By Bush's Own Standard, Surge Has Failed  —  Before Gen. David Petraeus' report, and to give it a context of optimism, the president visited Iraq's Anbar province to underscore the success of the surge in making some hitherto anarchic areas less so.  More significant, however, was the fact that the president did not visit Baghdad.

Republicans introduce measure condemning MoveOn ad  —  House Republican leaders introduced a resolution Monday condemning a full-page newspaper ad from MoveOn.org that criticizes the character of Gen. David Petraeus, the commanding general of U.S. troops in Iraq.

Romney Adviser Linked to Anti-Thompson Internet Site  —  A top adviser to former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney appears to be behind the launch of a new Web site attacking GOP presidential rival Fred D. Thompson during his first week on the trail.  —  The site, PhoneyFred.org …

Clinton to Return Money Linked to Fund-Raiser  —  Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign announced last night that it would return about $850,000 to about 260 donors who had been recruited or tapped by Norman Hsu, the disgraced Clinton campaign fund-raiser who recently fled arrest …

In 9/11 remembrance, a turning to good deeds  —  NEW YORK - On Sept. 11, Jacob Sundberg of San Antonio has pledged to make eye contact and smile at everyone he meets.  Kaitlin Ulrich will bring goody baskets to the police and fire departments in and around Philadelphia.

'America the Ugly'  —  Six years after 9/11, it's notable how little the politics of the left have changed.  —  In the immediate aftermath of the attacks on us that took place on this very day six years ago, several younger commentators proclaimed the birth of an entirely new era in American history.

Strike Three?  —  A bomb-sniffing dog in Ankara helped Turkish authorities stop a massive terrorist attack on the anniversary of 9/11.  A van full of explosives in a parking garage would have devastated the center of the large city, and it would have served as a counterpoint to the messages released by Osama bin Laden in the past week:

Fred completes overhaul, campaign goes 'corporate'  —  Fred Thompson has put the finishing touches on a six-week staff sweep that has transformed his campaign from a guerrilla-tactics style insurgency into more of a "corporate" machine that will follow a traditional playbook.