Envoy's Letters Counter Bush on Plan for Iraq  —  A previously undisclosed exchange of letters shows that President Bush was told in advance by his top Iraq envoy in May 2003 of a plan to "dissolve Saddam's military and intelligence structures," a plan that the envoy, L. Paul Bremer, said referred to dismantling the Iraqi Army.

Chinese military hacked into Pentagon  —  By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington and Richard McGregor in Beijing  —  The Chinese military hacked into a Pentagon computer network in June in the most successful cyber attack on the US defence department, say American ­officials.

Kagan: The Gettysburg of This War  —  Anbar is, indeed, a unique province in Iraq.  Its population is almost entirely Sunni, and tribal structures remain unusually strong in a country where they have generally been weakened by years of secular, totalitarian rule.

Your Moment Of Schadenfreude For Today: Bush-Mocking Journalist Piers Morgan Gets His  —  He delighted in mocking the President for falling off his Segway, even going so far as to ask Bush if he felt "only an idiot" could fall off one, but when he tries it himself...  "Only an idiot," indeed.

Weighing the 'Surge'  —  The U.S. War in Iraq Hinges on the Counterinsurgency Strategy Of Gen. Petraeus.  The Results Have Been Tenuous.  —  BAGHDAD — Nearly every week, American generals and politicians visit Combat Outpost Gator, nestled behind a towering blast wall in the Dora market.

Union Endorsement Scorecard  —  Pursuant to Labor Day, and with the steelworkers and miners endorsing Edwards, here is the updated union endorsement scorecard:  — Edwards: United Steel Workers, United Mine Workers of America, International Brotherhood of Carpenters.  2.3 million combined members.

David Cameron 'is trashing Thatcher legacy'  —  A Tory grandee will unveil an alternative manifesto today to recapture the "soul" of the Conservative Party in a move that threatens to undermine David Cameron's leadership.  —  Michael Ancram, a former deputy leader of the party …

The Unintended Consequences of Foreign Aid: Theodore Dalrymple explains how Western policies have poisoned the water supplies of 70 million in Bangladesh  —  Well-intentioned policies can have disastrous outcomes.  Theodore Dalrymple explains how philanthropic Western policies have poisoned …

In the Age of Terror, Isn't Busting Toe-Tappers an Insane Use of Our Law Enforcement Resources?  —  In the consensus judgment of America's 16 intelligence agencies, the terrorist threat to our homeland is "persistent and evolving," placing our country in "a heightened threat environment."

My maths skills show we're safe, says Iranian leader  —  PRESIDENT Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has sought to justify his confidence the US will not attack Iran, saying the proof comes from his mathematical skills as an engineer and faith in God, the press reported today.

Cruising  —  A few liberal readers have taken offense to my suggestion that the "left" doesn't object to anonymous cruising for gay sex in public places.  I wrote: "Since most on the Left think Craig's alleged sexual liaisons are perfectly benign, they shouldn't object."

Blogging from APSA: The New Originalism  —  I am back in Washington, DC, where I'm visiting at Georgetown for the Fall Semester after four days in Chicago for American Political Science Association annual meeting.  This year's APSA really has a buzz—and some really fine panels on constitutional theory.

Bush makes surprise visit to Iraq  —  AL-ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq - President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq on Monday, using the war zone as a backdrop to argue his case that the buildup of U.S. troops is helping stabilizing the nation.  —  The president secretly flew 11 hours to Iraq …