Polls for the Republican Nomination  —  Pollster.com has an interesting summary of the poll standings for the Republican nomination in 2008.  It makes the point, largely overlooked by political writers of all stripes, that Rudy Giuliani has been leading John McCain in the large majority of polls, albeit usually by narrow margins.

Lawmaker Stands Firm on Quran Criticism  —  ROCKY MOUNT, Va. (AP) - A congressman said Thursday that he will not retract a letter warning that unless immigration is tightened, "many more Muslims will be elected" and use the Quran to take the oath of office.  —  Republican Rep. Virgil Goode …

Redacted Version of Original Op-Ed  —  The Iraq Study Group has added its voice to a burgeoning chorus of commentators, politicians, and former officials calling for a limited, tactical dialogue with Iran regarding Iraq.  The Bush administration has indicated a conditional willingness to pursue …

COURT ADOPTS "SEE NO EVIL" APPROACH IN CAMPAIGN FINANCE CASE; MAJOR CHANGES COULD BE ON THE HORIZON  —  Following up on this post, the 2-1 decision of the federal district court issued today in Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC, if upheld by the Supreme Court, could bring us back to the days …

Lawmaker's files sought by grand jury  —  The subpoena in the corruption probe went out before Rep. Curt Weldon lost his seat.  It's unclear if he reported it.  —  WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury has subpoenaed congressional records from Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) as part …

SNOWE, LANDRIEU CREATE BIPARTISAN, CONSENSUS-BUILDING GROUP IN SENATE  —  Senators Want to Build on Success of "Gang of 14"  —  Washington D.C. - U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) and Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) announced today that they want to build on the success of the "Gang of 14 …

Rape charges dropped in Duke case  —  DURHAM, N.C. - Prosecutors dropped rape charges Friday against three Duke University lacrosse players accused of attacking a stripper at a team party, but the three still face kidnapping and sexual offense charges.  —  According to court papers filed Friday …

Study Suggests Incentives on Oil Barely Help U.S.  —  The United States offers some of the most lucrative incentives in the world to companies that drill for oil in publicly owned coastal waters, but a newly released study suggests that the government is getting very little for its money.

Administration Leans on Persian Gulf Allies to Help Iraq  —  U.S. military officials and diplomats want Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states to recognize Maliki government, send ambassadors to Baghdad and forgive more than $40 billion in Iraqi debt.

PATH Tunnels Seen as Fragile in Bomb Attack  —  An analysis done for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says that the PATH train tunnels under the Hudson River are more vulnerable to a bomb attack than previously thought, and that a relatively small amount of high explosives …

Hamsters Return to Nature in Eastern Germany  —  Germany, warned five years ago by the European Union to revive its field hamster population, has brought a French pair of the rodents to get busy in a hamster-decmiated eastern state.  —  This week, officials cleared the final bureaucratic hurdles …

Marines Charge 4 With Murder of Iraq Civilians  —  By PAUL von ZIELBAUER and CAROLYN MARSHALL  —  Four marines were charged yesterday with murder in the killings of two dozen Iraqi civilians, including at least 10 women and children, in the village of Haditha last year, military officials said at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Eyeing '08, Democrats Nurse Freshmen at Risk  —  When newly elected Democratic members of Congress showed up here last month, they were taken on the traditional round of orientation, civic-minded lessons on how Congress works, tours of the Capitol and receptions with their new colleagues and leaders.

Report Says TSA Violated Privacy Law  —  Passengers Weren't Told That Brokers Provided Data to Screening Program in '04  —  Secure Flight, the U.S. government's stalled program to screen domestic air passengers against terrorism watch lists, violated federal law during a crucial test phase …