Kennedy drops support for a Kerry presidential run in '08  —  WASHINGTON —Senator Edward M. Kennedy Monday dropped his public commitment to support Senator John F. Kerry in a 2008 presidential race, saying that he won't wait "indefinitely" for Kerry to declare his intentions while the Democratic primary field takes shape.

Experts Advise Bush Not to Reduce Troops  —  President Looking Beyond Study Group's Plan  —  President Bush heard a blunt and dismal assessment of his handling of Iraq from a group of military experts yesterday, but the advisers shared the White House's skeptical view of the recommendations …

Annan Criticizes U.S. in Farewell Speech  —  U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his farewell address, criticized the Bush administration, warning that America must not sacrifice its Democratic ideals while waging war against terrorism.  —  In remarks prepared for delivery Monday …

The Blogosphere is the Last Refuge of a Scoundrel  —  Call me crazy, but the blog launched today under Tom DeLay's name — he said tonight on Hardball that he's not actually writing it ("I'm not a very good writer") — is not half-bad.  I'm not saying that it's great, or that it will even be accepted …

The Big Lie About the Middle East  —  Tell James Baker: Arab nations don't care about the Palestinians  —  No sensible person is against peacemaking in the Holy Land.  Applause and hopefulness would seem the reasonable reaction to the Iraq Study Group's recommendation that the Bush Administration …

Pastor resigns over homosexuality  —  In a tearful videotaped message Sunday to his congregation, the senior pastor of a thriving evangelical megachurch in south metro Denver confessed to sexual relations with other men and announced he had voluntarily resigned his pulpit.

Only fairness will assuage the anxious middle  —  A recent meeting with the incoming freshmen of the 110th House of Representatives made clear to me some of the forces that will shape American economic policy in the next few years.  Coming from very different parts of the country …

Students interrupt Iran president … TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) — Iranian students have staged a rare demonstration against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, setting off firecrackers and burning pictures of him as he delivered a speech at Tehran university, reports said.

Small nuclear war could lead to cooldown  —  SAN FRANCISCO - Some of the scientists who first advanced the controversial "nuclear winter" theory more than two decades ago have come up with another bleak forecast: Even a regional nuclear war would devastate the environment.

Ohio Rep. Kucinich to run for president  —  CLEVELAND - Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2004, said Monday he is planning another bid because his party isn't pushing hard enough to end the Iraq war.  —  In a statement, Kucinich said he plans …

Skilling won't have to report to prison yet  —  WASECA, Minn. — The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has delayed the start of former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling's prison sentence that was scheduled to begin here Tuesday.  —  The court said today he would not have to report to prison …

AP's John Solomon: The Story So Far  —  A bit more about John Solomon, the long-time Associated Press investigative reporter who's been hired away by the Washington Post.  —  As we've catalogued here on TPMm and at TPM, Solomon — a Washington-based muckraker — likes to do hard-hitting pieces …

Went to war?  Good president!  Kept the peace?  Not so hot  —  Why do presidential rankings favor imperial commanders in chief?  —  History may prove kinder to President Bush than the voters were on November 7.  That, however, says less about the value of Bush's contributions than it does …

$20bn gas project seized by Russia  —  Shell is being forced by the Russian government to hand over its controlling stake in the world's biggest liquefied gas project, provoking fresh fears about the Kremlin's willingness to use the country's growing strength in natural resources as a political weapon.

MENINGITIS.  What is Meninism?  Leninism with a bad cold.  Ha ha.  Dr. Mrs. Ole Perfesser finds a funnier description: … That explains the way women look at me!  I thought it was my filthy, ragged clothing, and the little boob-squeezing gesture I make when I see some nice ones.

Iraqis Seek Coalition to Curb Cleric  —  Following discussions with the Bush administration, several of Iraq's major political parties are in talks to form a coalition whose aim is to break the powerful influence of the radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr within the government, senior Iraqi officials say.