Prickly Peacock nixes Chicks  —  NBC cancels ads for Dixie docu 'Sing' … The Weinstein Co. is claiming that NBC and the CW have refused to air national ads for the new Dixie Chicks docu "Shut Up & Sing."  —  But while the Peacock has specifically said it won't accept the spots …

Republicans' Hold On the South Gets Test in Tennessee  —  Region's New Demographics  —  May Help Harold Ford Jr.,  —  Centrist Black Candidate  —  Sen. Frist's Seat Up for Grabs  —  KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Race has long been a deciding factor in Southern politics, helping determine …

White House denies Cheney hailed 'water boarding' … WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Friday that Vice President Dick Cheney was not talking about a torture technique known as "water boarding" when he said dunking terrorism suspects in water during questioning was a "no-brainer."

Lynne Cheney deflects Dick Cheney's torture remarks by using the "liberal bias" meme  —  Lynne Cheney came prepared to The Situation Room with the classic conservative tool-"liberal bias," as a way to deflect criticisms of her husband's awful water-boarding remarks.  And did she ever apply it.

Australia's Muslims fear backlash  —  A few weeks ago, I happened to interview Sheikh Taj el-Din al-Hilali outside the Lakemba Mosque in Sydney where he delivered his controversial sermon.  —  A softly-spoken man, who clearly commands both enormous respect and affection within his community …

Webb Says His Novels 'Inappropriate' for News Radio  —  (CNSNews.com) - In an interview on Washington Post Radio Friday morning, Jim Webb, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Virginia, said excerpts of his novels are "a little bit inappropriate" to be read on news radio.

'South Park' mocks Steve Irwin  —  LONDON, England (CNN) — The cartoon series "South Park" has never been shy of courting controversy, but its latest episode has caused outrage by featuring the recently deceased Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin.  —  Swearing and random death and destruction …

Bloomberg Sends Troops to Help Lieberman  —  In the Lieberman campaign office in Hartford are, from left, Korinne Kubena, Ariel Dvorkin, Crystal Cook and Brian Honan.  All but Ms. Cook are on loan from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York City.  —  In his battle for re-election …

Deterring Kim Jong Il  —  In an interview aired last week, George Stephanopoulos put the question to President Bush: What would he do if "North Korea sold nukes to Iran or al-Qaeda?"  Bush replied, "They'd be held to account."  —  Seeking specifics, Stephanopoulos asked: "What does that mean?"

Investigators Say Speaker's Aide Hindered Inquiry of Hill Security Contracts  —  Two former House committee investigators who were examining Capitol Hill security upgrades said a senior aide to Speaker J. Dennis Hastert hindered their efforts before they were abruptly ordered to stop their probe last year.

Buzz in Virginia  —  Emails began pouring in earlier today about a rumor on Capitol Hill about some trouble in Sen. George Allen's (R-VA) divorce file.  Josh Marshall and others cannot get a response from the Allen campaign.  —  It seems everyone is emptying their opposition research files today.

Michael J. Fox: 'I Could Give a Damn About Rush Limbaugh's Pity...I'm Not A Victim'  —  Rush Limbaugh has smeared Michael J. Fox, claiming that he exaggerated the symptoms of his Parkinson's disease in an ad supporting embryonic stem cell research.  (He also mocked Fox by impersonating tremors associated with the disease on air.)

2 public buses torched in Paris suburb  —  CLICHY-SOUS-BOIS, France - Police deployed 4,000 reinforcements as marauding youths torched at least two public buses Friday, the anniversary of the deaths of two teenagers that ignited weeks of riots in largely immigrant housing projects across France.

Where the right went wrong  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Fifty years ago, when a 29-year-old Yale graduate named William F. Buckley Jr. funded National Review magazine, conservatism was a small insurgency, fighting the dominant tide of liberalism that had governed the United States for a quarter century.

Bush stumps for Jeff Lamberti, keeps calling him "Dave."  —  Watch it:

Staying the Course Right Over a Cliff  —  THE Bush administration has finally been caught in its own language trap.  —  "That is not a stay-the-course policy," Tony Snow, the White House press secretary, declared on Monday.  —  The first rule of using negatives is that negating a frame activates the frame.