Website: Soon, The Blessed Invasion of Manhattan— "Special Gift" for 9/11  —  UPDATE 5:00: New bin Laden video coming soon!  Perhaps this is the "special gift"?  —  I promised myself that I wouldn't give my 'friend' Inshallahshaheed from the Wordpress hosted al Qaeda support website …

Judge strikes down part of Patriot Act  —  NEW YORK - A federal judge struck down a key part of the USA Patriot Act on Thursday in a ruling that defended the need for judicial oversight of laws and bashed Congress for passing a law that makes possible "far-reaching invasions of liberty."

Pre-emptive capitulation in the House, as well  —  An unpopular president who is a member of an unpopular party is pushing an unpopular war.  So of course, Democrats have to pre-emptively surrender for fear that "some" might criticize them. … Does this bill even pass the logic test?

O'Hanlon Rips GAO Report: It Is 'Flat-Out Sloppy'  —  Last week, Gen. David Petraeus alleged a 75 percent reduction in "sectarian violence" in Iraq and is expected to say the same before Congress.  In contrast, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office recently reported that daily attacks in Iraq have …

US Democratic hopeful Kucinich meets Assad, blasts Bush  —  US Democratic presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich, on a Mideast visit that included a stop in Syria, said the country lambasted by the Bush administration deserves credit for taking in more than a million Iraqi refugees.

"Muslim Student Association Harasses Women and Jews at University of Texas-San Antonio"  —  Happily, they shot their own video to document the occasion.  —  I'm interested to hear what the diversity czars and the risk-averse university bureaucrats have to say about this kind …

Zogby poll: 42% of Democrats think Bush either caused 9/11 or let it happen  —  I guess we should be grateful it's not a clear majority, eh?  You can thank the turds at 9/11 Truth for commissioning the poll; SLC spotted it earlier and has since been digesting the numbers.

FBI Makes 11 Corruption Arrests In N.J.  —  NEW YORK — Eleven public officials were charged Thursday in a widespread FBI corruption investigation in New Jersey, officials said.  —  Among those charged were Passaic Mayor Sammy Rivera and Orange Mayor Mims Hackett, investigators said.

Bush knew Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction  —  Salon exclusive: Two former CIA officers say the president squelched top-secret intelligence, and a briefing by George Tenet, months before invading Iraq.  —  (Clockwise from top left) Naji Sabri, George W. Bush, Colin Powell and George Tenet.

USF students' box of bullets adds intrigue … TAMPA — Bullets were among the items investigators found in the car of two University of South Florida students.  —  The deputy who pulled over Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed and Youssef Samir Megahed, 21, found a box of bullets near the seat …

GOP senators hold 'spirited' discussion on Craig  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Republican senators held what one participant called a "passionate" and "spirited" closed-door discussion Wednesday afternoon about how their leaders responded to the sex scandal involving their colleague Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho, CNN has learned.