• Senate vote on immigration legislation is set for today; Karl Rove “got a cold reception” from Republican lawmakers. [WP, NYT, LAT, USAT]
• Legal analysts say FBI raid on Rep. William Jefferson’s congressional office was probably legal; Reps. Hastert and Pelosi demand seized documents be returned. [WP, WP, NYT, LAT, USAT]
• Cheney wanted to “get all the facts out,” according to Lewis Libby’s testimony; new filing indicates the vice president may be called to testify. [WP, NYT, LAT]
• Speaker Hastert is “in the mix” of the FBI’s investigation of congressional corruption, ABC News maintains despite denials from the Hill and the Justice Department. [ABC News]
• Database of immigrants will need more than $1B in upgrades; labor, big business, and civil-liberties advocates oppose the plan. [WP]
• Prosecutor says David Safavian, former procurement official, repeatedly “lied, concealed and misled” investigators about his dealings with Jack Abramoff. [WP, NYT]
• Loss of unity among Republicans is fueled by worries about the election. [W$J]
• Fiscal conservatives take on Republican leadership in attempt to reduce earmarks and pet projects. [NYT]

• Bush: “Let’s quit the debate about whether greenhouse gases are caused by mankind or by natural causes; let’s just focus on technologies that deal with the issue. Nuclear power will help us deal with the issue of greenhouse gases.” [NYT]
• Bush appoints editor in chief of the American Enterprise magazine to be his top domestic policy advisor. [WP, NYT]
• Robert Zoellick will resign as Rice’s deputy, sources say. [NYT]
• McCain returns donations to his PAC made by Texas businessmen under investigation. [WP]

• House Republicans set vote on Dubai port deal for next week despite White House resistance. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio): “This has become a very hot political potato.” [WP, NYT]
• Military spending for Iraq and Afghanistan will reach $117.6b this fiscal year. [W$J]
• Harold Ickes, with George Soros, are sidestepping the DNC to create a massive nationwide voter list. Ickes: “The Republicans have developed a cadre of people who appreciate databases and know how to use them, and we are way behind the march.” [WP]
• Congress renews Patriot Act by vote of 280 to 138. [WP, NYT]
• Senate Select Committee on Intelligence rejects Democratic calls for inquiry of NSA eavesdropping; White House agrees to new oversight rules. [WP, NYT, W$J]
• The CIA is not interested in cooperating with the Libby investigation by providing classified documents. [WP, NYT]
• Sen. Clinton moves to tie up money and talent for ‘08 race. [NYT]
• Cato Institutes vents beef with Bush. [WP]
• Rep. DeLay wins Republican primary in Texas. [AP]

• Video shows Bush was warned about the potential for a levee breach, despite denials after the fact: “Was the president misinformed, misspoken or misleading?” [WP, USAT]
• Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco hesitantly told Bush that the levees were safe on the morning of Aug. 29th. [AP]
• U.S. and India announce deal for nuclear cooperation, for energy and weapons; “new plan would allow India enough fissile material for as many as 50 weapons a year.” [WP, NYT, W$J]
• Senate passes renewal of the Patriot Act by vote of 89 to 10. [NYT]
• 54% disapprove of Bush’s handling of the war on terrorism and 64% say the country is on the wrong track, according to LAT-Bloomberg poll; findings echo new Gallup poll. [LAT, Bloomberg, USAT]
• Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee,vows to stop Dubai port deal. [WP, W$J]

• Bush and McCain have become the only internationalists. [WP, NYT]
• Gonzales denies broader warrantless eavesdropping. [WP]
• Patrick Fitzgerald says Lewis Libby is “not entitled to know everything that government investigators learned about other leaks to reporters ” about Valerie Plame. [WP]
• Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs rejects proposal for ethics office. [WP]
• SEC will set guidelines for subpoenaing journalists. [NYT]
• Contracts with Pentagon intelligence agency are investigated after possible links with former Rep. Randy Cunningham (R-Calif.) surface. [WP]
• Senators call for higher fines for mining violations. [USAT, NYT]

