The Spintel, Part II: Vice President Cheney and the Bush administration learning the hard way that if you squander your credibility in the pre-Iraq build-up, your subsequent quotations of "Intel" will hold little sway on the world stage, and your subsequent attempts to manipulate that Intel will really require that you send Intelligence Officials fully-marked scripts to read to the appropriate Congressional Committees. WATCH VIDEO

Insult to Injuries: After the fiasco for outpatient Iraqi vets at Walter Reed, who's getting punished for the rodent and insect infestations? Well, of course, the patients who told the media. WATCH VIDEO

ODDBALL: The U.S.-Japanese Robot race, underwater ice hockey and the rats who came to dinner. WATCH VIDEO

The Battle for '08: Are the presidential front-runners in danger of losing their leads -- with just ten months until the first primary? Clinton losing some ground to Obama, McCain behind Giuliani. It's ugly early on the road to the White House. WATCH VIDEO

Harry Potter and the Missing Pants: He swears, he smokes, and for a brief moment, gets completely naked. Hundreds of theater fans and celebrities showed up to see last night's premiere performance by Daniel Radcliffe -- and his Nimbus 2000. WATCH VIDEO

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: A substitute teacher applies a little "scotch-tape discipline", Borders boneheads don't think before they stick, and "snuff radio" has to apologise for Melanie Morgan. FULL STORY

Torture Tutorial: The concern that U.S. troops could be influenced by the successful use of torture on shows like "24" is no longer hypothetical. According to former army specialist Tony Lagouranis, his unit did get inspiration from fictional drama. Now the Army is trying to do something about it. WATCH VIDEO

As far as we're concerned, John W. Cornwell can list Countdown as a reference on his resume anytime.

 [YouTube:Y-y7rSXJKNM]

Props must be given to FARK for spotting this unfortunate headline in the Green Bay Press Gazette...

 

The War on Reality: Even as a Taliban bomb goes off at a U.S. airbase in Afghanistan during a visit by Vice President Cheney, "remain calm, all is well" is the mantra. And when it comes to Iraq, First Lady Laura Bush says it's the "one bomb" a day that the media focuses on that makes it seem so bad. We get a much-needed reality check from Congressman Patrick Murphy, an Iraq war vet who has just returned from the region.

Don't call it a Comeback: We take a deeper look into the resurgence of the Taliban and the symbolism of today's attack with Terrorism expert Ben Venzke. WATCH VIDEO

ODDBALL: Hot stromboli, a big-ass burger and the day Superman let us all down. WATCH VIDEO

An Incoherent Truth: Al Gore has been getting a lot of good press lately, so the right wing attack dogs are out in force to "balance" the coverage with some political hit-jobs and unfounded charges of hypocrisy. The facts, as usual, are not on their side. WATCH VIDEO
 
Kid Corpulence: Nicola McKeown's son Connor is 218 pounds. He's eight years-old. Her solution? Put him on TV.

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: Nobody spews like Ann Coulter, being high on cough medicine is no excuse for making bomb threats, and the Baseball Hall of Fame Veterans committee get it wrong again. READ STORY

Is it Real? Does it Matter? A Countdown special investigation into viral video hoaxes on the world wide intraweb tube thingy. We'll help you spot the diference between the real thing and the phonies, then show you why it really doesn't matter anyway, as long as they're funny. VIDEO

                   

Just days ago, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was lauded for his candor regarding the deplorable conditions at Water Reed Medical Center, saying he was "grateful to reporters for bringing this problem to our attention, but very disappointed we did not identify it ourselves."

Today we have this report from the front page of the Army Times which suggests the brass there have reacted differently...

DoD Cracks Down on Walter Reed Media Coverage

Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Medical Hold Unit say
they have been told they will wake up at 6 a.m. every morning and have
their rooms ready for inspection at 7 a.m., and that they must not
speak to the media.

"Some soldiers believe this is a form of
punishment for the trouble soldiers caused by talking to the media,"
one Medical Hold Unit soldier said, speaking on the condition of
anonymity.

