Congressional Briefing is back from its summer hiatus. Where to begin?Pat Roberts(Washington Post) Report on Prewar Intelligence Lagging: When angry Democrats briefly shut down the Senate last year to protest the slow pace of a congressional investigation into prewar intelligence on Iraq, Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) claimed a rare victory. Republicans called it a stunt but promised to quickly wrap up the inquiry. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which is overseeing the investigation, said his report was near completion and there was no need for the fuss. That was nine months ago. The Republican-led committee, which agreed in February 2004 to write the report, has yet to complete its work. … Roberts spokeswoman Sarah Ross Little said the slow pace is partially the result of Roberts’s desire to give members a chance for input. She said Roberts will make public the two completed sections “when they are approved by the committee and have been declassified,” rather than wait for the other three to be done, as well. … The section most Democrats have sought, however, is not yet in draft form and might not emerge until after the November election, staffers said. That section will examine the administration’s deliberations over prewar intelligence and whether its public presentation of the threat reflected the evidence senior officials reviewed in private.Sam Brownback(KC Star) Obstacles not enough to rush Brownback’s looming decision: If money talks in politics, Sen. Sam Brownback’s nascent presidential campaign is but a ghostly whisper. And if he doesn’t increase his fundraising soon, Brownback risks being drowned out before voters even think about tuning in to 2008. Money is only one of the obstacles emerging in the Kansas Republican’s long shot to ride his politics of conservatism and faith to the White House.(Time) It’s August? Let’s Go to Iowa! The Iowa State Fair annually draws turkey callers, cow-chip throwers and piemakers from across the Hawkeye State. This year’s fair, which begins next week, is attracting a crowd of competitors from farther afield: possible White House contenders hunting for votes ahead–way ahead–of the Iowa presidential caucuses in January 2008. Democratic Senators Evan Bayh of Indiana and Joe Biden of Delaware and the Republican former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are all expected to swoop in to smile, shake hands and maybe taste the fair’s famed fried Twinkies. Also planning to visit Iowa in August: 2004 Democratic running mates John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina, Republican Senators John McCain of Arizona and Sam Brownback of Kansas, New York Governor George Pataki and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.(Contra Costa Times commentary) Evangelicals militant when it comes to Israel, End of Days: Last week, Pentecostal televangelist Rev. John Hagee of San Antonio, one of the rising forces in American Christian Zionism, convened a meeting in Washington of Christians Unified for Israel. Hagee sees the newly formed group as an evangelical American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, dedicated to lobbying on Israel’s behalf, especially in states where Jews are few and far between. Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas attended Hagee’s rally. So did Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Rick Santorum (who is running for his political life(Home School Legal Defense Assn.) Legislative Summit 2006: On March 28-30, 2006, the National Center for Home Education, a division of Home School Legal Defense Association, hosted its fourth National Homeschool Leadership and Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C., with the primary goal of advancing homeschool freedom at the federal level. Sixty-four state homeschool leaders from 35 states met to lobby members of the United States Congress and hear from senators and representatives. The summit hosted four senators, including Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (TN) and Senate Values Action Team Chairman Sam Brownback (KS), as well as nine representatives, including House Values Action Team Chairman Joe Pitts (PA-16) and Representative Mike Pence (IN-6).Jim Ryun(AP) Wild Animal Attacks Legislation: Legislation filed in the U.S. House this week is aimed at preventing wild-animal attacks like the one last year that killed a southeast Kansas girl. Congressman Jim Ryun is sponsoring the bill that would prohibit direct contact between big cats in captivity and the public. The measure is called “Haley’s Act,” for 17-year-old Haley Hilderbrand. The Labette County High School senior was mauled to death by a tiger in August 2005 when posing for a picture with the big cat at a southeast Kansas animal refuge.How to contact As always, you can find information to contact members of the Kansas congressional delegation here.