Bush's "Post-Surge Vision"

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The Post says top White House officials have been talking with Senate Republican leaders about what an aide called "his vision for the post-surge," beyond the troop escalation he announced six months ago today.

Despite recent defections by several prominent GOP senators, the president has rejected calls to begin withdrawing U.S. troops as early as this summer. But the Post says he and his advisers concluded that some shift in message was needed "to show that he shares the goals of his increasingly restless Republican caucus and the broader public."

That new message, which is expected to be unveiled today during an appearance in Cleveland, emphasizes the president's desire to draw down the U.S. force in Iraq once security conditions improve.

Will it be enough to firm up support among wavering Republicans? That's unclear. The Post says "key Republican senators" – including Sen. John Warner, R-Va. – "have indicated that they would not be satisfied with a change in political spin over a real change in strategy."

Meanwhile, in what could be seen as another Iraq strategy move by the administration, The New York Times reports the U.S. ambassador to Iraq and senior Iraqi officials are offering a grim warning about the ramifications of a U.S. pullout.

In an interview with The Times, Ambassador Ryan Crocker said the departure of U.S. troops could lead to increased violence, thousands of deaths and a regional conflict involving Iraq's neighbors.

As ugly as things may have been so far, Crocker said they could get "way, way worse."

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The Washington Post reveals some more troubling news Tuesday for besieged Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Although Gonzales assured lawmakers in April 2005 that he was unaware of any FBI abuses of its terrorism-fighting powers under the Patriot Act, the Post says Gonzales was routinely informed about such violations.

"There has not been one verified case of civil liberties abuse," Gonzales told the Senate Intelligence Committee, as he sought to win renewal for the Patriot Act.

But according to internal FBI documents obtained by the Post, Gonzales received at least half a dozen reports of such violations – for things like unauthorized surveillance and searches – in the three months before he told the Senate Intelligence Committee that none had taken place.

Justice Department officials said they were unable to determine whether the attorney general read any of the FBI reports, but a spokesman insisted Gonzales' statements were "consistent with statements from other officials at the FBI and the department."

Gonzales has maintained that he only learned of the FBI's Patriot Act violations when an internal Justice investigation uncovered them in March 2007.

60 Million Californians By 2050?

Is the world ready for 60 million Californians? It better be.

According to the Los Angeles Times, a new state study projects that California's population will explode over the next half century by nearly 75 percent, raising questions about "how the state will look and function and where all the people and their cars will go."

The calculations suggest that by 2050, the Golden State's population will rise from its current 34 million to 59.5 million – about the same number as Italy has today – and that Latinos will become the state's dominant ethnic group.

So what will the new California look like? Some analysts predict unprecedented gridlock and environmental disaster unless huge investments are made to improve the state's infrastructure; others say an economic boom is possible.

"It's a political question," said transportation expert Martin Wachs. "Do we have the will, the consensus, the willingness to pay? If we did, I think we could manage the growth."

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