The Obama Messiah Watch  —  INTRODUCING A PERIODIC FEATURE CONSIDERING EVIDENCE THAT OBAMA IS THE SON OF GOD.  —  Is Barak Obama—junior U.S. senator from Illinois, best-selling author, Harvard Law Review editor, Men's Vogue cover model, and "exploratory" presidential candidate …

Beyond Baghdad  —  Since President Bush announced that he would send more American troops to Iraq, the debate on Iraq policy has reached new levels of stridency.  Opponents of the war have rallied against what they see as an unjustified escalation, while the administration has dismissed opposition as defeatism.

Libby Live: Judy One  —  Ground rules: not a court reporter.  Limit refreshes, but not refreshments.  Shameless commerce: buy this.  —  Fitz in his seersucker-esque taking a drink of water, looking through his notes.  —  Here she comes.  White shirt, big lapels.  No glasses.

Senate clears way for minimum wage vote  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate cleared the way for an increase in the minimum wage Tuesday, but only with business tax breaks that House Democrats want removed.  —  Final Senate passage of the legislation is expected later this week …

Libby reportedly said 'I didn't do it'  —  WASHINGTON - Amid the furor over the 2003 leak of a CIA operative's identity, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, bluntly told a White House lawyer, "I didn't do it," the lawyer testified Tuesday.

FAQ - John Edwards' New House!  —  1) Why should I care about John Edwards' new house?  —  Well, it's quite a house.  28,000 square feet of magnificent splendor located in one of North Carolina's most fashionable counties.  This isn't a McMansion we're talking about here.  This is the real deal - A Mansion!

Lara Logan & al Qaeda: What's the 411, CBS?  —  First, read this heart-rending appeal from Lara Logan complaining about CBS News refusing to air one of her Haifa Street reports, which highlighted a masked "Haifa Street resident" who "blamed the fighting on the U.S. Here's a screen shot of her source:

GOP Right Sees Lemons in White House Race  —  Contemplating the current field of Republican presidential candidates, Rush Limbaugh sounded like a man with malaise.  —  "To be honest with you, there's nobody out there that revs me up," he confessed to his audience of several million conservative sympathizers …

How Mitt Romney Avoided Campaign-Finance Rules  —  Federal law limits how much money individuals can give to presidential candidates — $2,300 per election.  But what about Compuware Inc. founder Peter Karmanos?  Last year, he gave $250,000 to presidential aspirant and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

McCain Flip Flops, Now Says He Would Not Consider Redeployment Under Any Scenario  —  In a recent interview with The Politico, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said that if his escalation strategy for Iraq fails, then he would consider redeployment: … It didn't take long for McCain to backtrack from redeployment.

GAZE IN THE MILITARY  —  MCCAIN-CLINTON LOVE-IN AT BASE  —  WASHINGTON - Looks like things are getting serious in the race for the White House - seriously lovey-dovey, that is.  —  Judging from this photo, the spirit of bipartisan cooperation appeared to be alive and well yesterday between …

Obama blasts Bush adminstration on Katrina recovery  —  NEW ORLEANS — Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama blasted the Bush administration Monday for the slow pace of Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, saying reconstruction no longer seems to be a White House priority.

U.S. missile defense maturing, latest test a success  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Within a year, the U.S. missile defense system should be able to guard against enemy attacks, while testing new technologies, the deputy director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said on Monday.

GOP senator challenges Bush on war powers … WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate Republican on Tuesday directly challenged President Bush's declaration that "I am the decision-maker" on issues of war.  —  "I would suggest respectfully to the president that he is not the sole decider," Sen. Arlen Specter …

Republicans and Congress' war powers — then and now  —  Russ Feingold today is chairing a Committee hearing in order to demonstrate that Congress has the Constitutional authority to compel the President to withdraw troops from Iraq, a power that is not merely confined to cutting off appropriations.

Webb to Secretary Rice: Ahem  —  A couple weeks ago, Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) asked Secretary Condoleeza Rice if the administration thought President Bush had the power to take military action against Iran without permission from Congress.  —  She deferred an answer, saying …