Report: CIA Director Unprepared for al-Qaeda Threat  —  Former CIA Director George Tenet failed to lead a strategic effort against al-Qaeda before the Sept. 11 attacks, the agency's inspector general concluded in a long-classified report released today.  —  The report, which Congress ordered …

A New York State of Mind  —  When I was working in television, I spent quite a bit of time in New York City.  There are lots of things about the place I like, but New York gun laws don't fall in that category.  —  Anybody who knows me knows I've always cared deeply about the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

Congress Approval Rating Matches Historical Low  —  Just 18% approve of job Congress is doing  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A new Gallup Poll finds Congress' approval rating the lowest it has been since Gallup first tracked public opinion of Congress with this measure in 1974.

Pentagon to shut controversial database  —  Anti-terror program criticized for storing information on peaceful protesters  —  WASHINGTON - The Pentagon said Tuesday that it will shut down an anti-terror database that has been criticized for improperly storing information on peace activists and others whose actions posed no threat.

CAIR blames Justice for its troubles  —  The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) says it is suffering from a decline in membership and fundraising and blames the Justice Department for listing it as an unindicted co-conspirator in a case involving a charity accused of terrorist ties.

LA-Gov: Jindal's views of non-Catholics  —  This old Free Republic post contains the text of Jindal's "How Catholicism is Different" article, which is now the focus of a Democratic Party attack ad against him.  It won't likely be up long, as the magazine is aggressively seeking to expunge versions …

Can the GOP Make a Comeback?  —  The recipe for Republicans is to stop acting like, well, Republicans—that is, Republicans of recent vintage.  —  It's not particularly visible at the moment, but there is a road to political recovery for Republicans.  Chances are they won't get far enough …

G.O.P. Consultant Accused of Threatening Spitzer's Father  —  Lawyers representing Gov. Eliot Spitzer's 83-year-old father, Bernard Spitzer, say a prominent political consultant who has been working for State Senate Republicans threatened the elder Mr. Spitzer this month in an anonymous, invective-laced phone message.

How to Spy in Iraq  —  BAGHDAD - American soldiers arrived in Iraq in 2003 with not much of a plan and little idea what to expect.  The Iraqi government, military, and police were overthrown and disbanded under de-Baathification.  Most Iraqis who knew how to run the country were either sent home or imprisoned.

Book Chief: Conservatives Want Slogans  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Liberals read more books than conservatives.  The head of the book publishing industry's trade group says she knows why—and there's little flattering about conservative readers in her explanation.

Arctic August: NYC Sets Record For Coldest Day  —  High Of 59 Degrees Ties Chilliest August High Set In 1911  —  Featured Slideshows:  —  (CBS) NEW YORK Don't forget to bundle up if you're headed out in New York City today.  After all, it is August 21.  —  The city along with the rest …

An Unjust Judge  —  To understand the furor over President Bush's nomination of Leslie Southwick to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, one should start with the Goode family of Mississippi.  —  A propane heater exploded in their house, killing their granddaughter.  The Goodes sued the manufacturer.

I fear you may have misunderstood me  —  One of my commenters demands: … I am not defending Rudy, the presidential candidate.  Almost no one who has lived in New York wants Rudy anywhere near the nuclear football, nor would we like to see his strongly authoritarian instincts …

Bloomberg says won't run for president  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he cannot win the U.S. presidency and won't run, the strongest statement to date about his intentions for the 2008 presidential race.  —  Bloomberg previously had said he had no plans to run …

Democrats see 'results' in Iraq  —  Top Senate Democrats have started to acknowledge progress in Iraq, with the chairman of the Armed Services Committee yesterday saying the U.S. troop surge is producing "measurable results."  —  Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan highlighted improved security …