Soldiers say their sergeant major gathered troops at 6
p.m. Monday to tell them they must follow their chain of command when
asking for help with their medical evaluation paperwork, or when they
spot mold, mice or other problems in their quarters.

One would assume that this 'crackdown' on media coverage would accompany a real effort to improve the conditions at Walter Reed. But then, if not for the media coverage, one wouldn't have assumed the conditions at Walter Reed were in need of improvement in the first place.

Evil Superman: Well I hope you don't expect me to save you, 'cause I don't do that anymore.

Lorelei: Don't worry about me. I'm long past savin'.

- Superman III

You may remember this story from a week or two ago... an 80 year-old woman on her way to take her driving test, smashes her car through the front window of the DMV.

Some called it "ironic." Most agreed she failed the ultimate driving test.

But now we have video from inside the DMV office, which brings us more irony, and evidence that someone else failed as well.

We're not sure why there was a guy dressed as Superman standing outside the DMV that day, but what were the chances that the day he put on the the super hero costume, he'd be on hand for an actual real-life emergency?

And when faced with the ultimate Superhero's test, how would he fare?

Would he swoop in and begin saving people from the wreckage? Maybe pick up the car and fly it back out into the parking lot?

Or would he stand there and watch from the sidelines as others rushed to help?

He's a bit tough to spot, but watch for him in the upper right portion of the video, and we think you'll agree: Sir, you're not fit to wear that uniform.

[YouTube:ZzjbmQuECrw]

Here's the full video and transcript of last night's special comment.

With Us or Against Us: The same president who famously declared little more than five years ago that "you are either with us or you are against us in the war on terror"... is now reported to be secretly funding jihadists linked with al Qaeda -- in an attempt to stem the growth of Shi'ite influence across the Middle East -- an influence the Administration magnified by invading Iraq. WATCH VIDEO

Libby Trial Shakeup: A juror - the one who wouldn't wear the red t-shirt on Valentine's Day - is dismissed after hearing outside info about the case. David Shuster brings us the latest. WATCH VIDEO

ODDBALL: A real life 'Children of Men', and the latest episode of "Fox News: The 24-Hour Comedy Hour!" WATCH VIDEO

TV Wannabees: The Anna Nicole Judge gets his first offer, and dirty pictures of an American Idol contestant hit the internet - will it help or hurt her chances? WATCH VIDEO

The Jesus Tomb: Is filmmaker James Cameron's new documentary about to turn everything we know about Jesus Christ upside down? WATCH VIDEO

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: A drunk cyclist who didn't get far, the NRA turns its sights on one of its own, and more revisionist history from a White House flack. READ STORY

A Special Comment: Saddam Hussein was not Adolph Hitler, and other history lessons for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
READ COMMENT | WATCH VIDEO

UPDATE...Full transcript and video here.

The following is a preview of Keith Olbermann's Special Comment tonight on the statements of Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. Tune in to hear the whole thing... Countdown tonight 8pm ET

On the Sunday Morning Interview Show of Broken-Record, on Fox, Dr. Condoleezza Rice spoke a paragraph, which if it had been included in a remedial history paper at the weakest high school in the nation, would've gotten the writer an "F" - maybe an expulsion.

If Congress were now to revise the Iraq authorization, she said, out loud, with an adult present, quote:

"…It would be like saying that after Adolf Hitler was overthrown, we needed to change then, the resolution that allowed the United States to do that, so that we could deal with creating a stable environment in Europe after he was overthrown."

The Secretary's resume reads that she has a Masters' Degree and a Ph.D in Political Science. The interviewer should have demanded to see it, on the spot.

Dr. Rice spoke 42 words. She may have made more mistakes in them, than did the President in his State of the Union Address in 2003.

There is, obviously, no mistaking Saddam Hussein for a human being, but nor is there any mistaking him for Adolf Hitler.

Invoking the German dictator who subjugated Europe; who tried to annihilate the Jews; who sought to overtake the World -- is not just in the poorest of taste, but in its hyperbole, it insults not merely the victims of the Third Reich, but those in this country who fought it. And, defeated it.

