Hillary Clinton: “Some people may be running who may tell you that we don’t face a real threat from terrorism. I am not one of those.” That comes to us via Matt Stoller who, quite rightly, would like to hear Clinton explain who she means.

Meanwhile, I’d also like to hear someone in the press corps ask George W. Bush when, exactly, he made the determination that Iran is a more serious threat to American interests than is al-Qaeda and why he did so. This is the sort of issue we ought to have out in the open.

UPDATE: A colleague notes that John Kerry has said terrorism isn’t as big a threat as many people think, and (ironically) Bill Clinton has said global warming is worse than terrorism. The difference between “the threat of X has been overblown” and “the threat of X is not real” will be left as an exercize for the reader.

“Across the nation, small towns are quietly bearing a disproportionate burden of war. Nearly half of the more than 3,100 U.S. military casualties in Iraq have come from towns…where fewer than 25,000 people live, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. One in five hailed from hometowns of less than 5,000. … The AP analysis found that nearly three quarters of those killed in Iraq came from towns where the per capita income was below the national average.”

“‘Are you telling me that I can’t go to the ceremony ’cause I’m an amputee?‘” asked David Thomas, an Iraq war veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart. Thomas was told he could not wear shorts to attend a ceremony with President Bush because the media would be there, and shorts were not advisable because the amputees would be seated in the front row. David responded, “I’m not ashamed of what I did, and y’all shouldn’t be neither.” When the guest list came out for the ceremony, his name was not on it. John Aravosis tracks other cases of disgraceful treatment toward veterans.

News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch has announced that he will launch the new Fox Business Channel (FBC) in the fall. The channel is marketing itself as being “more business-friendly” than its rivals.

Nevermind that FBC’s main rival — CNBC — is dealing with allegations that its star network host had an inappropriate undisclosed relationship with a Citigroup executive. Fox wants to push the limits even further. Fox News chief Roger Ailes explained, “Many times I’ve seen things on CNBC where they are not as friendly to corporations and profits as they should be.”

Neil Cavuto will reportedly oversee content and business coverage at the new service. Here’s a glimpse of what we can look forward to from the new Fox Business Channel:

Cavuto to Paul Krugman on his argument about growing wealth inequality in America: “You are lying to people. That’s what I think that you’re doing.”

“Most Americans, when they’re polled on the likability of this president, he polls highly in that regard.”

“The Liberal Media: Out to sabotage the economy?”

“All this hype over global warming could be just that — hype.”

Are immigration protests “economic terrorism?”

“Did Americans who took Hugo Chavez’s oil today commit treason?”

Democrats “will crush the economy” if they win.

Cavuto explained, “We’re going to be a channel for America — not for old white men with money.” No, instead, FBC will be “entertaining, informative, youthful,” Cavuto pledged. Given his record, we assume that only means more Playmates, pole-dancing, and nearly nude women.

Speaking in South Carolina, Hillary Clinton expresses the oft-heard view that “I believe one of the great things about America is, anyone can be president, and what it depends upon is the individual.”

If only it were true!

People constantly seem to be forgetting about this, but the foreign-born are systematically excluded from the presidency for no real reason. Like a kid who immigrated to this country from Mexico at the age of two is seriously at risk of disloyalty, or we’re all haunted by a deep, dark suspicion that Madeleine Albright may be a sleeper agent run by Czech intelligence. Thus, the popular moderate Republican governor of the country’s largest state isn’t considered a potential contender in 2008 and won’t be a contender in 2012, either, because he was born in Austria.

The New York Times reports a “coordinated assault on an American combat outpost north of Baghdad.” Suicide bombers drove three cars laden with explosives into a U.S. base, killing two American soldiers and wounding at least 17 more.

The brazen attack, which was followed by fierce gun battles and a daring evacuation of the wounded by at least four American helicopters, came on a day of deadly violence across the country, including shootings suicide bombings, mortar attacks and roadside explosions. Civilians, Americans and the Iraqi security forces all were targets.