LURID AP REPORT ON IRAQ OUTRAGE DOESN'T CHECK OUT  —  WELL, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior says disputed Associated Press source Jamil Hussein does exist.  But at least one story he told the AP just doesn't check out: The Sunni mosques that as Hussein claimed and AP reported as "destroyed …

EXCLUSIVE: Richardson Enters 2008 Presidential Race  —  New Mexico Governor Would Be Nation's First Hispanic President  —  The field for the Democratic presidential nomination got still more crowded this morning, with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson announcing he will take the first step …

Kristol On War Critics: 'It's So Irresponsible That They Can't Be Quiet For Six Or Nine Months'  —  This morning on Fox News, Weekly Standard editor William Kristol said that opponents of escalation in Congress are "leap-frogging each other in the degrees of irresponsibility they're willing to advocate."

Video: Dan Riehl versus Mike Stark on "Reliable Sources"  —  Kurtz did a good job with the intro so I won't bother with background.  You might remember "guerrilla tactics" aficionado Stark from Campaign '06, where he shoved his way past George Allen's handlers to ask the senator if he'd ever spat …

Embattled, Bush Held To Plan to Salvage Iraq  —  Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had a surprise for President Bush when they sat down with their aides in the Four Seasons Hotel in Amman, Jordan.  Firing up a PowerPoint presentation, Maliki and his national security adviser proposed …

Don't you know your left from your right?  —  As a child of politicised parents, Observer columnist Nick Cohen followed in their tradition and became a trenchant voice on the liberal-left in the 1980s and 90s.  But the Iraq War changed all that and forced him to rethink.

None (but Me) Dare Call It Treason  —  At first Dinesh D'Souza considered him "a dark-eyed fanatic, a gun-toting extremist, a monster who laughs at the deaths of 3,000 innocent civilians."  But once he learned how Osama bin Laden was viewed in the Muslim world, D'Souza changed his mind.

Windows Vista Content Protection - Twenty Questions (and Answers)  —  A conversation has cropped up since the recent publication of a paper scrutinizing how Windows handles digital rights management, especially for HD video.  I've since looped back with Dave Marsh, a Lead Program Manager responsible …

Hagel Says Cheney Criticism Is 'Complete Nonsense'  —  Last weekend on Fox News Sunday, Vice President Dick Cheney claimed congressional opposition to the administration's escalation plan undermines the troops.  Cheney said "you cannot run a war by committee," and whatever Congress does …

Will Al Gore Melt?  —  If not, why did he chicken out on an interview?  —  Al Gore is traveling around the world telling us how we must fundamentally change our civilization due to the threat of global warming.  Last week he was in Denmark to disseminate this message.

Muslims in police will rise up, Bakri insists  —  Moderate British Muslims in the police, Armed Forces and Civil Service will one day revolt against the system to "crush it from within", according to Omar Bakri Mohammed, the notorious Islamic extremist.  —  In claims condemned as a cynical attempt …

Poll Shows Voters Unconvinced on Iraq  —  If President Bush persists with his planned troop increase in Iraq, as all signs indicate, he will do so against a strong tide of U.S. public opinion, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows.  Democratic leaders in Congress …

McCain: Bush Escalation Is Too Small  —  In October 2006, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) called for "another 20,000 troops in Iraq."  In January 2007, President Bush accepted the idea and announced he would send 21,500 more soldiers into the middle of Iraq's civil war.  McCain quickly endorsed the strategy.

Calif. Lawmaker Seeks Ban on Spanking  —  Calif. Lawmaker to Introduce Bill That Would Ban the Spanking of Children Under 4 Years Old  —  SACRAMENTO, Calif. Jan 20, 2007 (AP)— California parents could face jail and a fine for spanking their young children under legislation a state lawmaker has promised to introduce next week.