• Dubai firm delays port deal after Karl Rove floats the idea. Bush: “This wouldn’t be going forward if we were not certain that our ports would be secure.” [WP, NYT, W$J, LAT, WT]
• Chertoff only became aware of port deal after it was approved. [WT]
• Rove dismisses objections, saying lawmakers “are just picking up and reading something in the newspaper, hearing something on talk radio.” [WP]
• White House report on Katrina response avoids finger-pointing but recommends 11 key changes before the next hurricane season. [WP, NYT, USAT]
• Attorneys for Lewis Libby argue Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald lacks the legal authority to press charges. [WP, WT]
• Bush raises $1.6m for congressional candidates during visits to Indiana and Ohio. Bush: “I wish I wasn’t talking about war. No president ever says, ‘Gosh, I hope there’s war.’ For those of you who are young here, I want you to know what I’m leading to is how to keep the peace and do my job that you expect me to do, which is to prevent the enemy from attacking again.” [NYT, WT]
• Bob Dole’s involvement in port deal creates conflict for Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.). [WP]
• Vice president of the Service Employees International Union supports Bush’s guest worker plan. [NYT]

• White House acknowledges that Bush was informed of the Dubai port deal from the media, after it was approved; Bush sounds “conciliatory” in the eye of an “unprecedented Republican revolt.” Some Republicans “have been looking for ways to distance themselves from Bush without appearing to be soft on terrorism.” Scott McClellan: “This is one where we probably should have consulted with or briefed Congress on sooner.” [WP, NYT, USAT, WT, LAT]
• Administration had secret deal with Dubai Ports World that stated the company would “cooperate with future U.S. investigations”; White House insists safeguards are in place though some “routine restrictions” were relaxed. [AP, W$J]
• Bush “is on the defensive on national security for the first time in his presidency.” [WT, USAT]
• South Dakota Senate passes abortion ban designed to challenge Roe. NARAL president: “When you see them have a ban that does not include exceptions for rape or incest or the health of the mother, you understand that elections do matter.” [WP, NYT]
• Attorneys for Lewis Libby will argue that he had no intention to lie, he was just preoccupied. [WP]

• White House report on Katrina will call for more military involvement in responses to natural disasters. [WP, NYT]
• White House does not have a Senate liaison. [WT]
• Bush prepares for trip to South Asia by seeking alliance with India. [WP, W$J, NYT, WT]

• Reliable Source:  Nude portrait is leaving the National Press Club bar… Donna Shalala, who makes $516,904 a year from the University of Miami, is trying to stop the unionization of its janitors. [WP]
• Under the Dome:  Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.): “Now I guess bright young boys are geeks and nerds, and pretty girls won’t date them. And really bright girls have to play dumb to get a date.”… The Congressional Club releases a new cookbook that includes a mint julep recipe by Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) and a frozen margarita recipe by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.).  [The Hill]
• Inside the Beltway:  Hillary for President thong is now available. [WT]
• Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown:  Lewis Libby’s defense fund has raised $2m. [NYDN]
• Liz Smith:  On “Meet the Press,” a toned-down Maureen Dowd made Mary Matalin’s “costume and maquillage all the more striking”… Alan Greenspan and Andrea Mitchell will stay in Washington. [NYP]

• House Republicans will issue 600-plus-page report on Wednesday that harshly criticizes all aspects of the government’s response to Katrina: “It was a failure of leadership. In this instance, blinding lack of situational awareness and disjointed decision making needlessly compounded and prolonged Katrina’s horror.” [WP, NYT]
• Cheney accidentally shoots companion during hunting trip in Texas. Mary Matalin: “He felt badly, obviously. On the other hand, he was not careless or incautious or violate any of the [rules]. He didn’t do anything he wasn’t supposed to do.” [WP, NYT, USAT, WT]
• Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) and Tom Daschle believe eavesdropping is necessary but doubt Bush has the legal authority. [WP, LAT]
• Dean says Cheney should resign if he was involved in the leaking of Valerie Plame’s identity. [NYT, WT]

• Sen. Frist (R-Tenn.) will push for a complete repeal of the estate tax this spring: “I will do everything in my power to bury the ‘death tax’ once and for all.” [W$J]
• Congress will not have to abide by local smoking ban. [USAT]
• Sen. Clinton (D-N.Y.) needs to hone her speaking skills. [NYT]
• Republican commentator Bruce Bartlett loses think tank job after writing book critical of Bush. [NYT]

