President Bush Announces Judge Michael Mukasey as Nominee for Attorney General  —  Fact Sheet: Michael Mukasey: A Strong Attorney General  —  THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.  I'm pleased to announce my nomination of Judge Michael Mukasey to be the 81st Attorney General of the United States.

Fox censors Sally Field's anti-war speech at Emmy's.  —  At tonight's Emmy Awards show, the audience cheered Sally Field's acceptance speech, which the recognized mothers of U.S. troops.  "Surely this [award] belongs to all the mothers of the world," she stated.  "May they be seen, may their work be valued and raised.

Clinton unveils health care plan  —  DES MOINES, Iowa - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday offered a sweeping health care reform plan to ensure coverage for all Americans with federal assistance to help defray the cost.  —  Thirteen years after her first effort …

Prepare for war with Iran, says French minister  —  By Alex Spillius in Washington and Tim Butcher in Jerusalem  —  The world should "prepare for war" with Iran, the French foreign minister has said, significantly escalating tensions over the country's nuclear programme.

Getting At 'The Truth'  —  We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you an important development from the media world.  —  Ron Brownstein has been a fixture at the Los Angeles Times for nearly two decades, an influential political reporter and talking head who delves into policy as well as campaign strategy.

Greenspan: Ouster Of Hussein Crucial For Oil Security  —  Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman, said in an interview that the removal of Saddam Hussein had been "essential" to secure world oil supplies, a point he emphasized to the White House in private conversations before the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

'Help Wanted' Ad Belies Report on Iraq Security  —  A week ago today, Gen. David H. Petraeus started his rounds on Capitol Hill, reporting that security in Iraq was improving to the point that a small number of troops could begin coming home by year's end.  —  But 10 days ago …

So long, white boy  —  So reads the headline on this article from Salon, which argues that the Democrats should end-and in fact already are ending-any efforts to court the white male vote.  Well, Salon's headline certainly gets the message across, doesn't it?

Little Tet  —  Al-Qaeda announces its Ramadan offensive.  No indication as yet al-Qaeda is capable of a Tet, but an indication they may be trying.  AP: … Meanwhile, … Good luck with that. … AP's own reporting would suggest it is inspiring Shiites to jump on the bandwagon.

Blackwater Security banned from Iraq  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Iraq's Interior Ministry has revoked the license of Blackwater USA, an American security firm whose contractors are blamed for a Sunday gunbattle in Baghdad that left eight civilians dead.  —  Sunday's firefight took place near Nusoor Square …

The Benefits Of Showing A Little Spine  —  What happens when you show a little spine up front?  Via the WaPo: … This was the appropriate response, swiftly rolled out, firmly communicated, and designed to take advantage of the weakened posture of the Bush WH on legal and ethical matters.