George Bush's latest powers, courtesy of the Democratic Congress  —  CQ reports (sub. req.) that “a final deal has been reached” on FISA and telecom amnesty and “the House is likely to take up the legislation Friday.”  I've now just read a copy of the final “compromise” bill.  It's even worse than expected.

My Mom's White!  And I'm From America!  —  I feel like Barack Obama's new general election ad is a bit unsubtle.  —  The campaign says they're running it on a very aggressive 18 state play that includes Alaska, Georgia, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Virginia.

Oil uh oh  —  When I first heard McCain come out for drilling offshore for Oil, I knew something must have shifted in public opinion over the matter, especially when FL Gov Crist came out for it: … Rasmussen has more on the polling, in FL, in OH, and nationally.

Obama to Break Promise, Opt Out of Public Financing for General Election  —  In a web video to supporters — “the people who built this movement from the bottom up” — Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, announced this morning that he will not enter into the public financing system, despite a previous pledge to do so.

Brian Williams is temp replacement for Russert on ‘Meet the Press’ on Sunday  —  NEW YORK — NBC executives decided today that “NBC Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams will host “Meet the Press” this Sunday as the network ponders a permanent replacement for moderator Tim Russert.

More Than 400 Defendants Charged for Roles in Mortgage Fraud Schemes as Part of Operation “Malicious Mortgage”  —  Two Senior Managers of Failed Bear Stearns Hedge Funds Indicted Today in Separate Mortgage-Related Securities Fraud Case  —  WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice and Federal Bureau …

U.S. Says Exercise by Israel Seemed Directed at Iran  —  WASHINGTON — Israel carried out a major military exercise earlier this month that American officials say appeared to be a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.  —  Several American officials …

Obama apologizes to Muslim women; apology accepted  —  Sen. Barack Obama today called the two Muslim women who were barred from sitting behind him at his Detroit rally to apologize, one of the women and two other sources said.  —  “Sen. Obama called himself and he apologized to each of us …

In with the Old  —  Barack Obama has never been shy about comparing himself to Abraham Lincoln.  He did so when he announced his candidacy at the Illinois state capitol, where both he and Lincoln served in the legislature.  “The life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us …

McCain and Obama tied in Georgia  —  A New InsiderAdvantage / PollPosition survey conducted June 18 of registered likely voters in the November presidential contest shows Sen. John McCain leading Sen. Barack Obama by a single point in Georgia, making the race in Georgia a statistical tie.

Don't Miss the Zohan  —  If you've seen the trailer for Adam Sandler's new movie You Don't Mess with the Zohan, it may be tempting to write it off as yet another low-brow comedy aimed at fifteen-year-old boys and best avoided by everyone else.  But wait.  After Hollywood's recent spate …

It's a delicate dance, and John McCain is ‘liable to break a hip’  —  Long-time readers know that I've been emphasizing John McCain's dozens of major policy flip-flops for months now, hoping that this would a) catch on as a campaign issue; and b) undermine McCain's unearned reputation for principled stands on the issues.

Commentary - Bank of America PAC money behind Dodd's Countrywide loan  —  WASHINGTON (Map, News) - “We call it the ‘Bank of America bill on steroids.’” A House staffer told me that, demanding anonymity, but speaking on behalf of aides to GOP members of the House Financial Services Committee.

Iowa Flooding Could Be An Act of Man, Experts Say  —  As the Cedar River rose higher and higher, and as he stacked sandbags along the levee protecting downtown Cedar Falls, Kamyar Enshayan, a college professor and City Council member, kept asking himself the same question: “What is going on?”

By request: hiring convicts  —  Ta-Nehisi Coates has asked for a post on the economics of hiring felons.  —  The obvious common-sense fear is that ex-convicts will steal from you.  But a conviction also signals other undesireable traits.  Criminals tend to be poor, yes, and have bad educations.