• FEMA and the White House knew of levee failure earlier than previously disclosed; also, “officials knew long before the storm showed up on the radar that 100,000 people in New Orleans” had no exit strategy. [NYT, NYT]
• Former top CIA official accuses the administration of “cherry-picking” intelligence to justify war against Iraq and suppressing warnings about post-war conditions: “It has become clear that official intelligence was not relied on in making even the most significant national security decisions, that intelligence was misused publicly to justify decisions already made, that damaging ill will developed between [Bush] policymakers and intelligence officers, and that the intelligence community’s own work was politicized.” [WP]
• Lewis Libby says “supervisors” authorized leaks of classified documents about Iraq’s weapons programs. [NYT, W$J]
• Bush defends eavesdropping by citing foiled terror plot against Los Angeles: “We cannot let the fact that America hasn’t been attacked in four and a half years since September 11, 2001, lull us into the illusion that the threats to our nation have disappeared. They have not.” [WP, NYT, USAT, WT]
• Jack Abramoff says he met with Bush in “almost a dozen settings” over the last five years. [WP, NYT]
• Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) received about $68,000 from Abramoff’s firm; ties found between lobbyist and Reid’s staff. [WP]

• White House reaches compromise with key senators over the Patriot Act. [WP, NYT, WT, LAT]
• Michael Brown will testify today about FEMA’s response to Hurricane Katrina. [WP, NYT]
• Cheney says eavesdropping issue should be campaign topic. [WP]
• Conservatives “seem less celebratory than divided.” [NYT, LAT]
• Most programs facing cuts by Bush have seen the threat before. [USAT]
• House Republicans include ethics course in weekend retreat. [WT]
• Cindy Sheehan decides not to run against Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). [LAT]

• House Republicans elect Ohio Rep. John Boehner as majority leader, signaling break from status quo. Boehner: “The members wanted to make a big decision, and they did… We must act swiftly to restore the trust between Congress and the American people.” [WP, NYT, LAT, USAT, WT, W$J]
• Election of Boehner heralds his comeback and shows a “cry of concern by an entrenched Republican majority”; Boehner “tapped into members’ election-year anxieties about the GOP’s scandal-scuffed leadership.” [WP, WP, NYT]
• Administration seeks $120b for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. [WP, NYT, USAT]
• Democrats attack Republican rhetoric at hearing on security threats; insist on more oversight. Sen. John Rockefeller (D-W.V.): “I am deeply troubled by what I see as the administration’s continued effort to selectively release intelligence information that supports its policy or political agenda while withholding equally pertinent information that does not do that.” [WP, WP, NYT, USAT, WT]

• White House requests additional $18b for Gulf Coast reconstruction, but officials and lawmakers are skeptical. [NYT]
• Senate, by vote of 66 to 31, approves $70b in tax cuts over five years. [WP]
• Bush presses for permanent corporate tax breaks to encourage innovation. [NYT, WP]
• Lewis Libby has defense fund of over $2m. [NYT]
• Energy researchers are squeezed out between differing goals of the White House and Congress. [NYT]

• Sens. Kerry and Kennedy may attempt to filibuster Alito; Dems Ben Nelson (Neb.), Robert Byrd (W.Va.), and Tim Johnson (S.D.) announce support of Alito’s confirmation. [WP, NYT, LAT]
• Bush distances himself from Jack Abramoff during news conference; offers defense of NSA eavesdropping and stance on Katrina inquiry. [WP, NYT, LAT, USAT, WT]
• Admin has used “at least two separate rationales for why they did not ask for statutory authority” for NSA eavesdropping program. [WP]
• Public opinion of NSA eavesdropping is “nuanced and remains highly unresolved,” according to NYT-CBS poll; disapproval of Congress and the Republican Party are both high. 61% are concerned about losing civil liberties. [NYT]
• If tax cuts are allowed to expire in 2010, deficit will turn to surplus in 2012. [USAT]
• Lewis Libby’s lawyer asks Patrick Fitzgerald for documents “related to what journalists knew from any source” about Valerie Plame. [WP, NYT]

