Wide Skepticism Ahead of Assessment  —  Poll Respondents Doubt Petraeus Will Give True Picture of Situation in Iraq  —  Most Americans think this week's report from Army Gen. David H. Petraeus will exaggerate progress in Iraq, and few expect it to result in a major shift in President Bush's policy.

Among Top Officials, 'Surge' Has Sparked Dissent, Infighting  —  For two hours, President Bush listened to contrasting visions of the U.S. future in Iraq.  Gen. David H. Petraeus dominated the conversation by video link from Baghdad, making the case to keep as many troops as long as possible to cement any security progress.

Fred Thompson: Al Qaeda smoking ban pushed Iraqis to U.S.  —  SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Freshly minted GOP White House hopeful Fred Thompson puzzled Iowans yesterday by insisting an Al Qaeda smoking ban was one reason freedom-loving Iraqis bolted to the U.S. side.  —  "They said, 'You gotta quit smoking …

EUROPE TURNS RIGHT  —  PJM Groningen: Make no mistake: newly-elected conservative European leaders did not win their elections because they are pro-American, they won despite it, says PJM correspondent Michael van der Galien.  —  Support Pajamas Media; Visit Our Advertisers  —  By Michael van der Galien

Gore Endorsement — Potent but Not Foolproof  —  Former vice president Al Gore's pronouncement that he is likely to endorse one of the Democratic candidates for president before the primary season is over has set off a slew of speculation about who his choice might be.

Fugitive fundraiser Hsu 'freaked out' on train, witness says  —  (09-08) 04:00 PDT Chicago - —  Fugitive political fundraiser Norman Hsu was behaving erratically as he fled the Bay Area on Amtrak's California Zephyr, at one point stripping off his shirt and shoes, before paramedics …

THE FIRST SHOE DROPS AT DARTMOUTH  —  We've been warning for some time that, in response to the election to the Board of Trustees of independent alumni rather than those who toe the administration line, Dartmouth would, in effect, pull the plug on the democratic system of governance that's been in place since 1891.

Looting Then And Now  —  I was interested to see Charles Krauthammer concede today that important "strategic errors" were made in Iraq, "most important, eschewing a heavy footprint, not forcibly suppressing the early looting and letting Moqtada al-Sadr escape with his life in August 2004."

Alex Jones Arrested  —  The leather-lunged, bull-horn wielding nutbar Twoofer king himself was arrested outside Fox News today for disrupting a Geraldo broadcast.  No - he didn't spit on them: … Fascism!  —  UPDATE: Here's some video from the event (wild and wooly!):  —  UPDATE II: The NWO released Jones!

Report: IDF kidnaps senior Hamas official  —  Palestinians report Israeli troops disguised as members of Hamas' security force kidnapped Muhawesh al-Kadi, senior member of group's military wing in Rafah.  Sources say man involved in abduction of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit

Iran Must Pay $2.6 Billion for '83 Attack  —  A federal judge yesterday ordered Iran to pay more than $2.6 billion to nearly 1,000 family members and a handful of survivors of a 1983 bombing of a Marine barracks in Lebanon that killed 241 soldiers.  The ruling brought cheers and tears …

chicagotribune.com  —  Is the 'Queen of Talk' also a kingmaker?  —  MONTECITO, Calif.  —  Barack Obama was running late for work at the U.S. Capitol one day, when a beefy security guard in dark sunglasses stopped the senator's car and peered in sternly to ask for identification.

bonus weekend gregalogue!  BIN LADEN'S TAPE!  —  So you've seen the latest message from our favorite goat-toucher Usama bin Laden.  In it, he criticizes Americans for reelecting, instead of punishing, Bush, as well as harping on Democrats for not securing a retreat from Iraq.