Prosecutor: Libby 'wiped out' Cheney memo  —  Defense in CIA leak trial counters that White House tried to set up Libby  —  WASHINGTON - Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald used his opening statement in the CIA leak trial Tuesday to allege that Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff lied …

Richardson could be '08's most dangerous candidate  —  WASHINGTON - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's entry into the 2008 presidential sweepstakes Sunday garnered little notice, overshadowed as it was by the announcement of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., the day before.

Bush, at Low Point in Polls, Will Push Domestic Agenda  —  Carrying some of the worst public approval ratings of any president in a generation, President Bush is heading into his State of the Union address on Tuesday night seeking to revitalize his domestic agenda but facing stiff resistance …

WEB SITE KICKS SAND IN FACES OF GIS IN IRAQ ASKING FOR MATS TO EASE HARDSHIP OF SLEEPING ON GROUND  —  An American GI assigned to one of the harshest posts in Iraq had a simple request last week for a Wisconsin mattress company: send some floor mats to help ease the hardship of sleeping on the cold, bug-infested ground.

Scant evidence found of Iran-Iraq arms link  —  U.S. warnings of advanced weaponry crossing the border are overstated, critics say.  —  BAQUBAH, IRAQ — If there is anywhere Iran could easily stir up trouble in Iraq, it would be in Diyala, a rugged province along the border between the two nations.

Black Caucus: Whites Not Allowed  —  Freshman Rep. Stephen I. Cohen, D-Tenn., is not joining the Congressional Black Caucus after several current and former members made it clear that a white lawmaker was not welcome.  —  "I think they're real happy I'm not going to join," said Cohen …

Petraeus Confident in New Iraq Strategy  —  Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, President Bush's nominee to become the new top commander in Iraq, painted a grim picture today of the military challenge ahead in what both congressional Democrats and Republicans described as the "last chance" to stabilize the nation.

Retreat Isn't an Option  —  Sen. Hillary Clinton declared this weekend, " I'm in to win."  Anyone who has watched her remarkable trajectory can have no doubt that she'll do whatever it takes to win the presidency.  I wish she felt the same way about the war.

The State of the Union is a Disaster:  —  The Speech George Bush Should Make Tuesday Night  —  Don't bother standing up or clapping, any of you.  I already know who won the election, and I know how you feel.  —  I come before you tonight not to make amends, not to make it good, curry any favor or find any middle ground.

McCain Bashes Cheney Over Iraq Policy  —  With his presidential hopes tied to an administration whose Iraq policy he supports but cannot control, John McCain for the first time blamed Vice President Cheney for what McCain calls the "witch's brew" of a "terribly mishandled" war in which U.S. forces are on the verge of defeat.

Swampland  —  In this edition, Jay Carney demonstrates he doesn't know, or that he hopes you don't know, recent history.  —  He writes: … As we can see from this handy chart, Clinton's approval ratings were not "mired in the 30s."  "Mired in the 40s," with a couple sub-40 and 50+ outliers would be an accurate description.

CRACKDOWN: Iraqi PM Locks Down Official Media Access to Key Government Ministries  —  An anonymous source from within Baghdad's Green Zone has provided me with a copy of a document issued from the office of Iraqi Prime Minster Nouri Al-Malki, ordering the shutdown of contacts with the world press on …

Lawmakers have loved ones in combat zone  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., lost his nephew, Philip, in Iraq.  Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., says his son, Alan, had two close calls: one from an improvised explosive device, the other from a sniper.  —  Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo. …