• Pork and earmarks increase, as does scrutiny; GOP Sens. McCain and Coburn threaten to hold vote on each item. [WP, WP, WT]
• Chief prosecutor in Abramoff investigation resigns to take federal judgeship. [NYT]
• Bush defends his intention to spread democracy. [NYT]
• Bush’s main point was “I am the state,” Dana Milbank writes. [WP]
• Democrats outline their agenda, “long on vision and short on specifics.” [NYT]
• Anti-war candidate may test support of Sen. Lieberman (D-Conn.) in a primary. [LAT]

• Reliable Source: Bob Novak receives scolding after a fight with a fellow first class passenger: "Some guy pushed me and I pushed him back.". . . Signatures restaurant shuts its doors. . . Tom Friedman wins the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award with a cash prize of $52,000. [WP]
• Under the Dome: Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) are growing beards for hunting season. . . Budget bill passes because of impromptu BBQ between Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) to Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.), two key lawmakers. . . Sens. McCain and Lott attend University of Mississippi football game together. [The Hill]
• Lloyd Grove's Lowdown: Lloyd Grove's autographed copy of Lewis Libby's novel auctions for $90. [NYDN]
• Rush & Molloy: John Kerry attends NASCAR race in Miami. [NYDN]
• Page Six: Jenna Bush spotted at Fat Baby store in New York looking "absolutely lovely." [NYP]

• Administration likely to get its way on the renewal of the Patriot Act. [WP, NYT, LAT, USAT]
• Libby's attorneys plan "to use Woodward's testimony to try to show that Libby was not obsessed with unmasking Plame and to raise questions about the prosecutor's full understanding of events." [WP, WP, USAT]
• Revelation of Woodward's knowledge of Plame extends life-span of the leak scandal. [NYT, USAT]
• Woodward's "handling of the matter has now raised questions about his paper's credibility and has roiled The Post's newsroom." [NYT]
• Alito's 1985 memo fuels partisan fire. Schumer: "Anyone who thinks that this nomination is a foregone conclusion is sadly mistaken." [NYT, WT]
• Cheney attacks critics of the Iraq war at a conservative gathering: "The president and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory, or their backbone, but we're not going to sit back and let them rewrite history." [WP, NYT, LAT]
• Administration strategy attacks Democrats critics and courts congressional Republicans. Nicolle Wallace: "Our strategy has to include hitting back. . . and calling them out for what are actually lies." [USAT]

• Democrats want to quiz oil executives under oath about energy task force meetings. [LAT]
• Prosecutors subpoena additional documents from political action committees of DeLay and Blunt. [NYT]
• Watchdog finds "exceedingly well-timed transactions" from Bill Frist regarding his health stock. [NYT]
• Alaskan bridge projects are dumped from the budget in a symbolic move. [WP, NYT]
• Bill Clinton: "Saddam [Hussein] is gone. It's a good thing, but I don't agree with what was done." [USAT]

• Reliable Source: Conservative group charges P. Diddy with pushing liberal activism with "Vote or Die" campaign. . . Robert Downey Jr. got a massage from a local Aveda salon. [WP]
• Under the Dome: Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Ken Mehlman, and Jon Stewart named as most influential American Jews by The Forward. . . Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) really likes to use metaphors. [The Hill]
• Lloyd Grove's Lowdown: Handwriting analyst says Lewis Libby is "a person with big ideas who does not always bring his imaginings into reality." [NYDN]
• Cindy Adams: Harold Ickes fell off his motorcycle. [NYP]

• Senators, by vote of 79 to 19, pass a resolution marking next year as "a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty. . . thereby creating the conditions for the phased redeployment of United States forces from Iraq." Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.): "Staying the course will not do." Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.): "It's a continuation of the oversight we've been conducting for years in the United States Senate." WP, NYT, WSJ, USAT]
• Senators from both parties "are demanding that the administration show that it has a strategy to turn the conflict over to the Iraqis and eventually bring U.S. troops home." [WP]
• Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) defends critics of the war: "[T]he Bush administration must understand that each American has a right to question our policies in Iraq and should not be demonized for disagreeing with them. . . to not question your government is unpatriotic." [WP]
• Oil executives did meet with Cheney's energy task force in 2001. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.): "The White House went to great lengths to keep these meetings secret, and now oil executives may be lying to Congress about their role in the Cheney task force." [WP]
• Alito tries to downplay conservative remarks from 1985. [WP, NYT, LAT]
• Rice reaches deal on access to the Gaza Strip. [WP, NYT, NYT, USAT]
• Lewis Libby plans to "seek testimony from journalists beyond those cited in the indictment and will probably challenge government agreements limiting their grand jury testimony." [NYT]

