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 …

Progressives 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

First lady, Jenna Bush to write children's book  —  First lady Laura Bush and daughter Jenna Bush are writing a children's book about a boy who doesn't like to read.  It is based on their experiences as teachers.  —  HarperCollins plans to announce today that it will publish the as-yet-untitled picture book next spring.

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.

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.

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.

Will the real Colin Powell stand up?  —  Every movement, gesture and tic of the Bush administration is shadowed by its past.  When National Intelligence Director Michael McConnell was deployed politically to overawe timorous legislators into approving unlimited and warrantless domestic surveillance …

Primary Season Getting Earlier  —  S.C. GOP's Move Could Push Votes For 2008 Into '07  —  South Carolina's Republican Party will move its 2008 presidential primary forward to Jan. 19, sources said yesterday, a decision almost certain to spark a cascade of calendar changes that could push …

Sunni Fighters Find Strategic Benefits in Tentative Alliance With U.S.  —  BAQUBAH, Iraq — The Sunni insurgent leader lifted up his T-shirt, revealing a pistol stuck in his belt, and explained to a U.S. sergeant visiting his safe house why he'd stopped attacking Americans.