Bush takes swipes at Obama policies  —  Defends interrogations  —  Former President George W. Bush fired a salvo at President Obama on Wednesday, asserting his administration's interrogation policies were within the law, declaring the private sector not government will fix the economy and rejecting the nationalization of health care.

Senator questions firing of 3 inspectors general  —  Removal of 2 inspectors general prompts questions  —  WASHINGTON - — He was appointed with fanfare as the public watchdog over the government's multi-billion dollar bailout of the nation's financial system.

U.S. Struggling for Right Response to Iran  —  Obama Seeks Way to Acknowledge Protesters Without Alienating Ayatollah  —  The political unrest in Iran presents the Obama administration with a dilemma: keep quiet to pursue a nuclear deal with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's supreme leader …

Health Care Reform in Danger  —  Health reform is, I think it fair to say, in danger right now.  The news out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee was bad.  The Congressional Budget Office had scored a partial bill and the result was a total fiasco.

Only a Hint of Roosevelt in Financial Overhaul  —  Three quarters of a century ago, President Franklin Roosevelt earned the undying enmity of Wall Street when he used his enormous popularity to push through a series of radical regulatory reforms that completely changed the norms of the financial industry.

Court rejects DNA access claim  —  Splitting 5-4, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that an individual whose criminal conviction has become final does not have a constitutional right to gain access to evidence so that it can be subjected to DNA testing to try to prove innocence.

Two sources: Supreme Court ruling on U.S. Senate race to arrive tomorrow!  —  PIM has now heard from two sources on different sides of the Minnesota U.S. Senate race recount scene that the final Minnesota Supreme Court ruling is expected to arrive tomorrow, Thursday, June 18th.

Robert Fisk: Secret letter ‘proves Mousavi won poll’  —  They were handing out the photocopies by the thousand under the plane trees in the centre of the boulevard, single sheets of paper grabbed by the opposition supporters who are now wearing black for the 15 Iranians who have been killed in Tehran …

Hillary Clinton Fractures Her Elbow  —  The Secretary of State will undergo surgery to repair the damage next week  —  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fell down on her way to the White House late Wednesday afternoon, fracturing her right elbow, her Counselor and Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills …

Obama and the Fly  —  Well, I guess it can't be said that President Obama wouldn't hurt a fly.  The commander in chief was recently pestered by a fly during an interview.  He swatted at the insect and killed the little guy instantly.  —  Believe it or not, we've actually been contacted …

Obama Boost: New Poll Shows 76% Support For Choice Of Public Plan  —  New poll numbers from NBC/Wall Street Journal produce two major and potentially conflicting story lines when it comes to the Obama administration's efforts for a health care overhaul.  On the one hand, the American public …

Global Insurance Fraud By North Korea Outlined  —  Government Has Collected Millions Of Dollars on Large, Suspicious Claims  —  For Kim Jong Il's birthday, North Korean insurance managers prepared a special gift.  —  In Singapore, they stuffed $20 million in cash into two heavy-duty bags and sent them …

Bailout Costs vs Big Historical Events  —  It is exceedingly difficult to convey exactly how much we are spending on all these bailouts.  Whenever I start talking trillions (versus mere billions), I get puzzled looks from people.  Humans have a hard time conceptualizing any number that large.

Have Democrats Disowned Gary Odom?  —  OK, Pith has been wondering all session what's up with Gary Odom.  Oddly, House Democrats have appeared to go about their business without the assistance of their elected leader.  —  That's been especially true since Odom gave that unfortunate interview …

Iran protests: live  —  Another huge demonstration is expected today in defiance of the regime after, opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi called for a day of silent protest to mourn the victims of the unrest.  Follow live updates on the aftermath of Iran's disputed elections  —  6.53pm:

Months After Ted Stevens Debacle, Justice Department Corruption Unit in Disarray  —  Two months after prosecutors abandoned the criminal conviction of former senator Ted Stevens, the Justice Department unit that polices public corruption remains in chaos, coping with newly discovered evidence …

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Demands Answers on Voter Intimidation Case Dismissal  —  As was commented upon here at CONTENTIONS, and widely reported and remarked upon elsewhere, the Obama Justice Department took the unusual action last month of dismissing a default judgment …

ABC REFUSES OPPOSITION ADS DURING WHITE HOUSE SPECIAL  —  ABC is refusing to air paid ads during its White House health care presentation, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned, including a paid-for alternative viewpoint!  —  The development comes a day after the network denied a request …

Overwhelming majority oppose preventive detention without charges  —  A new NYT/CBS News poll just released today asked a question designed to test support for Obama's proposal to indefinitely detain Guantanamo detainees without charges — and it found overwhelming opposition to that plan (click to enlarge):

Outcry on Federal Same-Sex Benefits  —  WASHINGTON — The package of domestic partnership benefits that President Obama established for federal workers on Wednesday drew the loudest protests from some of those it was intended to help, gay men and lesbians who criticized the move as too timid.