Saddam Hussein… was not Adolf Hitler.

And George W. Bush is not Franklin D. Roosevelt, nor Dwight D. Eisenhower.

He isn't even George H.W. Bush, who fought in that war.

Try to guess the planet on which the following line could appear in a top newspaper:

"Despite a profuse public apology and a vow to go hunting soon with an assault weapon, Zumbo's career appears to be over."

Yeah, it's Earth. Although sometimes it's hard to recognize it.

Apparently, world famous hunter and rifleman and 40-rear member of the NRA, Jim Zumbo, made the fatal mistake of speaking ill of assault rifles when it comes to "traditional hunting."

And now the hunter... has become the hunted. So to speak.

'Terrorist' Remark Puts Outdoorsman's Career in Jeopardy

"Excuse me, maybe I'm a traditionalist, but I see no place for these weapons among our hunting fraternity," Zumbo wrote in his blog on the Outdoor Life Web site. The Feb. 16 posting has since been taken down. "As hunters, we don't need to be lumped into the group of people who terrorize the world with them. . . . I'll go so far as to call them 'terrorist' rifles."

The reaction -- from tens of thousands of owners of assault rifles across the country, from media and manufacturers rooted in the gun business, and from the National Rifle Association -- has been swift, severe and unforgiving. Despite a profuse public apology and a vow to go hunting soon with an assault weapon, Zumbo's career appears to be over.

His top-rated weekly TV program on the Outdoor Channel, his longtime career with Outdoor Life magazine and his corporate ties to the biggest names in gunmaking, including Remington Arms Co., have been terminated or are on the ropes.

The NRA on Thursday pointed to the collapse of Zumbo's career as an example of what can happen to anyone, including a "fellow gun owner," who challenges the right of Americans to own or hunt with assault-style firearms.

Some outdoors writers drew a different lesson from Zumbo's horrible week.

"This shows the zealousness of gun owners to the point of actual foolishness," said Pat Wray, a freelance outdoors writer in Corvallis, Ore., and author of "A Chukar Hunter's Companion."

Wray said that what happened to Zumbo is a case study in how the NRA has trained members to attack their perceived enemies without mercy.

"For so many years, Zumbo has been a voice for these people -- for hunting and for guns -- and they just turned on him in an instant," Wray said. "He apologized all over himself, and it didn't do any good."

If you missed Keith on CBS Sunday Morning, we'll try to get some video up here as soon as we can. In the meantime, click here for the companion article, which also incudes one of the best misspellings of "Olbermann" we've ever seen:

It's not just politics; Olbermermann counts down the day's top stories, from soup to nuts — the whole wacky world as he sees it.

Mission Admonished: The Democrats' plan to turn back the clock and redefine the October 11, 2002 authorization of the war in Iraq into a "support mission." Could this be the first step towards bringing the troops home? WATCH VIDEO

The Disgrace at Home: The blowback at the Walter Reed Outpatient Center, The Secretary of Defense actually thanks the media for pointing out the awful conditions, and vows to hold accountable those responsible for the situation. WATCH VIDEO

ODDBALL: It's some guy with a really long mustache and an airbag for bicycles. Yayyy Safety! WATCH VIDEO

Oprah Dragged into Bill World: There's no fraud like a grand-stander. Bill O'Reilly has again defended his remarks that Shawn Hornbeck, the abducted and sexually-abused teenager from Missouri, had more "fun" with his captor than he had at home. So why did Oprah Winfrey give this man a forum on a show about child molesters? The father of Polly Klass, Mark Klass, joins us. WATCH VIDEO

And the Winner Is... Is Hollywood finally color-blind or do the Oscar nominations only tell half the story? Minority performers make up nearly half of all the nominees in the best actor categories at this weekend's Oscars. Is that enough to help Hollywood shed allegations of racism? WATCH VIDEO

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: An otherwise good man who can't seem to ever remember to plug, the GOP's own newspaper, the Washington Times Newspaper, and NASA's high tech plan for crazy astronauts.
WATCH VIDEO

Encore! Encore!: By popular demand, Countdown recaps the bizarre week that was the Anna Nicole Smith hearing in the courtroom of "Judge Larry". And then, by popular demand, we will stop with this nonsense. Until we start again. WATCH VIDEO

WATCH VIDEO

In an interview with TIME Magazine, former Democrat Joe Lieberman says officially switching to the Republican party remains a "remote possibility." In the meantime, he is relishing 'the leverage with both parties no matter how slim the
chance of his crossing the aisle."

