Iraqi official: Al-Qaida in Iraq leader wounded  —  Al-Masri reportedly hurt, in custody; aide slain in skirmish north of Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - The leader of al-Qaida in Iraq was wounded and an aide was killed in a clash Thursday with Iraqi forces north of Baghdad, the Interior Ministry spokesman said.

Bush Regains His Footing  —  It may seem perverse to suggest that, at the very moment the House of Representatives is repudiating his policy in Iraq, President Bush is poised for a political comeback.  But don't be astonished if that is the case.  —  Like President Bill Clinton …

Bush, Congress Could Face Confrontation on Issue of War Powers  —  President's Allies See Possible Challenges in Proposals Placing Restrictions on Funding for Iraq  —  President Bush has not been shy about asserting robust powers for the presidency in waging war, but lately he has seemed …

A Hard Right Punch  —  Michelle Malkin's Conservative Fight Has Others Coming Out Swinging  —  Michelle Malkin has seen her head electronically grafted onto a photo of a bikini-clad body.  —  She had to cancel a Berkeley book signing in the face of 200 shouting protesters.  —  YouTube banned one of her videos.

NBC sinks too low for this talking head  —  Like some second marriages and most Hollywood sequels, it's usually a bad idea for a columnist to revisit the same topic.  But last week's discussion of renegade blogger and NBC military analyst Bill Arkin proved some larger points.

Good News Bad News  —  Lots of news from and about Iraq, Iran, Waziristan, all these places.  Good, bad, ugly and irrelevant.  How's it stack up?  Let's have a look:  —  Good news from Iraq: al-Zarqawi's replacement wounded and a top aide killed, Iraqi officials say.

Democrats in State Capitols Push Antiwar Resolutions  —  Frustrated by the inability of Democrats in Congress to pass a resolution opposing President Bush's policies in Iraq, state legislators across the country, led by Democrats and under pressure from liberal advocacy groups, are pushing forward with their own resolutions.

Broad Swath of GOP Defecting on Iraq Vote  —  Some Backing Resolution Are in Safe Seats  —  From the moderate suburbs of Delaware to the rural, conservative valleys of eastern Tennessee, House Republican opponents of President Bush's latest Iraq war plan cut across the GOP's ideological and regional spectrum.

OLBERMANN RE-UPS WITH MSNBC—CONF CALL AT NOON TODAY  —  Olbermann Named Managing Editor of "Countdown" And Will Contribute To NBC Network News Programming  —  "Countdown" Up an Amazing 89% Over 2006  —  Media Conference Call at NOON TODAY (ET)  —  Dial (866) 332-6117 Conference ID #9265852 to participate

Rep. Jefferson Gets Seat on Homeland Security  —  Rep. William Jefferson, the Louisiana Democrat who's facing an ongoing federal corruption probe, is being granted a spot on the Homeland Security Committee, according to Democratic aides.  —  The appointment will be announced Friday …

Why I had to quit the John Edwards campaign  —  During my brief tenure as blogmaster for a Democratic presidential contender, I experienced the right-wing smear machine firsthand  —  As one of the thousands, possibly millions, of bloggers out there holding forth on everything from cooking to politics …

Antarctic temperatures disagree with climate model predictions  —  COLUMBUS , Ohio - A new report on climate over the world's southernmost continent shows that temperatures during the late 20th century did not climb as had been predicted by many global climate models.

Political Web sites get personal  —  Candidates let backers write blogs, network  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Barack Obama's newly revamped Web site looks a lot like MySpace and Facebook, and that is no accident.  —  As a presidential candidate offering himself as a generational change agent …

CONGRESSMAN MURTHA CRAFTS BILL TO PREVENT IRAQ TROOP DEPLOYMENTS  —  WASHINGTON — A powerful Democrat and Iraq war foe said he intends to introduce legislation in the coming weeks that would effectively end President Bush's plans to send 21,500 more troops into Iraq by setting limits on which troops can be sent.

The Banker's Candidate  —  Connecticut Sen. Christopher J. Dodd has two big jobs.  He is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president, and he chairs the Senate Banking Committee.  —  They are proving to be a lucrative combination.  Among Democrats, Dodd's $5 million campaign nest egg …

Housing sales drop in 40 states  —  WASHINGTON - The slump in housing deepened in the final three months of last year with sales falling in 40 states and median home prices dropping in nearly half the metropolitan areas surveyed.  —  Formerly red-hot areas were among the hardest hit …

January Weather Hottest by Far  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - It may be cold comfort during a frigid February, but last month was by far the hottest January ever.  —  The broken record was fueled by a waning El Nino and a gradually warming world, according to U.S. scientists who reported the data Thursday.