• Reliable Source: Subject matter of "Syriana" was toned-down for the heartland. [WP]

• Under the Dome: Bill Clinton will be in town tomorrow to receive award from National Education Association. . . George Clooney hired outside communications firm to "manage the political fallout" for "Syriana". . . National Republican Congressional Committee misspells site of fundraiser: it's at a spelling bee, not a "spelling bell." [The Hill]

• Rush & Molloy: Nobel laureate for literature Harold Pinter: "The invasion of Iraq was a bandit act, an act of blatant state terrorism, demonstrating absolute contempt for the concept of international law." [NYDN]