Oracle Paul the Psychic Octopus predicts a win for Spain. However, having been in Amsterdam during Holland's amazing win over Brazil last week, I'll be going against cephalopod wisdom and rooting for the Big Orange.

The media have been obsessed by all the polling going on during the health care debate, but seem not to mention this one very much.

A new national poll indicates that support among Americans for the war in Afghanistan has hit a new low.

Forty-one percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Thursday say they favor the war in Afghanistan -- down 9 points from May, when CNN polling suggested that half of the public supported the war.

Fifty-four percent say they oppose the war in Afghanistan, up 6 points from May.

"Afghanistan is almost certainly the Obama policy that Republicans like the most," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said. "Nearly two-thirds of Republicans support the war in Afghanistan. Three-quarters of Democrats oppose the war."

A record 44 United States troops were killed in Afghanistan in July, and 11 have been killed this month.

It's interesting that David Gregory suddenly is interested in a time table for the end of the war.

MR. GREGORY: At least a decade, though? I mean...

GEN. JONES: No, no, no. No.

MR. GREGORY: ...should Americans really settle--it's less than a decade, you think, in terms of...

GEN. JONES: Yeah, I think, I think, I...

MR. GREGORY: ...our commitment.

GEN. JONES: You can't predict here where the tipping point is, just like we couldn't really predict it in Iraq. But it will--if it's done right and if it's done cohesively, the tipping point will be much, much quicker, much sooner than that. We will know whether this strategy is working in--within, within the--by the, by the end of the next year, and we'll be able to make some prediction--maybe some predictions at that time. But not before.

I mean, all progressives want it over, but since a Democratic president has been elected, Gregory suddenly has an interest in these things like never before. And maybe I missed it, but Gregory never brought up any polling either.

I wanted to give readers a quick heads up that I'll be on CNN Newsroom tonight sometime in the 7-8 pm PDT hour (10-11 EDT). Don Lemon is the host, and we'll be discussing the Holocaust Museum shooting, lone wolves, and my book, The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right, and the national security implications of domestic terrorism.

Also, be sure to check out my interview with Joshua Holland at AlterNet.

Yesterday, I posted: Where’s the Outrage Over the Daily News Bomb Tunnel Story?
Greenwald:

John Amato astutely asks an excellent question: why are all of the Bush supporters celebrating the unauthorized leak to the Daily News of the FBI's arrests of alleged terrorists who were talking in Internet chat rooms about blowing up the Holland Tunnel (later news reports indicated that the plot was really aimed at the PATH commuter train)?--Their celebratory reaction to this leak is particularly noteworthy given that the Daily News article itself acknowledged that its source told it that the leaked law enforcement investigation "is an ongoing operation." And the FBI claims that this leak has jeopardized foreign intelligence sources...read on

Update: Larisa says: Sources say no serious plot for NYC, just hate chatter

I called the NY Daily News columnist, ALLISON GENDAR, who was one of the journalists that broke this story today:

The FBI has uncovered what officials consider a serious plot by jihadists to bomb the Holland Tunnel in hopes of causing a torrent of water to deluge lower Manhattan, the Daily News has learned.
The News has learned that at the request of U.S. officials, authorities in Beirut arrested one of the alleged conspirators, identified as Amir Andalousli, in recent months. Agents were scrambling yesterday to try to nab other suspects, sources said. They didn't indicate how many people were the target of the international dragnet but said they were scattered all over the world. "This is an ongoing operation," one source said.

I knew it was going to be a hectic day in the newsroom, but I asked her if she thought that the Daily News would be attacked like the NY Times was since this is still an ongoing investigation and her paper printed the story anyway. She quickly said she had to go, but said I could call back. Where is the outrage from the administration and the right wing bloggers over The Daily News possibly compromising an ongoing investigation? I don't wish to cause the NY Daily News problems, but you can see where I'm headed here. It sure looks like the government leaked this story to The Daily News to make itself look good. Crawfordslist feels the same way. The NY Times was set up by the administration and is still being attacked over idiotic stories. This NY Daily News Story is more proof of that. I'll have more after I contact The Daily News again.

Liberal Catnip looks at the reaction by the right wing bloggers which is amazingly silent on this point.