DUDE, WHERE'S MY CIVIL WAR?  —  I'M trying.  I've been trying all week.  The other day, I drove another 30 miles or so on the streets and alleys of Baghdad.  I'm looking for the civil war that The New York Times declared.  And I just can't find it.  —  Maybe actually being on the ground in Iraq prevents me from seeing it.

Look, Up in the White House...It's Splatman  —  Crooks and Liars has some video clips up from today's Sunday morning gabfests.  All I can say is "ouch."  —  First, there is this clip from Rep. John Murtha's appearance on Face the Nation: … Murtha comes across as not only very credible …

Live-Blogging the Oscars 2006  —  Does anybody care what Nicole Kidman is wearing (or not)?  Does anybody care how many times Jon Stewart disses Dick Cheney?  Does anybody care who even wins the Academy Awards anymore?  —  Yes, we all care - even if we say we don't... It's the Oscars, after all!

IS MURTHA NUTS?  —  Democratic Congressman Jack Murtha seems to have gone around the bend.  Check out this exchange from this morning's Face the Nation: … It's rather remarkable that a sitting United States Congressman would play so fast and loose with the facts, especially in the context …

LIVEBLOGGING AIPAC 2006  —  Hey guys, got into DC late yesterday for the AIPAC conference.  Huge turnout.  Should be interesting.  Postings will be lighter than usual but action packed ...........stay tuned.  —  Meanwhile Hamas Sets Up Standing Army in Gaza to Spread Jihad  —  LIVEBLOGGING David Kay

The New York Times and the Great Wal-Mart Blogger Conspiracy  —  New York Times reporter Michael Barbaro is working on a story about the fact that public relations people working for the giant retailer Wal-Mart have been feeding news tips and information to sympathetic bloggers around the country.

The liberals' liberal  —  National Journal's annual ratings are out, and the most liberal member of the Senate is Edward M. Kennedy.  That may come as no surprise, since the venerable Massachusetts Democrat is often called the chamber's ''liberal lion.  In fact, Kennedy is still outpaced …

Will DeLay's Fate Be Sealed in Two Days?  —  Two days.  Just two days.  —  On Tuesday, while the progressive blogosphere will be intently watching the Democratic primary in Texas' 28th congressional district between Rep. Henry Cuellar and former-Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, another important congressional primary …

Movies Are America  —  John Wayne would have had a cow over "Brokeback Mountain."  Gay cowboys?  He, too, would have missed the message, the love, not to mention the heartbreak.  He wouldn't have cared.  Maybe that's why this year's Oscars have caused such a stir and ignited that red state phobia.

Right-wing love and peace  —  I've gone whole days without linking to Digby, despite the fact that those days have not gone by without numerous wonderful posts.  But you really shouldn't miss this one, which quotes from some anti-choice person who thinks it's perfectly clear that poor people just shouldn't be allowed to have sex.

Simulblogging the Oscars.  —  7 (Central Time).  A slow-moving intro for Jon Stewart, showing Oscar hosts of the past declining to re-host.  We see Billy Crystal and Chris Rock shacking up together in a tent, for the first gay joke of the night.  The second one comes a minute later …

Voices Baffled, Brash and Irate in Guantánamo  —  United States soldiers guarding an entrance to the detention center at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba.  About 760 men have been held there.  —  Among the hundreds of men imprisoned by the American military at Guantánamo Bay …

'Long war' is breaking down into tedium  —  I had to sign a tedious business contract the other day.  They wanted my corporation number — fair enough — plus my Social Security number — well, if you insist — and also my driver's license number — hang on, what's the deal with that?

Transcript for March 5  —  MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: Iraq.  Hundreds of civilians die as Iraqis, Sunnis and Shiites kill each other.  Is this a civil war?  What does it mean for the 130,000 American troops on the ground?  With us: the top military man at the Pentagon …

Words Speak Louder Than Actions  —  Blaming the media less about deflecting ownership and more due to their own inability to see Iraq as an actual place, instead of as a square in their personal game of risk or some sort of k000l virtual reality game, and their own belief that words on the page …

Holland to allow 'baby euthanasia'  —  WHEN Frank and Anita's daughter Chanou was born with an extremely rare, incurable illness in August 2000, they knew that her life would be short and battled against the odds to make it happy.  —  They struggled around the clock against their baby's pain.

Life After Roe  —  For the first time in 14 years, legal abortion in the United States is in serious jeopardy.  —  In recent days, the shape of this assault has become clear.  First, on the morning of Justice Samuel Alito Jr.'s debut, the Supreme Court announced that it would review …