"Whatever Joe Lieberman Wants"

...with the Democrats' hold on power dependent on just one vote — in
effect, his — and with Republicans courting him to tilt the balance in
their favor, Lieberman has been indulging in some fairly immodest
political footsie. Early this year he terrified fellow Democrats by
skipping several of the weekly caucus lunches that cement party
fidelity in the Senate. Recently he was spotted in the Republican
cloakroom talking with South Carolina's Lindsey Graham about reforming
Social Security. He even says he might vote Republican for President in
2008, a not-so-veiled hint that he would prefer John McCain, his fellow
true believer in the Iraq war, to most, perhaps all, Democratic
alternatives.

Lieberman says leaving the Democratic Party is a "very remote
possibility." But even that slight ambiguity — and all his cross-aisle
flirtation — has proved more than enough to position Lieberman as the
Senate's one-man tipping point. If he were to jump ship, the ensuing
shift of power to Republicans would scramble the politics of the war in
Iraq, undercut the Democrats' national agenda and potentially weaken
their hopes for the White House in 2008. Those stakes are high enough
to give Lieberman leverage with both parties no matter how slim the
chance of his crossing the aisle. Which means Senate leaders aren't
worrying only about whether Joe Lieberman will switch parties. They're
wondering what, if anything, he plans to do with the power that comes
from keeping that possibility alive.

But is it time for the Democratic Party to rip the Band-Aid off once and for all, and let Joe Lieberman go?  Would losing their tenuous hold on the Senate really hurt the Dems' chances to take the White House in 2008? 

Or would making a statement to the voters who put them in power - that they are more committed to the ideals that got them elected than they are to holding power itself - work more in their favor heading into the next election cycle?

It's a high stakes gamble, but the American people didn't vote the Dems in in '06 so that they could compromise to keep the tiniest sliver of political power... did they?

These questions and many more, tonight on Countdown - 8pm ET

Links to follow...

"The Blair Ditch Project": Declare victory and go home. That's what the British are doing in Basra. So why is Basra listed by the Pentagon as "not ready for transition?" And why, if the British can still call Basra a victory and go home...can't we call Iraq a victory and go home? WATCH VIDEO

The Broken Border: A Lisa Myers investigation. Pakistan promised to tighten the border and even to build a fence between itself an Afghanistan after news came that Al Qaeda militants were planning a massive cross-border offensive this Spring. NBC's Lisa Myers reveals, the border is not as tight as we might have hoped. WATCH VIDEO

ODDBALL: Squats on a pachyderm, The Ox & The Furious, and yet another "rare" giant squid. WATCH VIDEO

It's Getting Ugly, Early: The latest from war-torn Hollywood, California. After the frontal attack from mogul David Geffen, why did his former friend Senator Clinton turn it into a fight with... Senator Obama? WATCH VIDEO

Crazy Famous: And the war of Britney Spears versus...Britney Spears. The rehab center she checked out of, hours after checking in? She's checked back in.

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: Manny Ramirez "family issues", a freeloading son freezes his dead dad, and the offensive NYU stunt that drew more media and protesters than participants. WATCH VIDEO

The Final Act: Judge Larry's Grand Finale leaves room for a sequel as Countdown recaps the amazing final day of the Anna Nicole Smith  hearings.WATCH VIDEO

Keith has a Q&A with Stephen Battaglio in the latest issue of TV Guide, discussing his new agreement to remain with MSNBC for four more years, his "video essays" to appear on NBC Nightly News, and a whole bunch more.