• Bush tells Chinese leaders, "once the door to freedom is opened even a crack, it cannot be closed." [WP, NYT, WSJ, USAT]
• Alito's decisions are "more subtle and less dismissive of precedent." [WSJ]
• American views on Iraq echo views on Vietnam. [USAT]
• Senate Finance Committee lets go of cuts to dividend and capital gains rates; another setback for Bush. [WP, WSJ]
• Ben Bernanke pledges to be "strictly independent of all political influences." [WP]
• David Safavian was up-and-coming until he was indicted. [WP]

• Washington Whispers: This week the RNC will release clips of top Democrats warning of the threat from Iraq. . . Samuel Alito is a "regular guy," meaning he drives a 1999 Ford Taurus to purchase generic items from Safeway. . . Ted Kennedy's position on Medicare was ripped by Jimmy Smits on "The West Wing". . . Mike McCurry, John Podesta are advising Viktor Yushchenko, the president of Ukraine. . . Bush gave Laura green earrings and a necklace for her birthday. [USN&WR]
• Inside the Beltway: Bushes went to church without their pool reporter. [WT]
• Rush & Molloy: Clinton avoids solo picture with supermodel. . . Republican operatives are investigating Clinton's relationship with a Westcheter divorcee. . . Al Franken to Arianna Huffington: "We can [bleep] now!" [NYDN]
• Liz Smith: Autographed copy of Libby's novel goes for $24,000. [NYP]
• Lloyd Grove's Lowdown: Grove is auctioning his signed copy of Libby's novel on eBay. [NYDN]
• Cindy Adams: McCain publishes new book for parents and kids. [NYP]

• Kaine and Corzine win gubernatorial races in Virginia and NJ; Texas approves ban gay marriage. [WP, WP, NYT, USAT]
• Frist and Hastert seek investigation into the disclosure of CIA's "black sites" to the Washington Post. McClellan: "The leaking of classified information is a serious matter and ought to be taken seriously." [WP, NYT, WT]
• Alito "has signaled he would be highly reluctant to overturn long-standing precedents" such as Rove v. Wade. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine): "At this point, I see no basis for invoking 'extraordinary circumstances' and for anyone to mount a filibuster." [WP, NYT, LAT]
• Schwarzenegger's initiatives are rejected; his "celebrity may not be the tonic it once was." [LAT, LAT, USAT]
• Election came at a sensitive time for both parties, especially the GOP. [NYT, WSJ, LAT, USAT]
• House to decide fate of ANWR; Senate approves drilling by vote of 51 to 48. [WP]
• Grassley (R-Iowa) proposes $70b in tax cuts. [NYT, WSJ]

• Bush has White House staffers take mandatory refresher courses on ethics and the handling of classified information. [WT]
• As professor, Alito prodded his students and kept his opinions to himself. [WP]
• Roberts has found his place after "dizzying" transition. [NYT]
• Negroponte announces creation of a center for the analysis of unclassified information. [NYT]
• Chalabi expected to meet with Cheney. [NYT]
• "The Sissy Six" -- Rockefeller (W.Va), Levin (Mich.), Feinstein (Calif.), Bond and Lott (Miss.), and Roberts (Kan.)-- must muscle-up, Milbank writes. [WP]
• Ads about Alito will hit the airwaves in January. [USAT]
• Libby starts defense fund. [NYT]

