Bullying Iran  —  Given America's bitter experience in Iraq, one would think that President Bush could finally figure out that threats and brute force aren't a substitute for a reasoned strategy.  But Mr. Bush is at it again, this time trying to bully Iran into stopping its meddling inside Iraq.

Senators Unite On Challenge to Bush's Troop Plan  —  Revised Warner Language That Protects Funds Is Embraced for Bipartisan Appeal  —  Democratic and Republican opponents of President Bush's troop-buildup plan joined forces last night behind the nonbinding resolution with the broadest bipartisan backing …

Biden Unwraps His Bid for '08 With an Oops!  —  In an era of meticulous political choreography, the staging of the kickoff for this presidential candidacy could hardly have gone worse.  —  Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, who announced his candidacy on Wednesday with the hope …

U.S. delays report on Iranian role in Iraq  —  WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has postponed plans to offer public details of its charges of Iranian meddling inside Iraq amid internal divisions over the strength of the evidence, U.S. officials said.  —  U.S. officials promised last week …

MATIER AND ROSS  —  AIDE QUITS AS NEWSOM'S AFFAIR WITH HIS WIFE IS REVEALED  —  Campaign manager confronts mayor, who is 'in shock'  —  San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's re-election campaign manager resigned Wednesday after confronting the mayor about an affair Newsom had with his wife …

Sanchez Accuses Democrat of Calling Her a 'Whore,' Resigns from Hispanic Group  —  Rep. Loretta Sanchez has quit the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, accusing the chairman, Rep. Joe Baca, of telling people she's a "whore."  —  Baca denied the charge.  —  In an interview with The Politico Wednesday …

Sunni Mosques Still Show Damage in Iraq  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq — Four Sunni mosques attacked in late November in the embattled Hurriyah neighborhood of Baghdad still bear scars from the attacks and all are now either under Shiite Muslim control or closed.  —  Immediately after the Nov. 24 incidents …

Now That a Penny Isn't Worth Much, It's Time to Make It Worth 5 Cents  —  How dumb do you have to be to mint money at a loss?  In the latest only-in-Washington episode, we find that the government may have lost as much as $40 million coining pennies and nickels last year.

TWO SENIOR IRAQI GENERALS EYED IN BRAZEN ATTACK ON U.S. SOLDIERS  —  Two senior Iraqi generals are being questioned in connection with last week's attack in Karbala that left five U.S. soldiers dead, Pentagon officials told FOX News Thursday.  —  Military officials also said the level …

A Tide For School Choice  —  Fifty-seven years later, Sumner Elementary School in Topeka is back in the news.  That city's board of education is still wrongly preventing the right people from getting into that building.  Two educators wanted to use Sumner for a charter school …

2006 personal savings drop to 74-yr.  low  —  WASHINGTON - People once again spent everything they made and then some last year, pushing the personal savings rate to the lowest level since the Great Depression more than seven decades ago.  —  The Commerce Department reported Thursday …

New York Times Reports 4Q Loss of $648M  —  NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Times Co. posted a $648 million loss for the fourth quarter on Wednesday as it absorbed an $814.4 million charge to write down the value of its struggling New England properties, The Boston Globe and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

The Arrogant and Intolerant Speak Out  —  Well, one thing's abundantly clear about who will actually defend our rights to say what we believe: It isn't the hundreds who have written me saying they are soldiers or veterans or war supporters or real Americans and who also advise me to move to another country …

Request for Ideological Comment  —  "As in a church, everyone has an opinion how things ought to run.  Internet users express their opinions through meetings of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).  The IETF is another volunteer organization...  [Requests for Comment] RFCs are the documents that define the Internet.

Shakes on a Campaign  —  I've got some news, Shakers.  —  I have been offered and have accepted a position as the Netroots Coordinator for John Edwards' presidential campaign, joining an outstanding internet team that now also includes Pandagon's Amanda Marcotte, with whom I'll be working closely.

Bush Addresses Income Inequality  —  Economic Speech Touches on Executive Pay as Senators Move to Rein It In  —  President Bush acknowledged Wednesday that there is growing income inequality in the United States, addressing for the first time a subject that has long concerned Democrats and liberal economists.

Comedian Al Franken to Run for Senate  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Comedian Al Franken has decided to run for U.S. Senate in Minnesota in challenging incumbent Republican Norm Coleman, a senior Democratic official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.  —  The official, who requested anonymity …

Wherever a Senator's Question Leads, Kissinger Gamely Follows  —  So now it can be told: President Bush has a secret plan to end the war in Iraq.  —  Henry Kissinger, who as Richard Nixon's secretary of state learned something about secret plans, went before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday …