SENATE TICK-TOCK ON THE FISA BILL  —  From NBC's Ken Strickland  —  The Senate is finally expected to wrap up the bill updating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act today, which includes the controversial provision of retroactive immunity for telecom companies facing lawsuit.

Dishonest or Stupid?  —  Via Jim Geraghty I see Obama had this to say about proponents of English-only laws: … Me: Jim has a lot more thoughts on this.  But it seems to me the central point is that this is either staggeringly dishonest or stupendously dumb.

Tomorrow's anti-Obama email today  —  This monologe will getting many heads nodding in agreement, but for those Americans who don't like much having to “press 1 for English” one line won't go over well:  —  “Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English — they'll learn English …

Obama Snobbery Watch  —  Barack Obama said during a town hall meeting in Georgia on Tuesday: “It's embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German.  And then we go over to Europe and all we can say is merci beaucoup.”  —  Update: Here's the video

Maliki's Withdrawal Card  —  A year ago, the conventional Beltway wisdom had it that Iraq was a failed state.  Today, the same wisdom holds that it is less chaotic but still fragile, dependent entirely on a U.S. presence to survive.  But judging by recent comments from Nouri al-Maliki, even this view may be out of date.