How Rove Directed Federal Assets for GOP Gains  —  Bush Adviser's Effort to Promote the President and His Allies Was Unprecedented in Its Reach  —  Thirteen months before President Bush was reelected, chief strategist Karl Rove summoned political appointees from around the government to the Old Executive Office Building.

The Muslim Jesus Cont'd  —  Some interesting emails for late on a Saturday night.  Here are a bunch, but I'll hide most of 'em behind one of those more links: … And: … And: … And, from my Middle East Guy:  —  Keep reading this post . . .

2 Firefighters Killed in Blaze at Ground Zero  —  Two firefighters were killed yesterday battling a blaze in the Deutsche Bank skyscraper, a vacant relic of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack that was in the process of being dismantled.  —  The firefighters were among hundreds who poured …

Climate protest 'will be contained'  —  Police were confident of being able to contain the expected climax of the climate camp at Heathrow Airport.  —  Protesters, buoyed by an influx of new arrivals, promised 24 hours of direct action, starting from midday on Sunday.

Shiite militia expands grip in Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD - The street market bustles in the early mornings and late afternoons as shoppers come out to buy fruit, bread, clothes and toys.  Late into the hot summer nights, whole families gather to eat grilled kebabs at tiny stalls, their small children shrieking as they play tag.

Seeing Corporate Fingerprints in Wikipedia Edits  —  Last year a Wikipedia visitor edited the entry for the SeaWorld theme parks to change all mentions of "orcas" to "killer whales," insisting that this was a more accurate name for the species.  —  There was another, unexplained edit …

Terror law puts Britons at risk of surveillance by US agents  —  A new law swept through Congress by the US government before the summer recess is to give American security agencies unprecedented powers to spy on British citizens without a warrant.  —  The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act …

In Unprecedented Order, FISA Court Requires Bush Administration to Respond to ACLU's Request That Secret Court Orders Be Released to the Public  —  Government Must Respond by August 31  —  WASHINGTON - In an unprecedented order, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) …

Is Tom Friedman a Bad Person?  —  All signs point to "pretty hideous human being, one which all good people should shun."

How to tell an expert from an "expert"  —  Matt and Gideon Rose are having a pretty interesting exchange regarding expertise and the Democratic foreign policy community.  I completely agree with Matt when he writes … It's not that the entire VSP community is bad.

Nobel prize winner denies discrimination  —  Our man in Cancun, Jules Siegel, follows up on yesterday's report that Guatemalan presidential candidate Rigoberta Menchu was removed from a high priced tourist hotel because she was mistaken for a common indigenous Indian.

Words of Wisdom  —  By Kathy G.  —  What Max said.  —  Adding, that the argument that Hillary shouldn't be the nominee because she's too "divisive" never made a lot of sense to me.  I agree with Ezra that she probably wouldn't be the best choice for the nomination, because by temperament she's …

GIULIANI ENDORSES BUSH'S SOCIAL SECURITY PLAN  —  After Bush won a second term, he entered 2005 in a relatively strong position.  He boasted about having "political capital," his approval rating was around 50%, and he looked at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue and saw a very friendly Republican majority in both chambers.

More On Wiretapping  —  Thanks to many who responded to my request, particularly to commenter LITBMueller for this highly informed comment.  —  Starting off, Marty Lederman has explained the limitations of the six-month "sunset" clause much better than I did a few days ago:

How the BBC disgraced my mother  —  They've portrayed her as a drunk and axed a play that cast her as a heroine.  Now they want to show her swearing like a trooper.  —  Here, Lady Thatcher's daughter Carol blasts back at the BBC  —  When it comes to separating fact from fiction …