My reply to Respectable Liberal Blogger Ezra Klein and his fellow travelers; Plus: Hillary threatens S-CHIP critics  —  Update 9:25am Eastern.  Your S-CHIP editorial cartoon of the morning comes from Nate Beeler of the Examiner...  Meanwhile, Time magazine recycles Democrat talking points and passes it off as reporting.

Another Voice in the Choir  —  Fred Thompson did not disgrace himself in his first formal debate as a Republican presidential candidate, but he also did not dominate the stage full of White House hopefuls in Dearborn, Mich., on Tuesday.  —  At least three others — John McCain …

Al Gore's inconvenient judgment  —  Al Gore's award-winning climate change documentary was littered with nine inconvenient untruths, a judge ruled yesterday.  —  An Inconvenient Truth won plaudits from the environmental lobby and an Oscar from the film industry but was found wanting when it was scrutinised in the High Court in London.

Marines Press to Remove Their Forces From Iraq  —  The Marine Corps is pressing to remove its forces from Iraq and to send marines instead to Afghanistan, to take over the leading role in combat there, according to senior military and Pentagon officials.  —  The idea by the Marine Corps commandant …

GOP lawyer ties Rove to Siegelman case  —  House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) on Wednesday released an interview with GOP lawyer Dana Jill Simpson implicating former White House adviser Karl Rove in the prosecution and conviction of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman (D) on corruption charges.

Giuliani 'doesn't deserve to live'  —  Terrorists threaten presidential candidate, cite Rudy's war stance, Arafat treatment  —  Saying Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani "doesn't deserve to live," Palestinian terror leaders are threatening to harm the former New York mayor …

Islamists damage giant rock Buddha  —  Islamist radicals in Pakistan have attempted to destroy an ancient carving of Buddha by drilling holes in the rock and filling them with dynamite.  —  The 23ft high image was damaged during the attack, which brought back memories of the Taliban's …

Clinton vows to check executive power  —  Would curb use of signing statements  —  Senator Hillary Clinton said yesterday that if she is elected president, she intends to roll back President Bush's expansion of executive authority, including his use of presidential signing statements to put …

Alberto Gonzales hires defense attorney  —  WASHINGTON - Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has hired a high-powered Washington lawyer to represent him in investigations of mismanagement of the Justice Department.  George Terwilliger, a white-collar crime defense attorney …

Empire State Building to go green for Muslim holiday  —  New York's iconic Empire State Building is to be lit up green from Friday in honor of the Muslim holiday of Eid, the biggest festival in the Muslim calendar marking the end of Ramadan, officials said.  —  "This is the first time that …

Hail to the Punchline-in-Chief: An All-Star Panel of Pundits Weighs in on America's Most Comical Presidents  —  Mark Twain wrote that exposure to good satire — that is, savage wit at the service of passionate conviction — makes citizens less likely to be "shriveled into sheep."

PRESIDENTIAL CHEATING SCANDAL!  ALLEGED AFFAIR COULD WRECK JOHN EDWARDS' CAMPAIGN BID  —  Presidential candidate John Edwards is caught in a shocking mistress scandal that could wreck his campaign, The NATIONAL ENQUIRER has learned exclusively.  —  Sources have come forward to charge that the …