As Democracy Push Falters, Bush Feels Like a 'Dissident'  —  By the time he arrived in Prague in June for a democracy conference, President Bush was frustrated.  He had committed his presidency to working toward the goal of "ending tyranny in our world," yet the march of freedom seemed stalled.

The Democratic Debate - What They Really Said  —  Here are my interpretations of what the candidates may have really meant in their responses to the ABC Debate on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" (debate excerpts from transcript in quotes, with my interpretation of what they may have really meant embedded in italics).

HOW THE NEW REPUBLIC GOT SUCKERED  —  When Pajamas Media heard the authenticity questions surrounding the "Baghdad Diarist" articles by Scott Thomas Beauchamp in The New Republic, we asked our Washington Editor Richard Miniter to look into how the respected opinion magazine could once again be the locus of such a scandal.

Clinton backers see Warner — not Obama — as best V.P. choice  —  Anticipating that Sen. Hillary Clinton will clinch the Democratic presidential nomination, some supporters are beginning to argue against her choosing her principal rival — Sen. Barack Obama — for vice president.

Al Qaeda's Travel Agent  —  Damascus International Airport is a hub for terrorists.  —  The United States is at last making significant progress against al Qaeda in Iraq—but the road to victory now requires cutting off al Qaeda's road to Iraq through Damascus.

Kurds flee homes as Iran shells Iraqi villages  —  Iraqi Kurdish officials expressed deepening concern yesterday at an upsurge in fierce clashes between Kurdish guerrillas and Iranian forces in the remote border area of north-east Iraq, where Tehran has recently deployed thousands of Revolutionary Guards.

Happy Warrantless Surveillance Subpoena Day  —  On Friday, the White House requested a second extension to the deadline to comply with subpoenas issued about the origins of the warrantless surveillance program.  Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy's (D-VT) response?

An Interview With Robert Novak  —  On Friday of last week, I did a telephone interview with Robert Novak about his book, The Prince of Darkness: 50 Years Reporting in Washington.  What follows is the transcript of our interview (Note: This interview has been edited slightly to correct grammar and for brevity's sake.)

Why Study War?  —  Military history teaches us about honor, sacrifice, and the inevitability of conflict.  —  Try explaining to a college student that Tet was an American military victory.  You'll provoke not a counterargument—let alone an assent—but a blank stare: Who or what was Tet?

Roadside bomb kills Iraq governor  —  The Shia governor of Iraq's southern Muthana province has been killed by a roadside bomb, officials have said.  —  The governor, Mohammed Ali al-Hasani, was killed when the bomb exploded next to his convoy as it drove through the provincial capital, Samawa, police say.

AP: Pain medicine use has nearly doubled  —  MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - People in the United States are living in a world of pain and they are popping pills at an alarming rate to cope with it.  —  The amount of five major painkillers sold at retail establishments rose 90 percent between 1997 and 2005 …

Vladimir Putin rewrites Russia's history books to promote patriotism  —  Critics are accusing President Vladimir Putin's government of a Soviet-style rewriting of Russian history with a series of new "patriotic" textbooks to be unveiled in the new school year.

Rove Talks: If Mistakes Were Made, They Weren't His  —  Karl Rove says he feels like Moby Dick.  —  In a television tour of three Sunday morning shows as his departure from the White House nears, Mr. Rove, President Bush's chief political adviser, complained that Democratic leaders …

A New Home for DDT  —  DDT, the miracle insecticide turned environmental bogeyman, is once again playing an important role in public health.  In the malaria-plagued regions of Africa, where mosquitoes are becoming resistant to other chemicals, DDT is now being used as an indoor repellent.

On Tap  —  The New York Times calls it an "unnecessary and dangerous expansion of President Bush's powers" and warns that it will "allow the government to intercept, without a warrant, every communication into or out of any country, including the United States."