Liberal Bloggers Demonstrate Their Political Immaturity, Democrat Says  —  If the liberal blogs want to understand why so few people outside their narrow echo chamber take them seriously, and what it will take to gain the broader credibility they crave, they should look no further than their handling …

Dems Risk Image Woes Over Iraq War Moves  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats face a host of risks as they move toward more substantive steps to tie President Bush's hands with funding restrictions on the Iraq war.  —  Leaders are wary of allowing the more intense anti-war activists define the party's image.

Chisum contrite over memo  —  Legislature: Group says evolution handout contains anti-Semitic material  —  AUSTIN - House Appropriations Chairman Warren Chisum said Wednesday that he's "willing to apologize" for giving colleagues a document that contains what the Anti-Defamation League called "outrageous anti-Semitic material."

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.

Civilian deaths in Iraq drop overnight  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - The number of Iraqi civilians killed in Baghdad's sectarian violence fell drastically overnight, an Iraqi military official said Friday, crediting the joint U.S.-Iraqi security operation that began in force just days ago.

White House Is Reported to Be Linked to a Dismissal  —  A United States attorney in Arkansas who was dismissed from his job last year by the Justice Department was ousted after Harriet E. Miers, the former White House counsel, intervened on behalf of the man who replaced him, according to Congressional aides briefed on the matter.

The New Enemy?  —  Bush blames Iran's Quds Force for a spike in anti-American violence in Iraq.  Who are they, and how tight are their ties with Tehran?  —  Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps march in remembrance of the Iran-Iraq War  —  President Bush officially anointed …

Global Hot Air From the Media  —  If you take the mainstream media seriously, you might think that every important scientist believes that "global warming" poses a great threat, and that we need to make drastic changes in the way we live, in order to avoid catastrophes to the environment, to various species, and to ourselves.

Viewers Fast-Forwarding Past Ads?  Not Always  —  People with digital video recorders like TiVo never watch commercials, right?  —  Add that to the list of urban — and suburban — myths.  —  It turns out that a lot of people with digital video recorders are not fast-forwarding and time-shifting as much as advertisers feared.

Who is really stifling honest debate about the Middle East?  —  WASHINGTON - Aside from the Iraq war — which has only consumed our attention for the past four years — is there an international issue that inspires more debate than the Arab-Israeli conflict?

Al Qaeda Attack Video Appears to Be Staged  —  Brian Ross and Hoda Osman Report:  —  An al Qaeda-produced video claiming to show how U.S. and Afghan forces were driven out of a heavily defended base in the last few weeks appears to be a phony.  —  U.S. and NATO military officials have studied …

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.

GOP is losing ground in party-affiliation polling  —  Republicans' inherent advantage in Electoral College math might be gone  —  WASHINGTON — Last month I wrote a column suggesting that "the Republican brand" had been damaged over the last year, and I quoted several Republicans who agreed with that proposition.

Curse of the Christian-Bashers  —  The spirit of the Edwards bloggers haunts Democrats.  —  Heavens, it's getting crowded in the pews these days—at least with Democratic presidential candidates.  Here is Sen. Barack Obama in California's Saddleback pulpit at the invitation of mega-selling pastor Rick Warren.

The 'Get 'er Done' defense of escalation.  —  During today's Iraq debate, Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) explained her support for sending tens of thousands of U.S. forces to Iraq by quoting that "wonderful saying" — "Get 'er done."

What Kind of Economy?  —  This is the first in a series of essays outlining a new progressive economic policy.  The series, we hope, will offer an alternative to the neoliberal thinking that has dominated economic policy within the Democratic Party leadership over the past decade.