Kerry won't run for president in '08  —  WASHINGTON —Senator John F. Kerry plans to announce today that he will not run in the 2008 presidential race, and will instead remain in Congress and seek reelection to his Senate seat next year, according to senior Democratic officials.

Cheney Spars with Blitzer Over Criticism of Iraq, Mary's Pregnancy  —  During an exclusive interview with Wolf Blitzer on The Situation Room, an especially brash Vice President Cheney called criticism of his administration's handling of Iraq "hogwash" and questions about his daughter Mary's pregnancy …

Minimum Wage Bill Suffers Setback in Senate  —  WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 — Prospects for an increase in the minimum wage suffered a setback today in the Senate, where a move fell short, at least for now, to raise the minimum by $2.10 an hour without tax breaks for small businesses

Senate Panel Votes Against Bush on Iraq  —  The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today passed a nonbinding resolution opposing a troop surge in Iraq, rebuffing the key element of President Bush's new strategy to end the 46-month-old war, which has claimed the lives of more than 3,000 U.S. service members.

Take The Pledge  —  Take the pledge.  This is the temporary site.  The full-service site will be up soon.  —  If you are a blogger who has taken the pledge and linked to the site, please send me a note so I can add your support here.  —  I interviewed Tony Snow at the top of the program today …

Fox's Gibson: CNN Reporter Who Debunked Obama Smear Probably Went To The Same Madrassa  —  Last week, Fox News highlighted a right-wing report alleging that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) attended an Islamic "madrassa" school as a 6-year-old child.  In a memo released today, Obama's office specifically called …

Source: Saudis, Iran working on deal to end Lebanon crisis  —  Saudi Arabia and Iran, backers of the main rivals in Lebanon's political crisis, are negotiating a deal to end the standoff, Lebanese political sources said.  —  According to the sources, Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan held talks …

Ayatollah's snub pressures Iran president  —  Internal pressure on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran to abandon his confrontational policies with the West has intensified after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's supreme spiritual leader, snubbed a request for a meeting on the country's controversial nuclear programme.

Nifong Faces More Serious Ethics Charges  —  RALEIGH — The North Carolina State Bar Wednesday filed new and more serious ethics charges against Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong, accusing him of withholding DNA evidence and misrepresenting the truth to the judge in the Duke lacrosse case.

China's Hu vows to "purify" Internet  —  BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese Communist Party chief Hu Jintao has vowed to "purify" the Internet, state media reported on Wednesday, describing a top-level meeting that discussed ways to master the country's sprawling, unruly online population.

Operation Baghdad — A Special Report from the Streets of the City  —  by Mohammed Fadhil , PJM Editor and Special Correspondent, Baghdad  —  Apache attack helicopters are constantly hovering over Baghdad now.  Tracking them from my home in this city I can often estimate where the action is taking place.

They all suck.  Let's just admit it.  Every one of the thus far announced Republican candidates for President sucks.  From the lecherous adulterer to the egomaniacal nut job to the flip-flopping opportunist with the perfect hair to the guy who hates brown people to the guy we've never heard …