• Cheney has "waged an intense" private campaign to reject changes to the guidelines concerning detainee treatment; the position is facing increased opposition from other officials and lawmakers. [WP]
• Senators express concern about misuse of the Patriot Act. Tom Coburn: "We should not ever give up freedom on the basis of fear, and any freedom that we give up should be limited in time and limited in scope." [NYT, WP]
• Bush, in Brazil: "Our goal is to promote opportunity for people throughout the Americas, whether you live in Minnesota or Brazil, and the best way to do this is by expanding free and fair trade." On the protests: "I expect there to be dissent. That's what freedom is all about." [WP, USAT, ]
• Latin America Summit proved to be no reprieve for Bush; on the first day, he did not return to his hotel until after midnight. [WP]
• New York Times on Alito: "An examination of several chapters in his life suggests he is conservative by temperament, upbringing and experience - conditions that appear to have shaped his approach to life and his work more than any narrow ideological niche." Los Angeles Times: Alito's "15 years' worth of legal opinions do not promise fealty to any ideology." [NYT, LAT]

• Reporters in Libby case "are expected to face a barrage of questions from defense lawyers. Instead of protecting sources, they could end up defending their own credibility, reputations and reporting techniques." [WSJ]
• Bush has "hit bottom in public support," unless his base loses confidence. [LAT]
• Tomorrow's gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey may illustrate national trends. [NYT]
• Joe Biden does not expect a filibuster of Alito. [WT]
• Investigation of Ahmad Chalabi is slow going. [WSJ]
• Tommy Thompson asked for a flu plan four years ago: "There is no question that the tipping point has finally arrived." [WP]
• Alito's confirmation would mean a Roman Catholic majority for the Supreme Court. [WP]
• Lawmakers allowed to donate campaign funds to hurricane relief. [USAT]

• Reliable Source: Prince Charles and Camilla determined the guest list for tonight's reception at the British Embassy. . . Michael Brown called himself a "fashion god" in an email dated Aug. 29th. . . Lewis Libby, like Harriet Miers, failed to pay bar dues. [WP]
• Under the Dome: Congressional candidates' creative fundraising methods --such as dating for a donation-- backfire. . . Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.) gets married. . . Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is not running for president in '08: "[S]omeone needs to be the designated driver. I'm in detox." [The Hill]
• Page Six: Clinton reportedly has two escape clauses from his Harlem lease: "one, if Hillary runs for the Senate and loses, two, if she runs for president and wins." [NYP]

• Reliable Source: Nancy Reagan, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld and Tom Brokaw will attend tomorrow's White House dinner for Prince Charles and Camilla. . . Patrick Fitzgerald is a "confirmed bachelor". . . John Roberts was Groucho Marx for Halloween. [WP]
• Inside the Beltway: White House pool report: "In what has become something of a custom on Monday mornings in October, President Bush today announced a Supreme Court nominee." [WT]
• Under the Dome: Interest in Scooter Libby's 1996 novel spikes. . . Joe Biden's not so-secret for fundraising: "Find enough beautiful women and enough guys will show up.". . . Robert Byrd is a product of the Spanish flu of 1917-1918. . . Jane Harman, 60, runs 26-mile Marine Corps Marathon in five hours and 23 minutes. [The Hill]
• Ben Widdicombe's Gatecrasher: Alito's son: "I became interested in politics and got involved with Gary Condit (not like that). I served as a parking aide to Nancy Pelosi (I won't even start on her), but was fired when Barbara Boxer came onto me." Widdicombe responds, "Since when did college kids get so picky about sleeping with senators? No wonder the country's going to hell." [NYDN]
• Page Six: McCain and Giuliani dined together recently. . . Charlie Rangel asks that Cheney be tested for mental illness. . . Tucker Carlson and Moby will attempt comedy with Triumph the Insult Dog. [NYP, NYP, NYP]
• Cindy Adams: Jon Corzine's ex-wife tells-all. . . George H.W. Bush is planning another parachute jump. [NYP]

