THE TENSION: The Decline and Fall of Western Civ. for 8 Sep

Heads up, this news rolls downhill.

ABC Gets More Pressure to Toss 9/11 Film: ABC faced growing pressure Friday about its planned miniseries on the buildup to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Former Clinton administration officials, historians and a Democratic petition with nearly 200,000 signatures urged the network to scrap the five-hour drama, according to AP.

Variety reviews The Path to 9/11: Perhaps unavoidably, ABC's "The Path to 9/11" plays like a compendium of movies and documentaries surrounding that fateful day -- a pinch of "United 93" here, a dollop of "World Trade Center" there. Derived in part from the 9/11 Commission report, this five-hour presentation is earnest but scattered and a little plodding, with the most powerful aspect involving John O'Neill, the terrorism expert slain in the attack, strongly played by Harvey Keitel. Although NBC cleared ABC's path by scrubbing its own planned 9/11 miniseries, it's still a trail littered with the host of productions that preceded it.

Harry Reid Tramples 1st Amendment Rights Over 'Path to 9-11': The full force of big-government intimidation is put into action against ABC when Harry Reid threatens the network's broadcast license over the docu-drama, 'The Path to 9-11.'

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has applied for a U.S. visa, according to State Department officials, reports ABC News.

MSNBC's Chris Matthews whines that the Plame story is way too complicated to cover now. Yo' Chris, so much for even trying to fake any semblance of hard hitting, objective reporting. From NewsBusters.

In the news today, AP reports Saddam Hussein regarded al-Qaida as a threat rather than a possible ally, a Senate report says. The document, which compares prewar intelligence with post-invasion findings on Iraq's weapons and on terrorist groups, is a rehash of earlier reports, breaks no new ground, and is sure to be like pouring political gasoline on a partisan fire that serves no purpose for the taxpayers who funded it.

In seemingly more important news:

Police plan to meet with Claudia Schiffer to discuss complaints that her dogs are intimidating walkers near her country mansion. Police said Friday they hope the talks will solve problems around the supermodel's home near Bury St. Edmunds, a rural town northeast of London, reports AP.