Rather Files $70 Million Lawsuit Against CBS  —  Dan Rather, whose career at CBS News ground to an inglorious end 15 months ago over his role in an unsubstantiated report questioning President Bush's Vietnam-era National Guard service, filed a $70 million lawsuit this afternoon against the network …

U.S. May Escort Ahmadinejad to Ground Zero  —  Talks Underway After Iranian Requests a Visit  —  In a move that has stunned New York, the Bloomberg administration is in discussions to escort the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to ground zero during his visit to New York next week, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said today.

The President Goes to War Over "Betray Us"  —  Kate O'Beirne and I just got back from a meeting with the president in the Roosevelt Room of the White House for a small group of conservative journalists.  —  There was a lot of ground covered, and the president was in a serious but confident mood …

Breaking: Webb amendment fails.  —  The Senate just voted 56 to 44 on Sen. Jim Webb's (D-VA) amendment "requiring that active-duty troops and units have at least equal time at home as the length of their previous tour overseas."  The bill failed to garner the 60 votes needed to move forward.

Weller's next challenge  —  If U.S. Rep. Jerry Weller runs for re-election, he may face two feisty gals: Debbie and Emily.  —  Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson (D-Crete) is considering running for the 11th District congressional seat, in part because of hot pursuit from Emily's List …

Jackson criticizes Obama  —  Presidential candidate's response to Jena, La., case called too weak  —  The Rev. Jesse Jackson called Tuesday on Democrats seeking the 2008 nomination for president to give S.C. voters "something to vote for" when they go to the polls in January.

Ugly Alliance  —  Democrats are said to be keen about "connecting the dots"—so let's see if we can connect a few for them.  —  Dot Number One: Last week, MoveOn.org published a full-page ad in the New York Times directed at David Petraeus, the commanding general in Iraq …

Grand Prairie state lawmaker switches sides to Democrat  —  He says Republican leadership had 'no tolerance' for his values  —  gjeffers@dallasnews.com  —  Dallas-area Democrats are getting another Republican Party defector.  —  State Rep. Kirk England, R-Grand Prairie …

Bush, Congress at record low ratings: Reuters poll  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress registered record-low approval ratings in a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday, and a new monthly index measuring the mood of Americans dipped slightly on deepening worries about the economy.

UPDATE: Gunmen Blow Up Iraq's North Export Pipeline -Official  —  AMMAN -(Dow Jones)- Unknown attackers have blown up part of an Iraqi pipeline that pumps crude oil from Kirkuk oil fields to the Turkish export terminal, Ceyhan, a senior Iraqi oil official and a shipping agent said Wednesday.

Who bears blame for anti-war failures?  —  For many in Washington, the biggest unanswered question from Army.  Gen. David Petraeus' high-profile, low-satisfaction testimony last week was not about military strategy but about political tactics.  Why has the anti-war movement been unable …

Bush or bin Laden: Who is More Evil?  —  It is the time of the year once again for Americans to mourn the loss of friends, family members and co-workers and to remember all who died on September 11, 2007.  But while most of us hold the anniversary as a reminder of those who have passed …

DNC condemns remark  —  New York Rep. Peter King, a prominent House Republican, said there are "too many mosques in this country" in a recent interview with Politico.  —  "There are too many people sympathetic to radical Islam," King said.  "We should be looking at them more carefully and finding out how we can infiltrate them."

Johanns to resign, run for Senate, sources say  —  U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns (R) will resign his Cabinet post and run for the Senate seat being vacated by Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), according to local GOP sources.  —  The sources said Johanns plans to resign early next week …