Petraeus, Crocker Face Skepticism on Drawdown  —  Army Gen. David H. Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker went before Congress for a second day today to deliver a progress report on the war in Iraq and explain a new military plan to withdraw the 30,000 reinforcements sent there earlier this year to improve security.

Republicans introduce measure condemning MoveOn ad  —  House Republican leaders introduced a resolution Monday condemning a full-page newspaper ad from MoveOn.org that criticizes the character of Gen. David Petraeus, the commanding general of U.S. troops in Iraq.

Minnesota Senate  —  Coleman at 46% Democrats Close Behind  —  Minnesota is likely to host one of the more interesting and competitive Senate races in Election 2008.  —  The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone poll of the race shows incumbent Senator Norm Coleman (R) attracting just 46% support …

Miers, Bolten contempt filings delayed  —  House Democratic leaders have decided to postpone a vote on a criminal contempt resolution against White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers for several weeks, and possibly longer, according to top lawmakers and aides.

'America the Ugly'  —  Six years after 9/11, it's notable how little the politics of the left have changed.  —  In the immediate aftermath of the attacks on us that took place on this very day six years ago, several younger commentators proclaimed the birth of an entirely new era in American history.

Keith Olbermann Admits He Is Un-American!  —  And reprehensible too.  Don't blame us...it's his words:

WHAS-11 TV: Two Republican State Reps To Switch Parties  —  The pendulum is definitely swinging back to the Democratic side in Kentucky.  —  This morning, WHAS-11's Mark Hebert is reporting the following spectacular news:  —  Sources tell WHAS 11 News that they expect two republican state house members …

9/11: Remembrance and resistance  —  Update 1:30pm Eastern.  Memorial photo of the day comes from Iraq, via MNF-I:  —  The caption reads:  —  Never Forget  —  Task Force Marne Soldiers take time on the sixth anniversary of the attacks Sept. 11, 2001, for a remembrance ceremony at the Task Force Marne Headquarters.

Resistance "is a normal thing, and a right for everyone"  —  Perhaps more than any other element, contextual local perspective is missing from analysis about Iraq as a whole and Fallujah in particular.  Western media, media consumers, and the political class offer strategic assessments …

Doesn't Anyone Remember Anthrax?  —  What I just learned from CNN: … I've long been fascinated by the erasure of the anthrax attacks - which, in their own way, freaked out the country more than 9/11 did* - from our collective memory.  —  *People object when I suggest this …

Olbermann's Win A Surprise Even Inside MSNBC  —  Phil Griffin knew it would happen, he just didn't think it would happen this quickly.  On Friday night, MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann was the top-rated cable news show in the 25-54 demo.  That means Olbermann beat his cable rival …

Dollar hits fresh 15-year low  —  The dollar fell to a fresh 15-year low against a basket of currencies on Tuesday as the greenback continued to suffer from the prospect of a cut in US interest rates.  —  Expectations that the Federal Reserve would move to lower interest rates at its meeting …

Paging Americans: Where the hell are you?  —  At what point does police brutality against an African American minister inside the halls of Congress become news and inspire a call to action?  Is it after 8 police officers take him down for standing in line waiting to see members of Congress?

Murtha's Buddies Get PAID  —  Roll Call has looked into another beneficiary of John Murtha's earmarks, an organization called the Pennsylvania Association for Individuals with Disabilities (PAID).  PAID was created by Murtha's earmarks, and it is headed by a former staffer who is also a paid lobbyist.