Confidence in Bush Leadership Continues to Drop, Poll Finds  —  President Bush will deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday at the weakest point of his presidency, with dissatisfaction over his Iraq war policies continuing to rise and confidence in his leadership continuing to decline …

U.S. Toll in Iraq Is 27 for Deadly Weekend  —  The United States military said that two marines died Sunday in western Iraq and that an additional seven service members died Saturday.  The deaths brought the weekend toll to 27 and made Saturday the third-deadliest day for United States forces since the war here began.

Bombs kill at least 65 people in Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - At least 65 people were killed and 113 wounded after two nearly simultaneous bombs struck a predominantly Shiite commercial area in central Baghdad Monday, police said.  —  The first blast occurred shortly after noon when a bomb left …

Clinton's camp fires first salvo  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's pollster fired an opening salvo at Sen. Barack Obama and John Edwards yesterday, claiming their campaigns are "stalled or falling" — and suggesting Obama isn't tough enough to withstand GOP attacks in 2008.

Rush of Entries Gives '08 Race Early Intensity  —  Two years before the next president is inaugurated and a full year before the first vote is cast, the contest for the White House is off to a breathtakingly fast start, exposing an ever-growing field of candidates to longer …

McCain casts doubt on Gen. Casey as U.S. Army head  —  U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) speaks during a taping of a remote interview for "Meet the Press" from Coral Gables, Florida, January 21, 2007.  McCain spoke on U.S. President George W. Bush's new strategy on the war in Iraq.

Facing the Islamist Menace  —  Mark Steyn's new book is a welcome wake-up call.  —  In the prologue to his new book, America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It, Mark Steyn sarcastically alludes to two people whom, in different ways, I know well.  The first is novelist Martin Amis …

Campaign Allegation A Source of Vexation  —  Days after Barack Obama jumped into the presidential sweepstakes, he was hit with a thinly sourced story from his past—39 years in his past, to be exact.  —  The allegation, by a conservative magazine, raised questions about whether the Illinois senator …

Unhappy Days  —  Has Arnold Schwarzenegger jumped the shark?  —  When politicians break their pledges not to raise taxes, they come up with the darnedest evasions.  Take Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who wants to levy new charges on California doctors, hospitals and employers to help pay for his $12 billion health-care plan.

We Can Win the White House  —  To build on our midterm gains, Dems should follow my '50 Percent Solution.'  —  I am blessed.  I love my job.  I wake up every Monday morning excited about the week ahead.  The one downside is how consuming it is.  I don't have much time for leisure activities.

Pastor to defy city's order to evict homeless from church grounds  —  Long Beach cleric says allowing people to sleep on the steps is a 'religious act.' Officials cite safety, sanitation concerns.  —  Inviting a confrontation with city officials, the senior pastor at a venerable Long Beach …

Room For 1 More?  Kerry May Join Mix For President  —  (CBS4) BOSTON A John Kerry spokeswoman told WBZ's Jon Keller Sunday that he is in the final stages of his decision-making process regarding a run for president and an announcement is expected soon.  —  Another source close to Kerry …

Website offers whistleblowers chance to go global  —  THE internet could become even more difficult for governments to regulate with a new website, Wikileaks, promising to provide a safe haven for whistleblowers to upload confidential documents.  —  Australians are among the volunteers behind the site.

In Raw World of Sex Movies, High Definition Could Be a View Too Real  —  The XXX industry has gotten too graphic, even for its own tastes.  —  Pornography has long helped drive the adoption of new technology, from the printing press to the videocassette.  Now pornographic movie studios …

Documentary on beastiality premieres at Sundance Film Festival  —  PARK CITY, Utah — "Zoo" is a documentary about what director Robinson Devor accurately characterizes as "the last taboo, on the boundary of something comprehensible."  But remarkably, an elegant, eerily lyrical film has resulted.