The Iraq Blackwater Test  —  Depending on whether the Blackwater security firm stays in Iraq will inform us whether Prime Minister Maliki has any power or is just a U.S. puppet.  My money is on the puppet.  Over the weekend Blackwater contractors escorting a State Department/US Embassy Baghdad convoy got into a shoot out.

How Bush's AG Pick Irritates the Right  —  If the administration was trying to avoid a fight with the left over the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales' replacement as Attorney General, they may have succeeded with the nomination of former New York district judge, Michael Mukasey.

Ramstad won't run for 10th term in House  —  U.S. Jim Ramstad is expected to announce his retirement from Congress.  He has served nine terms, beginning in 1990.  —  Veteran congressman will leave seat representing western suburbs he has held for 9 terms.

Chemerinsky to return as UC Irvine law dean  —  UC Irvine Chancellor Michael V. Drake and Erwin Chemerinsky have reached an agreement that will return the liberal legal scholar to the dean's post at the university's law school, sources told The Times this morning.

The Hillary Plan  —  Let me try and give a quick sketch of the Clinton proposal before I have to run for a meeting.  Here's the thumbnail: Clinton's plan is of the "individual mandate" variety, in which universal coverage is achieved by mandating that every American purchase health care.

Barry to Elisabeth: Your "View" is Dangerous  —  TMZ has learned that legendary singer Barry Manilow has pulled out of his scheduled appearance on "The View" tomorrow — because he strongly disagrees with host Elisabeth Hasselbeck's conservative view!  Paging Rosie O'Donnell!

New Details (and Lingering Questions)  —  Israeli Air Force F-15Is (GlobalSecurity.org)  —  Sunday's U.K. Times provided tantalizing details of Israel's recent airstrike against that Syrian nuclear facility.  —  Based on reporting from the Middle East and Washington …

ACLU Backs Sen. Larry Craig  —  Senator Accused of Soliciting Sex Has an Unlikely Ally in American Civil Liberties Union  —  Idaho's Republican Senator Larry Craig reads a statement to the media Monday afternoon, Aug. 28, 2007, in Boise, Idaho.  He read a statement and took no questions during …

The Most Offensive Thing I've Seen All Day  —  The Palestinian Authority celebrates the 9/11/01 attacks on the U.S. - most recently with a cartoon showing Osama bin Laden raising his index and middle fingers in the V for Victory sign, except his fingers are the burning World Trade Center Towers.

School Terror Threat - "Jihad Boom" Postcards With Threatening Cartoon Sent To Nine Schools … Investigators released the postcards with the threatening drawings on them Monday in hopes of generating leads in the case.  Officials said that the postcards are made up of various and traditional themes …

Times to End Charges on Web Site  —  The New York Times will stop charging for access to parts of its Web site, effective at midnight Tuesday night, reflecting a growing view in the industry that subscription fees cannot outweigh the potential ad revenue from increased traffic on a free site.

Venezuela's Chavez Warns Private Schools  —  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez threatened on Monday to close or take over any private school that refuses to submit to the oversight of his socialist government as it develops a new curriculum and textbooks.

Why Do Republicans Want to Punish the Troops for George Bush's Failures?  —  Glenn Greenwald's piece on the Kagan family is such a concise, elegant, tight portrait of everything that is wrong with the warmongers who lead this country and dominate our political discourse that it almost makes your teeth hurt.