National Poll: Presidential Campaign 2008  —  This WNBC/Marist Poll reports:  —  · Hillary Clinton still outpaces her Democratic rivals nationwide as the Democrats' choice for their party's presidential nomination: Hillary Clinton outdistances her closest contender …

Trial Spotlights Cheney's Power as an Infighter  —  A picture taking shape from hours of testimony and reams of documents in the trial of I. Lewis Libby Jr. shatters any notion that the White House was operating as a model of cohesion throughout President Bush's first term.

Campos: The right's Ward Churchill  —  Murder is the premeditated unlawful killing of a human being.  Glenn Reynolds, the well-known University of Tennessee law professor who authors one of the Internet's most popular blogs, recently advocated the murder of Iranian scientists and clerics.

Justices to Revisit Thorny Issue of Sentencing Guidelines in First Cases After Recess  —  The Supreme Court returns on Tuesday from a monthlong recess to face a daunting and urgent task: explaining what it meant two years ago when it ruled that the federal sentencing guidelines were to be treated as …

Conservatives Target GOP War Critics in Congress  —  House Republican leaders and conservative activists are targeting critics of President Bush's plan to send more combat forces into Iraq — and some GOP lawmakers are on the hit list.  —  Amid a mounting campaign in Congress …

Iraqi Militants Launch Attack on U.S. Outpost  —  In a rare coordinated assault on an American combat outpost north of Baghdad, suicide bombers drove one or more cars laden with explosives into the compound on Monday, while other insurgents opened fire in the ensuing chaos, according to witnesses and the American military.

Moral Waivers and the Military  —  The Iraq war has plunged the Army into a vicious cycle of declining standards.  Multiple, extended tours of duty have sapped morale and blighted recruiting.  New plans for a larger overall force could reduce pressures but would also mean that recruiters would have to meet higher quotas.

The Antiwar Surge  —  Iraq is unpopular, but embracing defeat may prove politically disastrous for Democrats.  —  In mid-January an Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that public support for President Bush's troop surge increased to 35%, up from 26% a few weeks earlier.

Hospital Investigates Former Aid Chief  —  For the past three years, Michael J. Wagner directed the Army's largest effort to help the most vulnerable soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  His office in Room 3E01 of the world-renowned hospital was supposed to match big-hearted donors …

Heroes And Cowards  —  Corporal Thomas Saba was buried in the Moravian Cemetery on Staten Island last Friday.  One of seven Marines killed when their helicopter was shot down in Iraq on February 7, Saba, 30, enlisted in the spring of 2002 in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Why John McCain  —  He's a leader for our times.  —  Four years ago I decided to quit while I was ahead and concluded my 24-year political career.  When I left the Senate, I also left the public policy debate and talking-head role to those actually in the arena.

Defending Nation's Latest War, Bush Recalls Its First  —  To those who criticize his handling of the war in Iraq, President Bush likes to say that history will be his judge.  On Monday, Presidents' Day, Mr. Bush wrapped himself in history's embrace, invoking another war, the American Revolution, and another George W.

Court rules against Guantanamo detainees  —  Big win for administration although appeal to Supreme Court is likely  —  WASHINGTON - Guantanamo Bay detainees may not challenge their detention in U.S. courts, a federal appeals court said Tuesday in a ruling upholding a key provision in President Bush's anti-terrorism law.

The Rape of Sabrine...  It takes a lot to get the energy and resolution to blog lately.  I guess it's mainly because just thinking about the state of Iraq leaves me drained and depressed.  But I had to write tonight.  —  As I write this, Oprah is on Channel 4 (one of the MBC channels we get on Nilesat) …

Iran 'six months from mass uranium enrichment'  —  Iran could be as little as six months away from being able to enrich uranium on an industrial scale, having mastered the technology since last August, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog warned in an interview published today.

Romney Goes Up On TV  —  Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney goes up on the air tomorrow in parts of Florida, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire and South Carolina with his campaign's first ad.  The 60-second spot, "Unplugged," features Mitt on the stump.  There will also be a condensed, 30-second version.