Updating: The Rolling Stone Magazine interview, "The Most Honest Man in News" is online now as well.

"That scene from Network where Howard Beale is walking
down the street in his pajamas, mumbling to himself -- that's not
me," Olbermann insists. "I'm not in a state of perpetual outrage.
But I don't think I've ever taken a position on the air that I
didn't feel strongly about. What I do is not some kind of
performance designed to create an image for myself, or to create
false anger in people. The difference between me and O'Reilly is, I
will shout 'Fire!' in a crowded theater if there's a fire. I think
Bill would shout 'Fire!' in a crowded theater to hear the sound of
his own voice."

Read the entire Rolling Stone inteview.

A clip from TV Guide...

TVGuide.com: A growing number of people are upset and aggravated about the war in Iraq. Do you think viewers see Countdown as a place they can get news about the war that is a little more attuned to their sentiments?

Olbermann: I don't know the exact mix. Clearly in the last year and a half, the people to whom I'm beholden are George Bush, Bill O'Reilly, Dan Patrick
and people at Nielsen who decided to include DVR ratings in cable TV
ratings. We're the most DVR'd show in cable news. We had growth from
that. But in terms of the sensibility regarding the war, I think the
public is still ahead of us, slightly, and way ahead of the
politicians. But from the beginning on May 1, 2003, I interviewed Chris Matthews
right after the whole "Mission Accomplished" nonsense, and he was
fulsome about it and portrayed it fairly correctly in what it would be
perceived as.… I said, "Wait a minute. Long-term? What about the fact
that you have this country that doesn't have a government right now and
we have no real post-war plan in our pocket. Is this premature?" This
has been a steady attitude. It's obviously gotten louder, and what a
fatal boondoggle it's been. It's been an ever-increasing element of the
show, and it culminated last year with "Special Comments." [Olbermann's
occasional commentaries on the show.]

TVGuide.com: Is that a Chris Matthews sample in the intro to the "Oddball" segment?

Olbermann: The "Ha!", that's Chris.

TVGuide.com: Do you have to pay him for that?

Olbermann: I think we worked that into his deal — an additional $25 a year for that.

Click here for the full interview.

It's official, Prince Harry, third-in-line to the British throne, will be deployed to Iraq, the Ministry of Defense said Thursday.

His regiment is expected to deploy to Iraq this spring, and he could become the first royal to see combat since his uncle, Prince Andrew, served in the Falklands war against Argentina in 1982.

But as the British actually begin to withdraw some troops from the region, Prince Harry will represent a sort of one-man "surge", arriving with his own personal security team assigned to protect him from possible kidnappings or worse.

From the Evening Standard:

Sources say a team of SAS men will be on stand-by to shadow the prince - ready to intervene if necessary. A member of the special forces said: "A team has been preparing for this announcement.

"The prince himself may not even be aware of it. He will not be stopped from fulfilling his full military role. But it would be a dereliction of duty for military chiefs not to be prepared for the worst and hand the insurgents a chance to make a devastating impact.

"Troop Commander Wales", as he is known to his colleagues, has expressed his desire to serve alongside his comrades in Iraq, saying that there was "no way" he was going to undergo rigorous training and then stay away from the battlefield.

By all accounts, the Prince has put a greater priority on serving his country than on his own personal safety.

And while questions arise as to whether this story played at all into Tony Blair's motivation to begin de-escalation... it appears there can be no question about the character of this brave young man.

Judge Larry Seidlin promises Friday will be the day he will make a decision on the burial of Anna Nicole Smith...a judgment he says will last "for all eternity".

In our number one story on the Countdown, another day in his courtroom.

For anyone having to sit through it, certainly feeling like all eternity.

Tonight we will again largely get out of the way of the sights and sounds of the absurdity.

WATCH VIDEO

The bronze, to Bill Orally and Oprah Winfrey.

What is she doing, inviting him on a show about protecting children against predators, and not asking him why he said Shawn Hornbeck had "fun" during his abduction and constant sexual abuse?

And never mentioning that after those remarks, the Center for Missing And Exploited Children dropped him as Keynote speaker at its Florida fund-raiser next month?

