Maybe the axis of evil is down to just one member. Reports indicate that the U.S. will remove North Korea from the “state sponsors of terrorism” list. The move would come in exchange for North Korea agreeing to permit inspections of its nuclear facilities. No official deal has been announced as the State Department is [...]

Do we really think that this many people could be a threat to our national security?
From AFP:
A watch list of suspected and known terrorists, compiled by the US authorities, has ballooned and contains more than one million names, the American Civil Liberties Union said Monday.
The ACLU said it derived that figure from a Justice Department [...]

“It’s the state of America now that is the most gripping source of anxiety for Americans, not Al Qaeda or Iraq. Anyone who thinks they are going to win this election playing the Iraq or the terrorism card — one way or another — is, in my view, seriously deluded. Things have changed.”
- Thomas Friedman, [...]

As hinted at yesterday, it’s happening and this decision will no doubt have far reaching consequences…
The announcement came after North Korea handed over a long-awaited accounting of its nuclear work to Chinese officials on Thursday, fulfilling a key step in the denuclearization process.
Bush called the declaration a positive step along a long road to get [...]

More about his decision…

I know at least one of my fellow bloggers here at Donklephant strongly disagrees, and while I understand and appreciate the views of those who think this FISA legislation is still a gross violation of our civil liberties, the previous incarnation of this bill earlier this year (without tougher restrictions on telcoms) [...]

Could this be a sign that our policy of engaging in carrot and stick diplomacy actually worked?
From the Washington Note:
Tonight, The Washington Note confirmed that the Bush administration will “ask Congress” to de-list North Korea from America’s “terrorist watch list.” This request will be made on Thursday — if there are no last minute, unexpected [...]

Yesterday, McCain denounced Black’s assertions that a terrorist attack would help his campaign, but here’s what he said right after the Bhutto assassination last year…
McCain called Bhutto’s death “a great tragedy. When something like this happens, you try to figure out who are the winners and the losers. It seems to me that the winners [...]

Some surprising data here, but what’s not surprising is that the economy is at the very top of the priority list. And that has to be good news for Obama since he has such a wide lead.
Energy, Gas Prices - extremely important to 51%
Obama - 47%
McCain - 28%
Economy - extremely important to 49%
Obama - 48%
McCain [...]

What in the world was Charlie Black thinking? Because not only did he suggest the contents of the title, but he also talked about an assassination helping McCain’s cause too?
Big time error here…
Charlie Black, an adviser already in the spotlight for his past lobbying work, is quoted in the upcoming July 7 edition of Fortune [...]

George Will takes issue with John McCain’s statement that the recent Supreme Court decision on Guantanamo detainees was one of the “worst decisions in history.”
Will’s complaint is as much about McCain’s hyperbole as it is about McCain’s opposition to the ruling. As Will notes, this is not a clear-cut matter and people of good will [...]

And considering we have about 26,000 troops in Afghanistan, the overall percentage proves that Afghanistan has been a much, much deadlier place for quite some time.
Not surprisingly, I found this news in a story about an attack by the Taliban that freed hundreds of inmates from an Afghan prison:
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - U.S. and NATO troops [...]

Big, big news.
The Supreme Court restored habeas rights for enemy combatants, and thereby acknowledged that the “War on Terrorism” has no discernible end and so detainees should be able to challenge indefinite detention.
More from AP:
In its third rebuke of the Bush administration’s treatment of prisoners, the court ruled 5-4 that the government is violating [...]

The blogosphere can cough up a lot of interesting controversies. This week’s revolved around a Dunkin Donuts’ online ad featuring Rachel Ray in a scarf similar to the Arab keffiyeh which has come to symbolize Palestinian militantism. The company pulled the spot after conservative commentators, most notably Michelle Malkin, harshly criticized Ray’s clothing choice, claiming [...]

He apparently thinks diplomacy with Iran is the best option, and as the following suggests, he’s right in line with Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
From Wash Post:
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, President Bush’s nominee to lead U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia, supports continued U.S. engagement with international and regional partners to find [...]

TPM has the comparison…

It’s definitely encouraging to think we’re going to have a genuine policy debate this fall about how we conduct our foreign policy.
So then…is Obama naive to think he can talk with our enemies or is McCain naive to think we shouldn’t given that our current foreign policy stance has resulted in more [...]

Good catch from Hot Air…

While I still think it was hacky for McCain to raise money off of Hamas’ “endorsement” of Obama, it’s clear his 2006 statements square with his current stance.
What’s also clear is that James Rubin was clearly mischaracterizing McCain’s statement and likes to play fast and loose with the facts. I mean, [...]

And something tells me that this will be one of those gifts that’ll keep on giving…

Chuck Todd explains why the Obama camp is cheering today…
When President Bush — thousands of miles away in Israel — decided to fire his thinly veiled shot at Obama yesterday, it was a giant gift to the Illinois senator and his campaign.
Why?
One, it essentially kept Clinton on the sidelines just two days after [...]