American Grit  —  We can't fire the president right now, so we're waiting it out.  —  It's been a slow week in a hot era.  I found myself Thursday watching President Bush's news conference and thinking about what it is about him, real or perceived, that makes people who used to smile at the mention of his name now grit their teeth.

Yet Again, Tax Cuts Do Not Pay for Themselves  —  The Wall Street Journal says Kevin Hassett has discovered the Laffer curve, but I think these data might say something else.  Here's the picture from the editorial where they are making their usual plea for more tax cuts:

A Gate-Crasher's Change of Heart  —  The Guests Were Enjoying French Wine and Cheese on a Capitol Hill Patio.  When a Gunman Burst In, the Would-Be Robbery Took an Unusual Turn.  —  A grand feast of marinated steaks and jumbo shrimp was winding down, and a group of friends was sitting …

Clinton, Edwards talk of limiting debate  —  DETROIT (AP) - Democrats John Edwards and Hillary Rodham Clinton consider themselves among the top presidential candidates.  —  They were caught by Fox News microphones discussing their desire to limit future joint appearances to exclude some lower rivals after a forum in Detroit Thursday.

Frameshop: A Picture of the GOP on Civil Rights  —  The one photo the GOP does not want anyone to see was snapped at yesterday's NAACP GOP Presidential Candidate Forum.  The NAACP invited all 9 Republican candidates to the forum, but only one showed up: Tom Tancredo.

A Colloquy On The Fairness Doctrine  —  The debate over the Fairness Doctrine continued in the Senate today, as Dick Durbin blocked Norm Coleman from offering an amendment that would forbid content control in political speech on the airwaves.  Coleman and Durbin then got into a series …

The Unlibertarian Center  —  Atlantic Monthly associate editor Matthew Yglesias joins Brink Lindsey in thinking that the relaxation of traditional social strictures over the past few deacades is a good thing, but he doesn't see anything libertarian about it, citing the role of Civil Rights Act …

Exclusive: "Swift Boat" Ad Firm Linked to Viral Videos  —  An employee of the Republican ad firm responsible for 2004's controversial "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" advertisements has apparently been producing viral videos which ridicule Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson.

Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman understands the war better than all the other Democrats, and better than a handful of Republicans.  —  The Hugh Hewitt Show  —  HH: Pleased to welcome now to the Hugh Hewitt Show Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.  Senator, good to have you, thanks for joining us.

Signal to Attack?  Worries Over Latest al Qaeda Tape  —  Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz Report:  —  Fearing a possible coded signal to attack, U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials are studying an unusual pattern of words in the latest audiotape from al Qaeda's No. 2 man, Ayman al Zawahri.

Republican Senators Call for New War Authorization  —  Two leading Republican senators said today that President Bush should seek a new war authorization and present a plan to Congress by Oct. 16 outlining contingency plans in Iraq.  Those plans, which would include reducing American forces, should begin by the end of the year.

Plan B Use Surges, And So Does Controversy  —  The popularity of the morning-after pill Plan B has surged in the year since the federal government approved the sale of the controversial emergency contraceptive without a prescription.  —  Plan B sales have doubled since the Food …

Edwards' Headquarters Becoming Nuisance to Neighbors  —  CHAPEL HILL — Thursday marked the second postal scare in four months at John Edwards' campaign headquarters in Chapel Hill.  —  Both incidents proved to be harmless, but for businesses in Southern Village, Edwards' headquarters is becoming more of a nuisance.

New York Times Journalist Killed in Baghdad  —  Khalid W. Hassan, 23, an interpreter and reporter in the Baghdad bureau of The New York Times, was shot and killed today, the bureau chief, John F. Burns, reported.  He was the second Iraqi employee of the Times to be killed during the current conflict.

Iranian Police Smash Squirrel Spy Ring  —  Police in Iran are reported to have taken 14 squirrels into custody - because they are suspected of spying.  —  The rodents were found near the Iranian border allegedly equipped with eavesdropping devices.  —  The reports have come from the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Conrad Black, Three Codefendants Convicted of Fraud  —  Conrad Black, former chief executive officer of Hollinger International Inc., was found guilty of defrauding the newspaper publisher, becoming the latest CEO convicted in a five-year U.S. crackdown on corporate crime.

Harriet Miers's Contempt of Congress: Are Conservatives About To Neuter Congress, While Claiming Full Legal Justification for this Separation-of-Powers Violation?  —  President George Bush has issued an instruction to his former White House counsel Harriet Miers to defy the House Judiciary Committee's subpoena.