President Bush Attends Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention, Discusses War on Terror  —  Kansas City Convention and Entertainment Center  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all.  Please be seated.  It's good to be with you again.  I understand you haven't had much of a problem attracting speakers.

Transcript: Debate on the foreign intelligence surveillance act  —  The following is the transcript of a question and answer session with National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell.  —  Question: How much has President Bush or members of his administration formed your response to the FISA debate?

Did changes in Crandall Canyon mining plan boost cave-in risks?  —  Robert Murray insists that his company did not change the mining plan at Crandall Canyon after purchasing a joint interest in the mine last August.  —  But documents obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune clearly contradict Murray's assertion …

Ad Wars Heat Up Ahead of 'Surge' Report  —  Gen. David Petraeus is scheduled to begin testifying on Capitol Hill about the troop surge strategy on Sept. 11, exactly six years since the attacks in New York and Washington.  Several anti- and pro-war- groups are spending money this month …

Bolton: I 'Absolutely' Hope The U.S. Will Attack Iran In The Next 'Six Months'  —  Yesterday, Raw Story pointed out that former CIA operative Bob Baer told Fox News that the Bush administration will likely attack Iran in the coming months.  "Iran policy is on close hold …

Has Maliki Ended The Insurgency?  —  Earlier today, the Italian news service AKI reported that the presumed leader of the largest insurgency in Iraq will start cooperating with the Iraqi government.  Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, one of the highest-ranking members of Saddam Hussein's government …

Victor Davis Hanson, Fabulist  —  In his NRO splutter this morning, military expert Victor Davis Hanson hyperbolized the following: … Let me suggest two articles in The New Republic that no one should have believed at the time, two articles that have been debunked by subsequent events …

Boy, 5, doused in gas, set on fire by masked men  —  Editor's note: CNN agreed not to use the full names of the mother and son in this article due to concern for their safety.  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Five-year-old Youssif is scarred for life, his once beautiful smile turned …

Gallup Poll Review: Karl Rove's Assertions About Hillary Clinton  —  High unfavorables unusual, but not necessarily a fatal flaw  —  PRINCETON, NJ — White House adviser Karl Rove — who announced he would be leaving his post at the end of August — has during the last week made a number …

Experts tie pigeon dung, bridge collapse  —  ST. PAUL, Minn. - Pounded and strained by heavy traffic and weakened by missing bolts and cracking steel, the failed interstate bridge over the Mississippi River also faced a less obvious enemy: pigeons.  —  Inspectors began documenting the buildup …

Most US adults in the dark about world politics  —  Two-thirds of US adults admit to being in the dark about political issues outside the United States, and only a third are well-versed in US politics, the results of a poll published Tuesday showed.  —  Candidates in the US presidential primaries …

Embattled Bush Official Resigns Justice Post  —  Justin Rood Reports:  —  Facing multiple investigations, a senior Justice Department appointee has resigned his post.  —  Bradley Schlozman stepped down from his position as a counsel in the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys …