This was a quick blurb I ran across that scared the hell out of me. I figured I would get it out there for wider discussion. According to Reuters, the Israeli military recently conducted a practice trial run of attacking Iran's nuclear facilities.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials say Israel carried out a large military exercise this month that appeared to be a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, The New York Times reported on Friday.

I'm sure many are still in shock from the reports that John Edwards is dropping his bid for president.

While there will undoubtedly be threads where a combination of shock and sadness will be expressed, I wanted to use this space as a spot to personally thank John Edwards for elevating the debate and bringing issues to light that, without his candidacy, simply would never have seen the light of day.

Cnn is conducting a poll of viewers this morning asking who won the vote. Last time I checked, Clinton was leading by almost 20%.

Want to play a small role in the media narrative coming out of this debate? Want to see John Edwards be declared the winner? Like the cut of Obama's jib? Want to see Clinton hang on to her lead?

Whatever, just participate!

My question for anyone who lives in Michigan is simple: How do you plan on voting this Tuesday?

This morning, in defending his nominee for attorney general, President George W. Bush said the following:

In light of the "craziness" around these parts this morning, how about a little facts and context? Here is what all Gore said when asked about a possible presidential run by Norweigan broadcaster NRK.

In what is becoming quite the common theme these days, once again the Bush administration has leaked sensitive national security information, this time intelligence that is directly linked to the fight against Al-Qaeda itself.

In a just-published Washington Post article, titled NSA Spying Part of Broader Effort, we learn that our worst fears about the illegal NSA wiretapping program are well founded: It is ever bigger than what we know and larger in scope than what has yet been revealed. And Gonzales' testimony before congress proves it.

The Bush administration's chief intelligence official said yesterday that President Bush authorized a series of secret surveillance activities under a single executive order in late 2001. The disclosure makes clear that a controversial National Security Agency program was part of a much broader operation than the president previously described.

The disclosure by Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, appears to be the first time that the administration has publicly acknowledged that Bush's order included undisclosed activities beyond the warrantless surveillance of e-mails and phone calls that Bush confirmed in December 2005.

Meet me after the flip for how all this relates to AG Gonzales' most recent testimony, an explanation regarding why he was likely not lying in his testimony before congress, as well as the horrifying implications contained therein.

According to the Washington Post, our brillant leaders have found a great new way to save Iraq from full blown civil war. It's called, arm your friendly Sunni neighbor.

BAGHDAD - The U.S. military in Iraq is expanding its efforts to recruit and fund armed Sunni residents as local protection forces in order to improve security and promote reconciliation at the neighborhood level, according to senior U.S. commanders.

According to a report in the Washington Post, the fate of hundreds of thousands of immigrants are now being decided by people who have no experience whatsoever on immigration issues, and who were seated based solely on their political views.

Well, at least we know where one presidential contender stands on the Iraq war supplemental.

President George Bush's approval rating among the American people has hit a new low.

In a live press conference held today, Vice President Dick Cheney said the following of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's promise to continue pressing for a withdrawal date and a conclusion to the Iraq war:

CNN has just reported that White House spokesperson Tony Snow is once again battling cancer and that it has spread from his abdomen to his liver (see story here). See also Miss Blue's diary here.

I think I speak for all of us when I say that our prayers go out to Snow and his family during this difficult time in their lives.

The conclusions of the long awaited and much hyped Baker report were released today by the NY Times. The results can be summed up mostly as pure retardation.

The bipartisan Iraq Study Group reached a consensus on Wednesday on a final report that will call for a gradual pullback of the 15 American combat brigades now in Iraq but stop short of setting a firm timetable for their withdrawal, according to people familiar with the panel’s deliberations.

So let me get this straight since I get confused pretty easily...we are going to leave Iraq at some point, but we will not set a date for when that will be, and we will be sure to leave behind some people to get killed while we are at it. Well, this plan sounds pretty great so far. More boobery and retardation below the flip...

Time magazine is reporting that former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld may be charged with war crimes in a German court.

Just days after his resignation, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is about to face more repercussions for his involvement in the troubled wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. New legal documents, to be filed next week with Germany's top prosecutor, will seek a criminal investigation and prosecution of Rumsfeld, along with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, former CIA director George Tenet and other senior U.S. civilian and military officers, for their alleged roles in abuses committed at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison and at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

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Congratulations to all of us. We have won control of the house, and it seems as if we have a good chance of winning the senate as well. The question becomes, what now? The answer: It is never too early to begin thinking about some long overdue justice.

I am posting this in the hope that we can dedicate some space and time to put together some rapid response ideas regarding how the Democratic party might frame this issue in light of Tuesday's fast approaching election. Setting up a frame to deal with this issue in a rapid fashion is certainly possible, and I hope we can put together some good thoughts on it. I really think with some serious effort we can own this issue. It would be nice to come to some sort of a consensus for how we go about doing it. All ideas and thoughts welcome!