Fred Thompson running for president  —  Fred Dalton Thompson is planning to enter the presidential race over the Fourth of July holiday, announcing that week that he has already raised several million dollars and is being backed by insiders from the past three Republican administrations, Thompson advisers told The Politico.

E. coli conservatism (19): the ne plus ultra  —  Offered without comment.  What is there possibly to say? … Oh, all right.  One small comment.  First, observe the contempt for liberty.  When E. coli conservatives say self-regulation is preferable to government, they're even lying about that.

Bush envisions U.S. presence in Iraq like S.Korea  —  Source: Reuters  —  President George W. Bush would like to see a lengthy U.S. troop presence in Iraq like the one in South Korea to provide stability but not in a frontline combat role, the White House said on Wednesday.

Economix: Truth, Fiction and Lou Dobbs  —  The whole controversy involving Lou Dobbs and leprosy started with a "60 Minutes" segment a few weeks ago.  —  The segment was a profile of Mr. Dobbs, and while doing background research for it, a "60 Minutes" producer came across a 2005 news report …

Right-wing noise machine: Plame not covert  —  (updated below - updated again - Update III)  —  NBC News, yesterday: … The right-wing noise machine spent the last two years repeatedly, continuously and emphatically telling their followers the exact opposite:

TB Patient Says He Was Advised Not to Fly  —  A man who may have exposed passengers and crew members on two trans-Atlantic flights earlier this month to a highly drug-resistant form of tuberculosis knew he was infected, and had been advised by health officials not to travel overseas.

ACLU Sues Boeing Subsidiary for Participation in CIA Kidnapping and Torture Flights  —  Group Also Appeals to United States Supreme Court in Khaled El-Masri Lawsuit  —  NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a federal lawsuit against Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc. …

Libertarians, beware the rigid reign of Rudy  —  Behind Rudy Giuliani's impressive lead in the polls is one fact that puzzles the pundits: Many cultural conservatives are backing a pro-choice, pro-gun control candidate.  But what should be equally surprising is the strong support Giuliani …

Justices' Ruling Limits Suits on Pay Disparity  —  The Supreme Court on Tuesday made it harder for many workers to sue their employers for discrimination in pay, insisting in a 5-to-4 decision on a tight time frame to file such cases.  The dissenters said the ruling ignored workplace realities.

Jeff Gerth, meet Judith Miller  —  Isn't former New York Times reporter Jeff Gerth writing the definitive book about Hillary Clinton sort of like Judith Miller deciding to write the definitive book about Iraq's WMDs?  It just doesn't add up.  —  After all, both Gerth and Miller …

Our 44th President  —  Fred Thompson is so three hours ago.  Via Ballot Access News comes new info about former Rep. Cynthia McKinney, last seen punching a Capitol Hill cop and then losing re-election: … Please note that she includes "impeachment of the president" among her potential campaign planks …

Lawyer: Cheney Visitor Logs Not Recorded  —  WASHINGTON — A lawyer for Vice President Dick Cheney told the Secret Service in September to eliminate data on who visited Cheney at his official residence, a newly disclosed letter states.  —  The Sept. 13, 2006, letter from Cheney's lawyer …

Lieberman in Iraq sees "progress," says so-called surge "would start to break the insurgency"  —  What a coincidence.  Two years after Cheney said the insurgency was in its last throes, Joe Lieberman made essentially the same prediction.  —  CNN reports that Lieberman is on an unannounced "surprise" visit to Baghdad.