Tim Russert, on The Uncomfortable Side of a Question  —  From the moment he hobbled into the wood-paneled courtroom on a single crutch from an ankle injury, Tim Russert seemed very different from the familiar television figure of Sunday morning combat.  —  He was careful, sober and subdued.

7 GOP Senators Back War Debate  —  Lawmakers Had Blocked Action on Troop Resolution  —  Senate Republicans who earlier this week helped block deliberations on a resolution opposing President Bush's new troop deployments in Iraq changed course yesterday and vowed to use every tactic at their disposal to ensure a full and open debate.

Pentagon limits Pelosi jet size  —  The Department of Defense yesterday sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that puts limits on the size of the plane she may use to travel across the country and restricts the guests she can bring, The Washington Times has learned.

Mormon Candidate Braces for Religion as Issue  —  As he begins campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, is facing a threshold issue: Will his religion — he is a Mormon — be a big obstacle to winning the White House?

Copter Crashes Suggest Change in Iraqi Tactics  —  With two more helicopter crashes near Baghdad, including a Marine transport crash on Wednesday that killed seven people, the number of helicopters that have gone down in Iraq over the past three weeks rose to six.

The Tragedy of Lisa Nowak  —  The charge of attempted murder lodged against Capt. Lisa Nowak is not just a tragedy for the astronaut and her family.  It strikes at the cherished image of astronauts as superior individuals who can cope with stresses that might crumple the rest of us.

The climate of climate change research keeps getting chillier  —  Following up on my two previous posts on the atmosphere building up in the field of climate science I see that Roger Pielke is reporting that two state's governors are trying to remove their state climatologists from their position due …

Allied With Democrats, Lieberman Easily Aligns With Republicans  —  It came as little surprise that when Senate Republicans blocked debate Monday on a resolution that would have opposed President Bush's plan to increase troop levels in Iraq, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, erstwhile Democrat, sided with them.

MANY 1967-72 SPITTING INCIDENTS ARE DOCUMENTED IN THE PRESS.  Hundreds of Vietnam-era veterans have publicly claimed in recent decades that they were spat on by citizens or anti-war protesters because of their military status either before they went to Vietnam, on leave, or after their return from overseas.

Bush Wants Funding Jump for Anti-Drug Ads Rated as Useless  —  President Bush has proposed a significant jump in funding for an anti-drug advertising campaign that government-funded research shows is at best useless and at worst has increased drug use among some teens.

Railroad Firms Bringing Aboard Lawmakers' Lobbyist Relatives  —  The railroad industry is hiring relatives of Capitol Hill lawmakers and staff members as it faces tighter federal safety legislation, employing a tactic untouched by the Democrats' new ethics proposals: lobbying by congressional family members.

Reckless Caution  —  Edwards vs. Clinton: Indecision 2008.  —  When NBC's Tim Russert asked John Edwards on Sunday if he, as president, would accept a nuclear-armed Iran, the silver-tongued lawyer got tongue-tied: "I—there's no answer to that question at this moment.

NY Times publisher: Our goal is to manage the transition from print to internet  —  Despite his personal fortune and impressive lineage, Arthur Sulzberger, owner, chairman and publisher of the most respected newspaper in the world, is a stressed man.  —  Why would the man behind the New York Times be stressed?

Florida Shines For Giuliani  —  The 2008 primary campaign still seems pretty young to lend much weight to state by state polling — but we won't let that stop us from having fun with it anyway.  Quinnipiac released its results for Florida, a key state for both parties and a must-hold for the GOP.

Professor outrages Jews with book claim  —  A Jewish academic has shocked Italy by stating that Jews murdered Christians during the Middle Ages so that their blood could be used in ritualistic ceremonies.  —  The details were revealed in yesterday's Corriere Della Sera newspaper …

2008 Field Sprouts Rootless Candidates  —  The 2008 presidential campaign has already produced the next generation of American politicians.  They don't have local accents.  That's because they don't have local roots.  Nor do they boast legions of home-state friends, teachers and mentors …