As to Billo... how can he keep portraying himself as an advocate for abused children, while he's defending their abductors?

Our silver medalist tonight, Leslie Brown, spokeswoman for the National Mountaineering Group "Access Fund"

Protesting a plan to require anybody who intends to climb past 10-thousand feet on Mount Hood in Oregun in the winter, to carry an electronic locator device.

She says it'll make climbers lazy, and more likely to not try to save themselves, but wait for others to save them.

This after the locators helped rescuers find three lost climbers on Mount Hood.

But the winners: Doctors Spasoje Radulovitch, and Dragan Vukanich, of Belgrad in Serbia.

Dr. Radulovitch was busy treating a patient, when Dr. Vukanich came in and started yelling at him, then pulled his ear and slapped him. Dr. Radulovitch responded by socking Dr. Vukanich, and the two tumbled to the floor.

The patient Dr. Radulovitch was treating did not see any of this, because, of course, this was in the Operating Room, where Dr. Radulovitch was taking out the man's appendix.

Stay tuned for this plot line on the next Grey's Anatomy.

Doctors Spasoje Radulovitch, and Dragan Vukanich -- today's Worst Persons In The World! WATCH VIDEO

There is something to be said about how an apology can help to revive good will.

Which may be why, in our number two story on the Countdown, Jet Blue Airlines is now on the verge of having completed more apologies this week... than flights, last week.

Today it was a full-page ad in major east-coast newspapers... including one in the New York Times saying...

"We are sorry and embarrassed.  But most of all, we are deeply sorry."

Sorry... of course... for that cascading breakdown in Jet Blue's operations when bad weather caused delays, in the airports, on the tarmacs, and a bucketful of cancellations.

The airline's founder and C-E-O, David Neeleman, having already said that he was "humiliated and mortified"  is making the rounds, appearing on "The Late Show with David Letterman" last night, and presenting Jet Blue's 'passenger bill of rights' on "The Today Show"

Is it possible he could turn this disaster, into some sort of marketing home run?

Our correspondent Tom Costello filed the report. WATCH REPORT

When comedy happens to express the comic's personal political point of view, the result is often something the pros call "funny."

When comedy is designed to express your employer's political point of view, the result is often something the pros call "propaganda."

Ratings are in for the debut of the Fox Noise Channel "Half Hour News Hour", described by its creators as a right-wing comedic answer to "The Daily Show."

As somebody said recently -- the left thought the right-wing comedic answer to "The Daily Show" was the execution of the war in Iraq.

The ratings are in...

The heavily-promoted show did very well for a Sunday night, out-rating its lead-in, "Sean Hannity's America," another comedy program - and drawing just under a million-and-a-half viewers in total, about a third of that in the coveted group of viewers aged 25 to 54.

However, that audience for the show, peaked eleven minutes into it.
There were 648,000 younger viewers at 10:11 Eastern Time, and then it went straight down hill from there, reaching a low of 340-thousand at the 27-minute mark.

And that is hardly auspicious, given that one of the show's guest stars, Comedian Rush Limbaugh...

Virtually begged his listeners to watch.

"It needs an audience -- and I'm going to be blatant here. You know, normally I sit here and tell these things to you and you find these programs or these books or these things I recommend, fine and dandy. But in order for this show to have a chance at success, for these two pilots to be picked up and actually made into a regular series with some substantive production values and so forth, it needs an audience. They need an audience."

Comedian Richard Lewis came it to bat this around with K.O. WATCH VIDEO

For the first time ever, we begin Oddball with a historical commemoration that requires... a sound bite.

19 years ago today, live on his hour of power or whatever it was...

Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart -- his life aswirl with reports of prostitutes'n'stuff -- created for himself a unique kind of immortality.

In 1988, February 21st was not Ash Wednesday, as it was today...

But a word that sounds like Ash, seemed to have fit that February 21st as well.

On that note, let's Play Oddball!

