Baird sees need for longer U.S. role in Iraq  —  U.S. Rep. Brian Baird said Thursday that his recent trip to Iraq convinced him the military needs more time in the region, and that a hasty pullout would cause chaos that helps Iran and harms U.S. security.  —  "I believe that the decision …

Snow to leave White House before Bush  —  WASHINGTON - White House press secretary Tony Snow said Friday he'll leave sometime before the end of the Bush presidency because of financial pressures.  —  He declined to say when he would depart, but that, "I'm going to stay as long as I can."

It Shouldn't Have Taken the Deaths of Three Miners to Get the Media to Focus on Mine Safety  —  So last night, suddenly, after the tragic second collapse at the Utah mine, there was a dramatic shift in the TV coverage of the story.  All at once, faux folksy mining boss Bob Murray …

Jenna and Henry: Now They're Really, Really Official  —  Back in February 2005, Laura Bush was asked about the guy her daughter Jenna was seeing.  "This is not a serious boyfriend — I hate to have to be the one to say it on television," said the first lady.  "But he's a very nice young man."

Thompson: Roe 'bad law and bad medicine'  —  DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) - Likely Republican White House hopeful Fred Thompson told CNN Friday that he would push for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and would work to overturn Roe v. Wade if elected president.

Hatred Begins at Home  —  The NYPD looks at what turns young Westerners into jihadis.  —  Whenever I think of war, I think of this: It was 1982 or '83, I was in Northern Ireland, and a local reporter was showing me around Derry, then a center of the Protestant-Catholic conflict.

For Giuliani, Ground Zero as Linchpin and Thorn  —  As Rudolph W. Giuliani campaigns around the country highlighting his stewardship of New York City after the Sept. 11 attacks, he is widely hailed for bringing order to a traumatized city.  But he has also raised the hackles of rescue …

Short of Purple Hearts, Navy tells vet to buy own  —  PEARLAND — Korean War veteran Nyles Reed, 75, opened an envelope last week to learn a Purple Heart had been approved for injuries he sustained as a Marine on June 22, 1952.  —  But there was no medal.  Just a certificate and a form stating that the medal was "out of stock."

O'Reilly: "I think everybody's got to relax on all this gay stuff" … On the August 15 edition of his Fox News television show, Bill O'Reilly responded to a viewer's email questioning his August 14 remarks about Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM), who had, at a presidential forum the week before …

MICHIGAN TO MOVE UP ITS PRIMARY  —  From NBC News' Chuck Todd  —  According to sources inside both parties, the two state parties in Michigan have agreed to move the state's primary — legislatively — to Jan. 15.  This is a compromise date out of respect for Democratic Sen. Carl Levin …

Edwards, Foreclosure Critic, Has Investing Tie to Subprime Lenders  —  As a presidential candidate, Democrat John Edwards has regularly attacked subprime lenders, particularly those that have filed foreclosure suits against victims of Hurricane Katrina.  But as an investor …

On Iraq Regime Change, 2007 Cheney Contradicts 2000 Cheney While Dismissing 1994 Cheney  —  Earlier this week, a video from 1994 of Dick Cheney discussing why the first Bush administration didn't move "into Baghdad" during the Gulf War surfaced on the internet and spread like wildfire.

I-75 Blog: Waiting on the Expressway Authority  —  Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization meeting today to discuss controversial $10-million federal earmark for interchange at Coconut Road.  The Southwest Florida Expressway Authority is meeting afterward to also discuss I-75, although in a more general sense.

Race for '08: Clinton widens her lead in California  —  New survey shows Clinton dominating the Democratic field in California - Obama said to be losing his luster  —  Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A4  —  Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is expanding …