Al Sadr Fled Iraq, Fearing U.S. Bombs  —  Insurgent Leader Reportedly Moved to Iran With Members of Mahdi Army  —  The story tonight in Iraq is not the arrival of more U.S. troops, but the departure of one of the country's most powerful men, Moqtada al Sadr and members of his army.

People who claim to love Jesus write me  —  Update: To correct misinformation in the comments, I was not "fired".  I offered my resignation and it was accepted.  —  Because I had the nerve to be critical of the Catholic church's stance on birth control and abortion—nevermind …

Truly 'inappropriate' behavior  —  Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged.  —  It is, of course, unimaginable that the penalties proposed by one of our most admired presidents …

Poll shows Clinton, Giuliani pull ahead ias campaigns kick off  —  WASHINGTON — New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani have widened leads over their rivals in recent weeks as they began to openly campaign for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations …

House Begins Full Debate on the Iraq War  —  The House opened a full-throated debate on Tuesday over the Iraq war as lawmakers began considering a resolution to denounce President Bush's plan to add troops.  Democratic leaders said the debate was the first step in using Congressional authority to intervene in the conflict.

House Democrats' New Strategy: Force Slow End to War  —  Led by Rep. John P. Murtha, D-Pa., and supported by several well-funded anti-war groups, the coalition's goal is to limit or sharply reduce the number of U.S. troops available for the Iraq conflict, rather than to openly cut off funding for the war itself.

Shooter, Say It Ain't So!  —  When Ted Wells came back from lunch today and announced that he had released Dick Cheney as a witness I was damn near brokenhearted.  After all that, and Shooter lets me down.  Did he not want to testify on Libby's behalf, did Team Libby decide he could do more harm than good …

HOUSE HEARING ON 'WARMING OF THE PLANET' CANCELED AFTER SNOW/ICE STORM HEARING NOTICE  —  The Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality hearing scheduled for Wednesday, February 14, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. in room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building has been postponed due to inclement weather.

Army Giving More Waivers in Recruiting  —  The number of waivers granted to Army recruits with criminal backgrounds has grown about 65 percent in the last three years, increasing to 8,129 in 2006 from 4,918 in 2003, Department of Defense records show.  —  During that time …

Obama Apologizes for Saying Troops' Lives 'Wasted'  —  Senator Enters Race for White House Highlighting Iraq Stance, But Stirs Controversy with Comment  —  Senator Barack Obama, D-Ill., entered the race for the White House over the weekend and is immediately feeling the hot spotlight …

Ready to aim  —  ARMED AMERICA: THE STORY OF HOW AND WHY GUNS BECAME AS AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE  —  By Clayton E. Cramer, Nelson Current, $26.99, 320 pages  —  In 1996, Michael Bellesiles published a paper in the Journal of American History.  The thesis: Early Americans rarely owned firearms …

The Ever-'Present' Obama  —  Barack has a along track record of not taking a stand.  —  Finally and officially, Barack Obama is running for president.  His symbolic announcement, in the Land of Lincoln, called for a new era in politics.  Obama downplayed his thin federal experience …

In 1993 Memo, Giuliani Staff Gave Harsh Assessment of Flaws  —  Sometimes in politics, the most damaging accusations come from your own staff.  —  Rudolph W. Giuliani learned that lesson again yesterday when a "vulnerability study," including warnings about his "weirdness factor" …