Fmr Bush Iraq Envoy Helping Undermine Maliki  —  As Bush Voices Support for the Iraqi PM, Republican Lobbyists Aid Top Maliki Foe  —  Republican lobbyists with close ties to the Bush administration are aiding and supporting the efforts of an Iraqi opposition leader who is calling for the ouster of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

HILL: TERROR WOULD BE GOP BOOST  —  Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday raised the prospect of a terror attack before next year's election, warning that it could boost the GOP's efforts to hold on to the White House.  —  Discussing the possibility of a new nightmare assault while campaigning …

Top general to urge Iraq troop cut  —  Advice by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs poses a potential clash with supporters of the buildup.  —  WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is expected to advise President Bush to reduce the U.S. force in Iraq next year by almost half …

Our troops have earned more time  —  The invasion of Iraq may be one of the worst foreign-policy mistakes in the history of our nation.  As tragic and costly as that mistake has been, a precipitous or premature withdrawal of our forces now has the potential to turn the initial errors …

THE SURGE....Is the surge working?  That is, even if you ignore the lack of political progress, are we even making tactical progress?  Since violence in Iraq tends to be seasonal, the only reasonable comparison is one between summer 2006 and summer 2007, so I went to the latest Brookings Iraq Index to check out the most recent numbers.

'To Old Times'  —  A toast to American troops, then and now.  —  Once I went hot-air ballooning in Normandy.  It was the summer of 1991.  It was exciting to float over the beautiful French hills and the farms with crisp crops in the fields.  It was dusk, and we amused ourselves calling out …

Historian: Bush use of quote 'perverse'  —  A historian quoted by President Bush to help argue that critics of the administration's Iraq policy echo those who questioned the U.S. effort to bring democracy to Japan after World War II angrily distanced himself from the president's remarks Thursday.

Scarborough OK With Wolf Equating Bushies With Nazis  —  Joe Scarborough prides himself on being an independent thinker.  Apparently that extends to not uttering a peep of protest, and indeed tending to concur, when a left-wing guest flatly accuses the Bush administration of using Nazi tactics to suppress democracy.

Vick case divides African-American leaders  —  NAACP rift reported over whether to support quarterback's reinstatement  —  The case against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has exposed a split within both the NAACP and the larger African-American community, as some activists condemn Vick's role …

Haditha Investigator Urges Dropping of Marine's Case  —  An investigating officer has recommended that a Marine Corps general drop all charges against a Marine accused of murdering civilians in Haditha, Iraq, finding again that the 2005 shootings were "tragedies" but that the Marine did not violate the laws of combat.

Incredible Shrinking Deficit, II  —  2004: $413 billion  —  2005: $318 billion  —  2006: $248 billion  —  2007: $158 billion  —  Close readers of this column may recall the top three numbers in the list above from our editorial of July 12, "Incredible Shrinking Deficit."