WATCH VIDEO

A new report shows that the Bush administration has been using inflated statistics about its anti-terror activity to pat itself on the back, justify the erosion of civil liberties, and to argue for additional spending of your tax dollars.

In our number-four story tonight, said report comes not from the left, nor even from Democrats... but from the Inspector General's Office -- of the Bush Justice Department.

Which tells us the administration's "terror" statistics include crimes such as drug trafficking, immigration violations... and that scourge of free societies everywhere... marriage fraud.

On the F-B-I specifically, the report concludes...

"The F-B-I significantly overstated the number of terrorism-related convictions during fiscal year 2004... because the F-B-I initially coded the investigative cases as terrorism-related when the cases were opened, but did not re-code cases when no link to terrorism was established."

In other words, the report says, any crime that was originally suspected as terrorism... or was just investigated by an anti-terrorism unit... ended up as a terrorism statistic... which in turn was used by lawmakers to shape our national policies.

Former federal prosecutor David Boies joins us. WATCH INTERVIEW

The Coalition of the Dwindling: Great Britain is not alone in announcing that it will be withdrawing its troops from Iraq -- Denmark also giving word that it will be pulling out as well, amid signs that Australia and Lithuania could well be next. Plus, the Scooter Libby trial goes to the jury.

"Juicing the Stats": Fake threats, politically motivated alerts, plain-old incompetence and now, cooking the books. Immigration violations, drug trafficking and marriage fraud among those crimes listed in the Justice Department's stats on how many terror cases it has pursued.

ODDBALL: Improvised explosive Mentos devices, and the world record for tooth-brushing.

Comedy Left & Right: If you deliberately pre-plan humor to be conservative or liberal -- can it ever be funny? Comedian Richard Lewis joins Keith to discuss.

Jet Blues: Jet Blue lines had a thousand bad flights last week...and a thousand and one apologies this week.

WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: 'Three Dollar Bill' goes on Oprah to pretend he cares about the kids, Mountain Climbers who won't help anyone help them, and brawling surgeons who 'took it outside' in the middle of an operation!

The Unending "Judge Larry Show": Countdown condenses the day's absurdities as the Anna Nicole Smith circus continues. Eight hours in three minutes, you won't want to miss.

The British have almost always known when to get out. Virginia in 1781... Dunkirk in 1940... Iraq in 2007.

Today it became official. And today it became just a little bit worse.

Our fifth story on the Countdown: Great Britain proving not to be alone in announcing that it will be withdrawing its troops from Iraq. Denmark also revealing it will be pulling out as well, amid signs that Australia and Lithuania could well be next.

Prime Minister Tony Blair before Parliament today, saying the British have done all they can in Southern Iraq, making the case for a significant draw-down of British troops... within weeks. Blair was careful to say that his decision does not mean Basra is how he wants it to be, merely that it is time for the Iraqis to secure it themselves.

Vice President Dick Cheney in Japan today, opted for spin over caution... claiming the British withdrawal is good news... and a sign of progress in Iraq.

Then later -- spinning in opposite directions -- telling American troops aboard the USS Kitty Hawk in Tokyo that despite the "good news" of the British withdrawal, US forces would not be leaving Iraq.

Mister Cheney, heading next to Australia where the prime minister there, though fresh from equating Senator Obama and the Democrats to Al Qaeda in Iraq, is said to be under pressure to start withdrawing that nation's roughly 1,300 troops in and around Iraq.

Lithuania... said to be "seriously considering" not replacing its contingent of 53 -- yes, 53 -- when its mission ends in August.

So who then is actually left in the Coalition of the Dwindling?

And how many troops are we talking about here... and for how long?

More here on the actual numbers.

Howard Fineman joins keith.

Plus...

 The other, "other shoe" waiting to drop on the Bush administration, a possible guilty verdict for Scooter Libby.

The jury's first day of deliberations ending without a decision at the trial of the former White House aide.

After 14 days of testimony and a full day of closing arguments, jurors hearing more than an hour of instructions this morning before starting their deliberations. Four and a half hours of deliberation later... they called it a day.

Dana Milbank was here to discuss. WATCH INTERVIEW