In April, the New York Sun published an editorial entitled “Cheney’s Chance,” encouraging the Vice President to jump into the presidential race. The Sun argued that having a “defender on the campaign trail” would boost Bush’s approval ratings.

In a review of Stephen Hayes’ new biography of Cheney, Ira Stoll — the editor of the Sun — recycles his plea. Stoll writes that he believes the Hayes book is part of an effort by Cheney to drum up support for a potential campaign run:

The book quotes Senator McCain as saying, “Dick doesn’t like campaigning.” Nothing in the Hayes book suggests that Mr. Cheney is about to do it — except for that the vice president spent nearly 30 hours cooperating with the author and apparently gave the okay for many of his friends and colleagues to grant similar access. The Richard Cheney described in this book isn’t vain enough to do that simply for his reputation in history. My own guess — okay, hope — is that Mr. Cheney has taken a look at the Republican presidential field and sees an opening. If Iowa and New Hampshire Republicans start receiving copies of “Cheney” in their mailboxes, Mr. Cheney’s popularity may yet begin to climb.

Stoll acknowledges that his previous editorial calling for Cheney to run was “was widely mocked.” Apparently, once wasn’t enough.

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TPM reports that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) raised objections to the NSA domestic surveillance program in 2004 after learning of the dissent that existed within the administration regarding its legality. A Pelosi spokesperson said, “She made clear her disagreement with the program continuing despite [former Deputy Attorney General Jame] Comey’s objection.” The disclosure is significant because it means that at least three members — Pelosi, Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV), and Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) — of the eight-member bipartisan congressional leadership briefed about President Bush’s warrantless surveillance voiced their disapproval at the time.

UPDATE: The Crypt has more from Rockefeller.

Karl Rove recently stayed at the Twin Lakes Nordic Lodge in Colorado and chatted with the owner, Charlie Gandy, about his plans after the White House. According to Gandy, Rove has “still got legal bills to pay” and he plans to “write books” after he leaves the White House in 18 months. When Gandy told a few guests that Rove was staying in the lodge, one visitor replied, “Karl Rove?! I’d like to kick his a$$.”

The Washington Times writes, “Senate Republicans are preparing to take aim at Majority Leader Harry Reid over the August recess for being ‘all talk but no action.’” Conservative operatives are complaining about “Reid’s harsh language when talking about Bush.” The attacks come on the same day that the new minimum wage takes effect, an important accomplishment of the 110th Congress. Reid’s office cites a list of other achievements. Carpetbagger, Kos, MyDD, and AmericaBlog have more.

Hilarious. Fred Thompson needs to shuffle his staff in the wake of campaign stumbles and he’s still not officially in the race.

Earlier this month, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) traveled to Iraq with a congressional delegation. In an interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune, Bachmann said that after her trip, she remains firm in her support for Bush’s escalation:

This month, Bachmann traveled to Iraq, and despite more GOP defections from Bush’s base of support, she returned as firm as ever in her conviction that the war is justified. Al-Qaida, she said, “doesn’t show any signs of letting up.” The congressional delegation met with Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, in one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces.

What was the palace like?

“It’s absolutely huge,” she said. “I turned to my colleagues and said there’s a commonality with the Mall of America, in that it’s on that proportion. There’s marble everywhere. The other thing I remarked about was there is water everywhere. He had man-made lakes all around his personal palace — one for fishing, one for boating.”

In reality, Iraq is nothing like the Mall of America. Bachmann was able to talk only about the palace because she wasn’t allowed to leave the heavily-fortified Green Zone — an area most normal Iraqis aren’t even allowed to enter. According to a report from her trip, skyrocketing violence prevented Bachmann from “meeting any Iraqis, leaving the Green Zone or staying in Iraq overnight. She and other congressional members were required to wear full body armor, including Kevlar helmets, during the entire trip.”

Nevertheless, Bachmann still believes that Congress should support Bush’s escalation. “It hasn’t had a chance to be in place long enough to offer a critique of how it’s working,” she said. Maybe if she had actually been able to leave the Green Zone, she would have been able to speak to some actual Iraqis, 78 percent of whom believe the U.S. presence is making the security situation worse.

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UPDATE: AmericaBlog compares the Mall of America to Iraq.

Referencing a May 2006 memorandum that granted Vice President Cheney’s office increased powers to intercede in Justice Department affairs, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) asked Gonzales today, “What on earth business does the Office of the Vice President have in the internal workings of the Department of Justice with respect to criminal investigations, civil investigations, and ongoing matters?” Gonzales was stumped, “As a general matter, I would say that’s a good question.” TPM Muckraker has the video.