Daily Briefing: 'On The Verge'

•Administration and advocacy groups are on alert for a possible Supreme Court vacancy this week; fight would mirror a presidential campaign. Senior White House official: "It paralyzes everything else." [ WP , USAT ]

• Rumsfeldsays the military has had conversations with insurgent leaders in Iraq; he believes the insurgency "won't be won by the coalition forces," but by "the Iraqi people over time."Abizaid: "We don't need to have the same number of troops in the region 10 years from now or 5 years from now or even 2 years from now." [ WP , NYT ]

•"Influential Republicans" complainBush, Roveshould shift from "permanent campaign" mode to governing.Gingrich: "When you're the minority, you need to fight. When you're the governing majority, you need to produce."Devenish: "We're on the verge of getting a lot of stuff done." [ NYT ]

• Bushsupporters and analysts are "puzzled" by his non-achievement on Social Security.Graham: "What was real optimism before has become more realistic now. I'm just frustrated." [ LAT ]

• Musgrave (R-Colo.)joins effort by three liberals to find out why they were removed from aBushevent and by whom; the Secret Service has opened a criminal investigation. [ NYT ]

•ACLU and Human Rights Watch report that the administration has denied due process to over 70 suspects accused as "material witnesses" in terror cases. [ NYT , USAT ]

•41 lawmakers write toBushexpressing concern over Cnooc-Unocal deal. [ WSJ ]

•Administration plans to renew production of plutonium 238, reportedly for national security reasons. [ NYT ]

• ClintonsjoinRev. Billy Grahamon stage.Graham: "I love them both with all my heart." [ WP ]

•Conservatives don't want a justice likeKennedy. [ NYT ]

• Schroederis at the White House for talks withBush. [ USAT ]

•Analysts contemplateFrist's shortcomings. Scholar: "We still see a bumpy learning curve." [ WP ]

•College Republicans elect new leader by mere six-vote margin. [ LAT ]