Ports deal opens rift between Bush, House GOP  —  Committee votes 62-2 to block approval of UAE takeover  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — The White House faced a major rupture with House Republicans on Thursday after a House committee overwhelmingly voted to block a deal that would allow …

Senator Resumes Lobbyist Huddles  —  After saying in January that he would end his regular meetings with lobbyists, Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.), the third-ranking GOP leader in the Senate, has continued to meet with many of the same lobbyists at the same time and on the same day of the week.

Boy in a Bubble  —  What George Clooney doesn't know about life.  —  Memo to: The Academy  —  From: Just another viewer  —  Re: Advice, as if you wanted more  —  I cannot remember a time when, in the days after the Academy Awards show, it was not criticized, and even blasted.

Against CanadaCare  —  As Matt alludes to here, international comparisons are a little tricky.  But he's wrong to defend Canada's health care system.  Now, it is true that Americans spend way more on health care, per capita, than other countries do.  Taking the Canada example, our neighbors up north spend $2,535 per citizen.

An Iran Strategy  —  In January, Liberal Oasis criticized Sen. Hilllary Clinton's approach on Iran's nuclear program.  —  Clinton was seeking to outhawk the Bushies, accusing them of "outsourcing it to others and standing on the sidelines".  —  That was dumb from the get-go.

Sen. Clinton slams GOP immigration bill  —  WASHINGTON —Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a potential White House candidate in 2008, said Wednesday some Republicans are trying to create a "police state" to round up illegal immigrants.  —  Clinton, D-N.Y., spoke out on the U.S. immigration policy …

Vanity Fair: Bush Had Ties to Abramoff  —  WASHINGTON - Convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff says President Bush knew him well enough to joke with him about weightlifting.  "What are you benching, buff guy?"  Abramoff said Bush asked him.  The president has said he doesn't know Abramoff.

The Three Stooges  —  Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Howard Dean.  —  According to the latest CBS News poll, George W. Bush's approval rating hit a personal worst of 34 percent in February, making him the most unpopular president since Nixon during Watergate.

Bush: Congress 'Shortchanged' New Orleans  —  Touring Gulf Coast, President Calls for Restoration of $1.5 Billion for Levee Repairs  —  NEW ORLEANS, March 8 — President Bush, on a Gulf Coast inspection tour that included his first visit to this city's storm-shattered Lower Ninth Ward …

Report posits that Chris Matthews has accepted hefty speaking fees from conservative groups  —  A new report advanced to RAW STORY Thursday suggests that Chris Matthews, the star of the Sunday talk show circuit's Hardball, has accepted hefty speaking fees from an array of conservative trade associations.

Faith Hill, Tim McGraw Blast 'Humiliating' Katrina Cleanup  —  Country Stars Lash Out in Anger Over Conditions in Storm-Ravaged States  —  March, 8, 2006 — Faith Hill and Tim McGraw — two stars who usually stay out of politics — blasted the Hurricane Katrina cleanup effort …

Negative Perception Of Islam Increasing  —  Poll Numbers in U.S. Higher Than in 2001  —  As the war in Iraq grinds into its fourth year, a growing proportion of Americans are expressing unfavorable views of Islam, and a majority now say that Muslims are disproportionately prone to violence …

PortGate: Republicans Turn on President Bush — And What Will It Cost Us?  —  We make a prediction.  —  The AP's Liz Zidoti is eager to report: "In an election-year repudiation of President Bush, a House panel dominated by Republicans voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to block a Dubai-owned firm …

South Dakota's Top Paper Refuses To Editorialize On Abortion Ban  —  NEW YORK Although the biggest abortion rights story in 33 years is taking place in its own backyard, South Dakota's largest newspaper will not editorialize on the controversial statewide abortion ban just recently approved by its legislature.