Collecting of Details on Travelers Documented  —  U.S. Effort More Extensive Than Previously Known  —  The U.S. government is collecting electronic records on the travel habits of millions of Americans who fly, drive or take cruises abroad, retaining data on the persons with whom they travel …

Bush: Kids' health care will get vetoed  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush again called Democrats "irresponsible" on Saturday for pushing an expansion he opposes to a children's health insurance program.  —  "Democrats in Congress have decided to pass a bill they know will be vetoed," …

BAD CALL BY RUDE RUDY  —  PUTS NRA CROWD ON HOLD FOR JUDI  —  Hold on, it's Judi.  —  That's the stunning line Rudy Giuliani told an already-skeptical crowd of gun enthusiasts yesterday when he abruptly interrupted his speech - to take a call from his wife.

Rapeseed biofuel 'produces more greenhouse gas than oil or petrol'  —  A renewable energy source designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is contributing more to global warming than fossil fuels, a study suggests.  —  Measurements of emissions from the burning of biofuels derived …

Romney silent on Blackwater shooting  —  Mitt Romney has remained mum on the alleged killing of 11 Iraqis by a company where one of his top advisers serves as vice chairman, even as the case has led to an uproar in Baghdad and Washington.  Barack Obama, John McCain and other politicians …

Spitzer Grants Illegal Immigrants Easier Access to Driver's Licenses  —  New York State, home to more than 500,000 illegal immigrants, will issue driver's licenses without regard to immigration status under a policy change announced yesterday by Gov. Eliot Spitzer.

Romney: Giuliani will need family support  —  MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. — Mitt Romney used a press conference here to take a veiled but unmistakable shot at Rudy Giuliani's messy personal life, saying that the eventual Republican nominee would need to have a united front from their family to defeat Hillary Clinton.

Pope in 'freedom' blast at Islam  —  The Pope has again risked provoking the wrath of the Islamic world, by criticising its treatment of Christians.  —  Benedict XVI attacked Muslim nations where Christians are either persecuted or given the status of second-class citizens under the Shariah Islamic law.

Romney Falls Flat — Bombs, Even.  —  Romney hit some of the themes he needs to — he spoke on being a "Change Republican" and emphasized family values in particular.  He also pointed out his support for the Federal Marriage Amendment, which, with Thompson's rejection of it, makes him unique among the major Republican candidates.

Bush Family Table Talk  —  "America's Grandma," Barbara Bush, is at it again.  No, she is no longer advising us that half-drowned African American's who survived Katrina should be comfortable in their distress because they are accustomed to living in squalor, today she is offering up advice …

Clinton Solidifies Edge as Rivals Take a Tougher Line  —  Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has consolidated her early lead in the Democratic presidential contest, showing steady strength as the candidates head toward the first voting early next year.  —  She has been challenged …

A Rather Controversial Ending  —  Dan Rather's $70 million lawsuit alleges there was more to his CBS departure than meets the eye.  But former colleagues aren't convinced.  —  In parts, it reads like a political thriller, with a cast of "right-wing" hit men out to force a powerful journalist to heel.

The Day Before Ahmadinejad's US Visit: Down With USA (Update: Arabic Reads, 'Death to USA')  —  Tomorrow, Iranian thug-in-chief Mahmoud Ahmadinejad leaves for New York, to speak at the UN and be feted by the National Press Club and Columbia University, and by "progressives."

You know, it's boring that this needs to be pointed out, but Republicans aren't the only people out there with opinions on things.  —  In today's Washington Post piece on the failure of Levin-Reed in the Senate, Shailagh Murray reports that brash and confident Republicans know for a fact that public opinion is now shifting on Iraq:

OH, THAT JENA SIX  —  By any reasonable measure, Fred Thompson, the actor-lobbyist-presidential candidate, is off to a rough start.  Particularly on policy matters, Thompson has been confused and uninformed about everything from Social Security policy to drilling the Everglades for oil to the 2005 Schiavo controversy.

Family Values  —  A Republican stands by his daughter, does the right thing, and backs his daughter's right to marry the woman she loves.  If only more Republicans had the humanity and courage of the mayor of San Diego, they could go into the twenty-first century sharing their ideas rather than their phobias.