A FAN OBAMA DOESN'T NEED  —  SEN. Barack Obama might want to tell George Soros to shut up, now that the Hungarian-born billionaire has equated the George W. Bush administration with the Third Reich.  Soros, who spent $26 million trying to beat Bush two years ago, is a key supporter …

Truck bomb kills more than 120 in Baghdad market … BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden truck in a crowded Baghdad market Saturday, killing at least 121 people and wounding 373 others, a Health Ministry official said.  —  The blast, which destroyed automobiles …

DID AEI SEEK TO BUY CLIMATE SCIENTISTS?  The blogosphere is abuzz about this breathless Guardian story alleging that the American Enterprise Institute is offering cash payments to scientists who will "undermine" the new report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Bush to Request Billions for Wars  —  President Bush will ask Congress for close to three-quarters of a trillion dollars in defense spending on Monday, including $245 billion to cover the cost of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and other elements of the "global war on terror," senior administration officials said yesterday.

Where Congress Can Draw the Line  —  D eciding what to do next about Iraq is hard — on the merits, and in the politics.  It's hard on the merits because whatever comes next, from "surge" to "get out now" and everything in between, will involve suffering, misery, and dishonor.

Republicans Plan to Block Iraq Debate  —  Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, said Friday that his party would unite to block Senate debate next week on a bipartisan resolution opposing President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq unless the Democrats allowed votes on at least two Republican alternatives.

Candidates Pick Tunes at DNC Meeting  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Everyone needs a soundtrack - even politicians.  —  The presidential candidates who addressed the Democratic National Committee's winter meeting Friday got to choose their tunes, and it was an eclectic mix that reflected personal favorites and not-so-subtle messages.

Resolving The Spitting Debate  —  There's a growing blog debate going on as regards peace activists spitting on returning veterans during the Vietnam era.  It begins here at Slate in an article claiming the charges are false. … At Volokh, Jim Lindgren points out some weaknesses …

Marketer says it acted quickly to halt scare  —  Denies trying to hide firm's involvement  —  The New York guerrilla marketing firm that spearheaded the advertising campaign that spawned the wave of bomb scares in Boston this week broke its silence yesterday, apologizing for any hardships …

MY EARLIER POST ON GLOBAL WARMING AND THE NEED FOR A BAN ON PRIVATE JETS led one reader to ask me for some constructive thoughts, as opposed to snark.  Fair enough, though if things are as bad as they say, a ban on private jets would be constructive, no?  Or, if not, it's probably …

No sanctuary for Super Bowl flock  —  Churches scramble to cancel big-screen bashes after an NFL warning.  —  They were expecting a big crowd this Sunday at Farmland Friends Church in rural Indiana.  —  The sanctuary would be decked in blue and white streamers, the card tables groaning with sloppy-Joe fixings and bowls of chips.

President Bush Meets with House Democratic Members in Williamsburg  —  THE PRESIDENT: Speaker, thank you.  First of all, thanks for the invitation, Madam Speaker and Rahm, thank you very much.  I enjoyed sharing ideas with members of Congress.  —  One of the things I wanted to tell …

Senator Clinton won't run out use of force to stop 'pro-terrorist' Iran  —  At a speech Friday to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) said "no option can be taken off the table" when dealing with Iran, RAW STORY has learned.

Conservatives continue to use Fox's 24 to support hawkish policies … In his January 30 syndicated column, Cal Thomas attacked "ideologically decrepit" Iraq war protesters and claimed: "Unlike Vietnam, the Islamofascists won't leave us alone if we leave Iraq before stability is established."

Happy Blogroll Amnesty Day  —  Hey, the blogroll is gone.  —  As I wrote earlier, one of the big complaints by new bloggers is that it's impossible to get onto blogrolls because established bloggers tend not to add them.  They're right.  A big reason for that is that everyone feels …