Sen. Obama launches White House run  —  SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Democrat Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) announced Saturday that he is running for the White House in 2008, evoking Abraham Lincoln's ability to unite a nation and promising to lead a new generation to "transform this nation."

New York Times Reveals "Reporter" Michael Gordon Actually Voice-Activated Tape Recorder  —  NEW YORK—New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller today announced that the paper's longtime staff writer Michael Gordon is not an actual person, but rather a voice-activated tape recorder.

Target Iran: US able to strike in the spring  —  Despite denials, Pentagon plans for possible attack on nuclear sites are well advanced  —  US preparations for an air strike against Iran are at an advanced stage, in spite of repeated public denials by the Bush administration, according to informed sources in Washington.

Getting Feith: Emily Litella, ace reporter for the WaPo, says "never mind"  —  Last night I was in the middle of preparing a piece about the Washington Post article that described the Pentagon's sharp criticism of Douglas Feith for giving too much credence to some faulty prewar intelligence reports …

Obama formally kicks off presidential campaign  —  About a month ago, we talked about Barack Obama creating a presidential exploratory committee, and today, Obama made it official, giving a strong speech in front of what appeared to be thousands of very cold supporters in Springfield, Ill.

Facing the Islamist Menace  —  Mark Steyn's new book is a welcome wake-up call.  —  In the prologue to his new book, America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It, Mark Steyn sarcastically alludes to two people whom, in different ways, I know well.  The first is novelist Martin Amis …

Roughnecks  —  Mosul, Iraq  —  There is a hidden passion for Chuck Norris among some of the troops.  His name seems to appear in every corner of Iraq—especially in outhouses.  Sometimes lurid, mostly unprintable, always funny.  —  The Latest: … Chuck Norris, the workingman of action movies, remains an improbable icon.

Commentary: Theaters of the absurd  —  Iran's man at the United Nations since 2002, Javad Zarif, spoke with Washington think tankers and pundits for two hours.  It was a virtuoso diplomatic performance, albeit off the record, and by satellite (as he is not allowed to travel beyond a 25-mile radius …

Congress Finds Ways to Avoid Lobbyist Limits  —  The 110th Congress opened with the passage of sweeping new rules intended to curb the influence of lobbyists by prohibiting them from treating lawmakers to meals, trips, stadium box seats or the discounted use of private jets.

Democratic voters growing impatient with Congress  —  CHICAGO - In Washington, Democrats are blaming Republicans for the Senate's failure so far to vote on a resolution opposing a troop increase in Iraq.  —  But in the heartland, some voters say such excuses no longer are good enough.

When Petty Reporters Get Mad  —  Looks like the blogs are going to be busy this cycle rebutting smears against our candidates.  This latest is penned by Mike Allen. … How suspicious!  The answer, as both Brad Delong and The Poorman note, is that Swahili and Arabic are extremely similar languages …

Has Rudy Giuliani gotten incoherent about abortion?  —  Here's a NYT piece about how Rudy Giuliani is reframing his stance on abortion to appeal to conservatives.  It contains a quote that I found puzzling: … How is "strict construction" supposed to protect liberty …

Life Insurance for Palestinian Suicide Bombers  —  An important bank in the Arab world offers accounts paying a type of life insurance to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers.  But now it could soon face a lawsuit from American lawyers representing the victims.