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.

Announcement  —  I regret to say that I have also resigned from the Edwards campaign.  In spite of what was widely reported, I was not hired as a blogger, but a part-time technical advisor, which is the role I am vacating.  —  I would like to make very clear that the campaign did not push me out …

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 …

Pact With North Korea Draws Fire From a Wide Range of Critics in U.S.  —  The deal that could lead North Korea to shut its main nuclear reactor came under criticism from both ends of the political spectrum immediately after it was announced on Tuesday.  —  From the right, hardliners argued …

The Davy Crockett defense of escalation.  —  During today's House debate on Iraq, Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) debuted the Davy Crockett defense: … UPDATE: From commenter Mike:

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 …

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.

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" …

Mitt Romney, blood libel, and that old time Jew hate  —  It may just be a bad dream.  Or it may be the future.  —  In the space of a week, we have had a professor from an Orthodox-oriented Israeli university argue that some medieval blood libels against the Jews were based in fact.

Senate agrees to move '08 vote to Feb.  —  Legislators say shifting the primary would give California more clout in the presidential race.  But if more states follow, the benefit may be nil.  —  SACRAMENTO — The California Senate voted Tuesday to move the state's presidential primary …