President Bush Discusses Global War on Terror  —  Washington, D.C.  —  In Focus: Defense  —  In Focus: National Security  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.  Ed, thanks.  Thanks for the kind introduction.  I'm looking forward to working with you for the next 14 months …

Campaign call reveals Clinton debate concern  —  Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-N.Y.) top advisers, doing damage control after the candidate's debate performance Tuesday, told supporters on a conference call Wednesday that the campaign needed more money to fight back.

S.C. Dems reject Colbert candidacy  —  Stephen Colbert's satirical run for the presidency has run into its first roadblock - his bid to be on the ballot in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary was rejected on Thursday.  —  The party's executive council voted 14 to 3 …

Finalists Announced  —  Here is a complete list of the finalists for The 2007 Weblog Awards.  Finalists badges (hosted by Imageshack) will be available Thursday.  Voting is scheduled to begin Thursday evening (late), but at this point we can't pinpoint the exact time polls will open.

From the Desk of Donald Rumsfeld . . .  In Sometimes-Brusque 'Snowflakes,' He Shared Worldview, Shaped Policy  —  In a series of internal musings and memos to his staff, then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld argued that Muslims avoid "physical labor" and wrote of the need to …

The most influential US conservatives: 21-40  —  As the US prepares for what is arguably the most open presidential election since 1928, the last time there was no incumbent president or vice-president on the ballot, the Daily Telegraph's Washington correspondents compile a list of the 100 …

Time to Close the US Embassy  —  I don't try to start an internet campaign very often, because the blogosphere has its own priorities and logic that are democratic and should not be forced.  But here is a plea for everyone in the blogging world to help force congress to save our diplomats.

My Nobel Moment  —  I've had a lot of fun recently with my tiny (and unofficial) slice of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).  But, though I was one of thousands of IPCC participants, I don't think I will add "0.0001 Nobel Laureate" to my resume.

Today's Must Read  —  When you get right down to it, Michael Mukasey has refused to answer the question of whether waterboarding is torture for three reasons, which he provided in his letter to Senate Democrats earlier this week.  Two of those are readily disputable (not wanting to tip off …

Blackwater sneak silencers into Iraq?  —  Security firm under investigation for allegedly sidestepping export controls  —  A Blackwater employee shows off a silencer-equipped rifle in Iraq in a photo obtained by NBC News.  The picture has been digitally altered to protect the identity of the subject.

Minnesota senator to endorse Rudy  —  Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) plans to endorse the presidential campaign of former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, according to Republican sources.  —  It's a union of two Brooklyn-native, non-Protestant former mayors.  —  The endorsement holds clear advantages for each of them.