• Samuel Alito rallies the Republican base while riling liberals; the fight "seems to be the political confirmation battle that both sides have been gearing up to fight for more than a decade." Harry Reid: "Bush would leave the Supreme Court looking less like America and more like an old boys club." Orrin Hatch: "This one is going to be Armageddon." [WP, NYT, NYT, NYT, LAT, WT, WT, USAT, USAT]
• Alito will shift court to the right: "On some of the most contentious issues that came before the high court, Alito has been to the right of the centrist swing voter he would replace." [WP, LAT, USAT, USAT]
• Alito's fate rests in the vote of moderate Republicans; filibuster remains available. [WP, LAT]
• Alito was an easy second choice for Bush; Karl Rove phoned key conservative leaders before the announcement. [WT, WT]
• Bush's selection of Alito works to unite his party after misstep of Miers. [WP, LAT]
• Abortion seen as the central issue. [NYT, NYT, LAT]
• Alito "has a strong free-market philosophy likely to please corporate America," say experts. [LAT]
• At trial, Scooter Libby's interests will be divorced from the prerogatives of the White House. [WP]
• More than 30,000 people have paid tribute to Rosa Parks at the Capitol Rotunda. [WP, USAT]
• Scott McClellan takes fire from correspondents. Terry Moran: "There's been a wound to your credibility here. A falsehood, wittingly or unwittingly, was told from this podium." [WP]

• Alito's writings described as "methodical, dry and respectful of precedent." [NYT, LAT]
• Alito's Princeton yearbook notes his Supreme Court ambitions. College roommate: "The notion that he's an extreme conservative is wrong. Sam is conservative because he's a straightforward believer in judicial restraint - that is, a judge's personal views should not dictate the outcome of the case." [WP, NYT, LAT, USAT]
• Alito would be fifth Roman Catholic on the court. [NYT]
• Alito's assets are estimated between $615k and $1.6m. [USAT]
• Cheney taps two longtime aides to assume Libby's former duties. [NYT, LAT]
• The real budgetary fight is rhetorical. [WP]
• Reid on Bush: ""I think he's done a terrible job as president. I think he's going to be known, perhaps, as being the Millard Fillmore of the last 100 years." [WT]

• Washington Whispers: Howard Dean to push "Democratic values" to voters; DNC pollster: "This is the opening for a sea change.". . . GOP pollster finds discontent among Bush's base with his foreign policy. . . George Allen seen as early '08 frontrunner. . . Antonin Scalia decries the use of foreign law to decide domestic cases. . . Republicans see viable presidential campaign from Hillary. . . Hurricane response boosts Haley Barbour's '08 odds. [USN&WR]
• Inside the Beltway: Buchanan: "George W. Bush is in big trouble, and so are we.". . . Coulter receives $5,000 honor from the American Compass. . . Helen Thomas goes on Bill Maher's HBO show. [WT]
• Inside Politics: Clinton criticizes the media for not being skeptical of politicians and says Democrats need to take a stand: "[W]e basically let political ads turn every player in this drama into a two-dimensional cartoon instead of a three-dimensional person." [WT]
• Lloyd Grove's Lowdown: Scooter Libby tried doing tequila shots with Maureen Dowd at 2003 Bloomberg party; The New Yorker has excerpted the sex scenes from his 1996 novel. . . Laura Bush gives April Ryan an hour-long tour of the White House family quarters after a "softball interview". . . NPR's Noah Adams mistakenly announces the indictment of NPR's Libby Lewis. [NYDN]
• Cindy Adams: Helen Thomas says Scooter Libby would not act without Cheney's permission. . . Did Cheney cancel a hunting trip because of traffic complaints? [NYP]

• Bush will nominate conservative appeals court Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court; his resume is similar to John Roberts' and he has upheld restrictions on abortion. [WP, AP, Reuters]
• Filibuster fight may loom. Harry Reid: "If he wants to divert attention from all of his many problems, he can send us somebody that is going to create a lot of problems." Arlen Specter: "There could be a real tough battle here and a real tough fight, depending on whom the president puts up." [WP, NYT, WSJ, LAT]
• 55% in Gallup Poll believe the Bush presidency is a failure; Bush starts a busy week of his comeback strategy with Supreme Court nomination. Nicolle Wallace: "We'll be going around the [media] filter to communicate directly with the American people about the things they care about." [USAT]
• Reid calls for Rove's resignation and an apology from Bush; Rove, meanwhile, "remains in significant [legal] danger." [WP, NYT, WT]
• Bush pays tribute to Rosa Parks at Capitol Hill ceremony. Condoleezza Rice in Montgomery: "I can honestly say that without Mrs. Parks, I probably would not be standing here today as secretary of state." [NYT]
• Scooter Libby "has no sense of entitlement, no sense that he's been victimized. Just an attitude of 'circumstances have to be dealt with,'" says Mary Matalin; friends plan on establishing legal fund as his defense expands. [WP, NYT, WSJ]

