Hayden: Spying has become political football  —  CIA nominee complains of constant scrutiny of intelligence gatherers  —  WASHINGTON - CIA nominee Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden complained Thursday that intelligence-gathering has become "football in American political discourse."

Feingold, Specter Clash Over Gay Marriage  —  WASHINGTON - A Senate committee approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage Thursday, after a shouting match that ended when one Democrat strode out and the Republican chairman bid him "good riddance."  —  "I don't need to be lectured by you.

Breaking: Ahmadinejad to send a Letter to the Pope  —  As nearly every single character in the Star Wars universe says, "I have a bad feeling about this." … He also invited Bush to become a Muslim.  And you would be wise to interpret the word "invite" to have a whiff of the mob inviting you to dinner at the end of a pier.

Whaaat???:  Illegal Immigration Edition  —  Seriously, if you could see me now, I'm very Yosemite Sam.  Very stampy and tantrumy and incoherent.  —  Just a few minutes ago, on the floor of the United States Senate, senators debated an amendment to the McCain immigration bill.

The NY Times, Judy Miller and 9/11: The most stunning failure yet?  —  Just in the last three years, we've lived through a non-stop string of controversy and scandal at the New York Times — the Jayson Blair scandal, the various Judy Miller WMD-misinfo-and-Plame scandals …

Out of Touch  —  What the president's immigration speech and "The DaVinci Code" have in common.  —  What was missing in the president's approach the other night was the expression, or suggestion, of context.  The context was a crisis that had gone unanswered as it has built …

Somali-born Dutch lawmaker welcome in US: Zoellick  —Text+THE HAGUE (Reuters) - A Somali-born lawmaker who may lose her Dutch citizenship because she lied on her asylum application is welcome to move to the United States, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick said on Thursday.

Sensenbrenner: Bush Turned Back on Bill  —  WASHINGTON - Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, who has pushed a tough border security bill through the House, accused President Bush on Wednesday of abandoning the legislation after asking for many of its provisions.  —  "He basically turned his back on provisions …

Have A Heart  —  This has to be just about the nastiest piece of direct mail we've ever seen.  —  A candidate for State Assembly in the central valley region of CA, Bill Conrad (R) is apparently running on the platform that his opponent won't survive his term because he had a heart transplant.

"Fairy Tales"  —  The (lack of) intelligence underpinning Bush's Iraq policy  —  During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Saddam Hussein's Information Minister became the butt of a million jokes for predicting that American soldiers were being routed, even as U.S. troops were quickly closing in on Baghdad.

Why the Left needs to get it right  —  The Euston Manifesto is a corrective to extreme views on terrorism, Iraq and Bush  —  WRITING IN this newspaper two weeks ago, Daniel Finkelstein gave the Euston Manifesto — a document calling for a progressive realignment and which I had a large part in drafting — a mixed review.

Demographics & Narcissism … How did we journey, in the space of 6 short years, from JFK's famous speech to the Jefferson Airplane's drug-induced, summer of love, response?  And what does this have to do with the Demographic changes we are seeing in our culture?

G.O.P. Conservatives Topple Veteran State Lawmakers in Pennsylvania  —  WASHINGTON, May 17 — A revolt among Pennsylvania conservatives gained national attention on Wednesday after challengers toppled at least 12 state lawmakers they deemed insufficiently committed to small government and fiscal restraint.

Egypt: where's the media?  —  Protests continue to roil Egypt, with tense standoffs between security forces and protestors, and 200-300 protestors (mostly Muslim Brothers) arrested.  The bad news: repression was fierce.  Ayman Nour's sentence to five years in jail was reaffirmed …

International poll shows world is turning against Americans, not just President Bush  —  In increasing numbers, people around the globe resent American power and wealth and reject specific actions like the occupation of Iraq and the campaign against democratically elected Palestinian leaders …

McKinney Sponsors Bill Honoring Capitol Police  —  WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who could face criminal charges for allegedly punching a Capitol police officer in Washington, D.C., has signed on as a co-sponsor of a House bill formally honoring Capitol Police officers.

A Job Americans Won't Do, Even at $34 an Hour  —  Some landscape firms rebut claims that higher pay, not immigration reform, is needed.  —  Cyndi Smallwood is looking for a few strong men for her landscaping company.  Guys with no fear of a hot sun, who can shovel dirt all day long.

Troop Cuts Uncertain, Rumsfeld Testifies  —  Pentagon Chief Hopeful About 2006 Reduction in Iraq but 'Can't Promise It'  —  Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said he cannot guarantee that there will be substantial withdrawals of U.S. troops from Iraq this year, and warned instead …

New Ads Funded by Big Oil Portray Global Warming Science as Smear Campaign Against Carbon Dioxide  —  Yesterday, the Competitive Enterprise Institute - a front group funded by ExxonMobil and other big oil companies - launched two advertisements in response to Al Gore's new movie, An Inconvenient Truth.

Senate Votes to Build 370 Miles of Fence Along Border With Mexico  —  WASHINGTON — Heeding conservative demands to shore up the southern U.S. border to prevent illegal immigrants from freely crossing into the country, the Senate voted Wednesday to build 370 miles of triple-layered fence

Nutroots video: Kos makes TV political ad debut  —  **Watch the video remix.  Geraghty calls it "perhaps the most surreal campaign ad I've ever seen."  Me, I've seen this movie before; the line "the call's coming from inside the house" figures prominently.