And hardworking Americans have used this tax relief …

Clinton Discussed Use of Nukes Last Year  —  NEW YORK — Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, who chastised rival Barack Obama for ruling out the use of nuclear weapons in the war on terror, did just that when asked about Iran a year ago.  —  "I would certainly take nuclear weapons off the table," she said in April 2006.

Progressive For Racist Smears?  (Update: Progressive Wises Up A Little Late)  —  Note: the site in question is now Not Safe for Work or family viewing.  See Update III. 5:15 — Now safe; see update IV.  —  It doesn't take long for provocateurs to crawl out of the woodwork to attack candidates, especially in stealth attacks.

Gov't to step up immigration enforcement  —  WASHINGTON — The Bush administration plans to step up immigration enforcement by raising fines on employers who hire undocumented workers, overhauling temporary worker programs and speeding up deployment of border agents, according to a summary of the plans.

As Straw Poll Approaches, Romney Soars, Giuliani Drops And McCain Collapses  —  Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney appears to have taken a commanding lead in Iowa among registered Republican voters and Republican caucus goers, according to a new University of Iowa poll released today, Wednesday, Aug. 8.

Okay, this is getting serious.  The media carnival about alleged war critics Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack "suddenly" expressing optimism about the surge is now threatening to balloon into something much larger than those two, a meme much more grotesque and Frankenstein-like.  Call it a Franken-meme.

Present at the Creation  —  The only person the speechwriter Michael Gerson made look better than President Bush was Michael Gerson.  The shaping of a Washington reputation, as witnessed by a White House colleague  —  M ichael J. Gerson, my former speechwriting colleague in the Bush White House …

When Hidden Experts Are Found  —  Exactly one week ago today on August 2nd, the editors of the magazine The New Republic posted A Statement on Scott Thomas Beauchamp, in which they claimed: … What is most interesting about the The New Republic's statement is that while they state they spoke to …

Administration Fights Dem Plan to Boost School Aid for Vets  —  Alexandra Bahou and Anna Schecter Report:  —  The Bush administration opposes a Democratic effort to restore full educational benefits for returning veterans, according to an official's comments last week.

Pearl Jam censored by AT&T, calls for a neutral 'Net  —  A bit of heavy-handed censorship of a Pearl Jam concert by AT&T this weekend led the band to fire off an open letter to fans—a letter in which Pearl Jam railed against media and ISP consolidation and called for readers to support network neutrality.

Police Blotter  —  Some choose virginity, some have it thrust upon them — and unfortunately, some then turn it around and thrust it upon others at Young Republican events: … Above: Why do they all have this exact facial hair? … "Oh whew," Republicans are saying, "I thought it was another closeted-gay sex crime.