Senate Republicans Block Floor Vote on Iraq Resolution  —  Senate Republicans today blocked a floor vote on a House-passed resolution that expresses disapproval of President Bush's plan to send thousands of additional U.S. troops to Iraq, as a procedural motion to cut off debate on the measure fell short of the 60 votes needed.

Rudy Giuliani: No Free Speech  —  Lucrative contract depicts GOP hopeful as image-conscious diva  —  We've previously posted the tour riders of Dick Cheney and John Kerry, but those two pols look like pikers compared to the high-rolling, diva-like Rudolph Giuliani, wannabe Republican presidential candidate.

Not the 'Real Vote'  —  REP. JOHN MURTHA (D-Pa.) has a message for anyone who spent the week following the House of Representatives' marathon debate on Iraq: You've been distracted by a sideshow.  "We have to be careful that people don't think this is the vote," the 74-year-old congressman …

Soldiers Face Neglect, Frustration At Army's Top Medical Facility  —  Behind the door of Army Spec.  Jeremy Duncan's room, part of the wall is torn and hangs in the air, weighted down with black mold.  When the wounded combat engineer stands in his shower and looks up, he can see the bathtub on the floor above through a rotted hole.

Antiwar Anger at '02 Vote on Iraq Follows Clinton  —  One of the most important decisions that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton made about her bid for the presidency came late last year when she ended a debate in her camp over whether she should repudiate her 2002 vote authorizing military action in Iraq.

Forget Iraq.  McCain wants to be the anti-sex candidate.  He's preaching abstinence now.  —  fark it!  Oh, this is rich.  John McCain can't make the votes on Iraq — the dominant issue of these times.  No, McCain has more pressing matters on his plate.  He's too busy working on his no-sex agenda.

Trial in Error  —  Could someone please explain to me why Scooter Libby is the only person on trial in the Valerie Plame leak investigation?  —  Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald charged Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff with perjury on the theory that Libby had a nefarious reason …

Sure, Barack, you voted 'no' to war in Iraq.  That was the easy part  —  If politics were a fairy tale, Barack Obama would surely be the next president of the United States.  With his melting pot roots (father Kenyan, mother Kansan, born in Hawaii) and his molten hot rhetoric …

Father of Salt Lake Mall Killer Believes Son Was Trained (Video)  —  The father and aunt of Salt Lake City mall killer, Sulejman Talovic, spoke with News Channel 5 KSL.com in Salt Lake.  —  They are concerned that someone they do not know was influencing the young man to commit the horrible crimes.

Dissent and Wars of Choice  —  There's been a lot of buzz around the blogosphere about a phony Abraham Lincoln quote that Bush Iraq War supporters keep throwing out there (most recently senior House GOPer Don Young of Alaska), suggesting that dissenters in Congress during wartime are "saboteurs" …

The Genius of Strength  —  In the 2006 election the American people made it clear that they wanted out of Iraq.  They replaced 36 Republicans with Democrats in the House and the Senate, and they didn't remove a single Democrat.  Yes, there were other factors, but overall, the message was a resounding 36-0 drubbing.

BAGHDAD TODAY: A REPORT FROM THE CITY  —  "The Surge is showing signs of success.  The progress made so far invites hope and optimism, but it's still too early to celebrate."  Omar Fadhil, PJM's editor in Iraq files this report.  —  Since the multiple bombings in Shroja market district on the 12th …

Audit finds $10 billion in fuzzy spending  —  Inspectors reviewed one-sixth of $350 billion U.S. has spent on Iraq  —  (02-16) 04:00 PST Washington — More than $10 billion of the money paid to military contractors for Iraq reconstruction and troop support was either excessive or unsupported by documents …

Workers are fine with fewer unions  —  Wealth and productivity have soared while union membership has declined.  —  LABOR UNIONS' importance in the workplace has fallen steadily since 1950, when roughly a third of American workers were unionized.  Today, that number is well below 10% in the private sector.