• Tim Russert's testimony helped indict Libby. Russert: "We hate being in the middle of what we're reporting on, but it is what it is." [NYT, USAT]
• Bush is losing influence overseas. [WSJ]
• Congressional showdown seen over fiscal restraint. [NYT]
• John Snow is ready and willing for far-reaching tax overhaul. [WSJ]
• Gerald Ford set precedent for Cheney to testify. [WSJ]
• Clinton administration alumni sympathize with current White House scandal victims. [NYT]
• Ted Koppel on the American death toll in Iraq passing 2,000: "The whole mood of the country has changed." [NYT]
• Parties and candidates take in posthumous donations. [WP]
• The phrasing of another Washington scandal: "Government scandals allow ordinary people to use important-sounding language. They let us talk like insiders." [WP]

• Libby is expected to be charged today with making false statements to the jury; investigation of Rove will continue as Fitzgerald will extend the inquiry. McClellan will not brief today and Bush will spend the weekend at Camp David. [NYT, WSJ]
• Libby shops for an attorney; Rove looks for a P.R. team. [WP]
• Next Supreme Court nominee could be named within days; "aggressive opposition from conservatives" caused Harriet Miers to withdraw. The "endgame" began early this week. [WP, WP, NYT, NYT, WSJ, LAT, WT]
• The worst week of Bush's political life is not over yet. Scholar: "Is there a Howard Baker moment? And if there's a Howard Baker moment, who's Howard Baker?" [WP, NYT]
• Miers nomination "was an episode that seemed wholly out of character with the president's style." Brownstein: "[T]he president no longer can consistently impose his will on his party, much less the Congress or the country." [WP, LAT, USAT]
• "Senators came to bury Miers yesterday, not to praise her," Milbank writes. Lott sings "Happy Days Are Here Again!" [WP, WT]
• Miers remained upbeat and loyal throughout the process. Former colleague: "The White House didn't pay attention, and the right just chewed her up. It was like a gang, a lynch mob." [NYT, WP, WSJ]
• Conservative pundits had their way. Charles Krauthammer: "I guess she reads my column." [WP, LAT]
• Bush was apparently the last to know of her withdrawal. [WT]

• Gender thought to be less of a factor this time; the challenge is finding the next John Roberts. [WP, NYT, LAT, USAT]
• Source of forged uranium reports is still unknown after two-year FBI investigation. [NYT]
• Senators outraged over record profits at big oil companies. [WP, NYT, LAT]
• Senate earmarks $8b for avian flu readiness. [NYT]
• Debate over prewar intel is at the heart of the leak investigation. [WSJ]
• EPA endorses Clear Skies legislation; said to be the most feasible plan. [WP]
• House approves first round of military base closings. [WP]
• The Senate Armed Services Committee challenges the nominee for chief spokesman at the Pentagon. [NYT]
• Coin dealer in Ohio indicted for illegal donations to Bush's campaign fund. [LAT,]

• Reliable Source: Wives advise Bush to get diamonds for Laura to celebrate their upcoming anniversary. He replies, "Never mind! Sorry I asked!". . . Nicole Kidman's character is told to use a Farecard when riding the Metro. . . NPR's Libby Lewis is assigned to cover Lewis Libby. [WP]
• Inside the Beltway: U.S. "nuclear SWAT team" is on call 24/7/365 to find and disarm any device. . . Cheney in Colorado: "They asked me today if I come here to fish, and I explained no, the fishing is better in Wyoming, which is noted by the presence of so many 'greenies' in Wyoming taking our fish." [WT]
• Cindy Adams: Schwarzenegger is so furious at Bush that he is toying with switching parties. . . Judith Miller will not be returning to the Times. [NYP]
• Lloyd Grove's Lowdown: Lou Dobbs: "I'm wondering whether there's such a thing as too much transparency." [NYDN]