Iraq war czar: Consider a draft  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Frequent tours for U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have stressed the all-volunteer force and made it worth considering a return to a military draft, President Bush's new war adviser said Friday.  —  "I think it makes sense …

Public Rates Giuliani Most Favorably of Eight Presidential Hopefuls  —  Net favorable ratings of McCain, Obama at new lows  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The latest USA Today/Gallup poll finds Americans most positive in their assessment of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani …

Glenn Greenwald  —  Zimbabwe passes warrantless eavesdropping law, cites U.S.  —  Several weeks ago, I wrote about State Department reports condemning Russia for its lawless detentions, its use of "coerced interrogation techniques," and violations by Putin's government of Russia's eavesdropping laws.

Farmers Call Crackdown on Illegal Workers Unfair  —  Facing the prospect of major layoffs of farmworkers during harvest season, growers and lawmakers from agricultural states spoke in dire terms yesterday about new measures by the Bush administration to crack down on employers of illegal immigrants.

DEBKAfile Exclusive: New Al Qaeda threat of radioactive truck attacks naming New York, Los Angeles, Miami  —  The threat was picked up by DEBKAfile's monitors from a rush of electronic chatter on al Qaeda sites Thursday, Aug. 8.  —  The al Qaeda communications accuse the Americans …

A Scott Beauchamp Update  —  For several weeks now, questions have been raised about Scott Beauchamp's Baghdad Diarist "Shock Troops."  While many of these questions have been formulated by people with ideological agendas, we recognize that there are legitimate concerns about journalistic accuracy.

Inside Iraq  —  I spent a week in Iraq recently, and here's what impressed me most: the Americans.  In particular, the quality and character of the American soldiers and Marines who are fighting there and trying to help rebuild the nation.  I don't mean to slight, in some ethnocentric way …

Dirty Bomb Threat In New York  —  New York City has deployed radiological detectors throughout the subway system and at bridges and tunnels tonight in response to a threatened terrorist attack.  The city has not raised its alert status yet, but the attack was specific for tonight (via One Jerusalem):

Bush on track to become the vacation president  —  President Bush tries to set an example for Americans whenever he can, in terms of physical fitness, faith, optimism and a certain overall moral rectitude.  He also sets an excellent example on taking vacation.

"I've mostly stopped reading Ann Althouse, really."  —  TRex cannot stay out of the vortex... especially when it's baited with food.  —  And apparently, I give him "all-over creepy shivers, like someone just dumped a bag of live spiders over my naked thighs."  I'm picturing chubby, pasty white thighs.

The Kids Are All Right  —  Economic literacy test: High school seniors beat Congress.  —  Pop quiz.  Which has been most important in reducing poverty over time: a) taxes, b) economic growth, c) international trade, or d) government regulation?  —  We know what our readers would say.

Rep. Schakowsky: Petraeus hints at decade-long Iraq presence  —  Gen. David Petraeus told a congressional delegation visiting the Middle East that success in Iraq will require a U.S. military presence there for about a decade, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said Friday.

Updated: That ND TV Station Reference Was Just To Say Anything's Blog  —  Search for "NASA temperature" which should bring the story up.  —  Only two references: One to a ND TV station and one to FoxNews.  The FoxNews link has a link for 92 related articles, but every single one of the articles …

The US Housing Bust is a Big Deal  —  As US home prices at the national level begin to decline for the first time since the Great Depression, most Wall Street analysts maintain their rosy outlook for the US economy by allowing hope to triumph over experience.

Iowa Governor Saves Christmas  —  DES MOINES — Iowa Gov. Chet Culver said Iowa will preserve its status as the state that holds the kickoff event of the presidential nominating process, but dismissed speculation that the caucuses will be moved to December 2007.

Sources: U.S. assessing Pakistan nukes if Musharraf falls  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — U.S. military intelligence officials are urgently assessing how secure Pakistan's nuclear weapons would be in the event President Gen. Pervez Musharraf were replaced as the nation's leader, CNN has learned.

Suspect Pleads Not Guilty in New Jersey Students' Execution-Style Deaths  —  NEWARK, N.J. — A Peruvian national in the U.S. illegally and who was previously charged with raping a 5-year-old girl pleaded not guilty Friday in the execution-style slayings of three young college students, a day after he surrendered to the Newark mayor.