UPDATE: Maureen Dowd Column Incites Hillary-Obama War of Words  —  NEW YORK Maureen Dowd's column in The New York Times today, in which she quoted former Bill Clinton supporter David Geffen offering a few caustic comments, has incited a strong Hillary Clinton campaign attack on Geffen …

Blair to Draw Down British Troops  —  Tony Blair is taking 1600 troops out of Basra in the next few months and will aim to be down to only 3,000 or so (from 7,100 now) by the end of the year.  Denmark is also going home.  —  This is a rout, there should be no mistake.

Arguing from ignorance  —  Paul Campos has beclowned himself.  He did it in the usual way, by arguing loudly about things he does not understand.  —  Campos chose to devote an entire column ("The right's Ward Churchill," Feb. 20) to a blog entry of mine from last week …

Wonkette Jumps the Shark; John Edwards, Empty Suit  —  It's encouraging to read the kind of thoughtful, intelligent discussion of foreign affairs, I discovered on Wonkette today.  Over the years, I have found that Wonkette has done an admirable job of dishing up a tasty mix of political gossip and Washington-based insight.

Ted Wells, Center Of the Defense  —  Scooter Libby's Attorney Makes His Case for the Powerful  —  For most of the month-long trial, Ted Wells, Scooter Libby's high-priced attorney, had been all smiles.  He laughed.  He shared light moments with the judge, the jury and with his opponent, special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald.

Petition for a Fair Presidential Debate  —  Target: Nevada State Democratic Party Sponsor: Fair Forum … The Nevada State Democratic Party has partnered with Fox News to host the first-ever 2008 Democratic presidential debate on August 14.  —  For an example of how disrespectful …

February 21, 2007 - Giuliani Tops Clinton In 2008 Presidential Race, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Republican Runs Strong In Red, Blue And Purple States  —  Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani leads Sen. Hillary Clinton 48 - 43 percent among American voters …

Mitt Romney's Extreme Makeover  —  Precisely two years ago, Mitt Romney, then the governor of Massachusetts but already eyeing a 2008 presidential bid, sat in the coffee shop of a Washington hotel, doing his best not to explain his views on abortion.  —  Romney was speaking to a few of us from The Post …

Militants Using Chemical Bombs in Iraq  —  For the third time in a month, insurgents deployed a new and deadly tactic against Iraqi civilians today: A chemical bomb combining explosives with poisonous chlorine gas.  —  A pickup truck carrying canisters of the gas, which burns the skin …

Father killed family for being too western  —  A father killed his wife and four daughters in their sleep because he could not bear them adopting a more westernised lifestyle, an inquest heard yesterday.  —  Mohammed Riaz, 49, found it abhorrent that his eldest daughter wanted to be a fashion designer …

Lower Voter Turnout Is Seen in States That Require ID  —  States that imposed identification requirements on voters reduced turnout at the polls in the 2004 presidential election by about 3 percent, and by two to three times as much for minorities, new research suggests.

Putnam Emerges As GOP's Top Aggressor  —  LAKELAND - It was Tony Snow, the Fox News anchor-turned-presidential spokesman, who in effect ended the recent scandalette over whether the military plane that would fly Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi back and forth to California was too luxurious.

Swift Action Promised at Walter Reed  —  Investigations Urged as Army Moves to Make Repairs, Improve Staffing  —  The White House and congressional leaders called yesterday for swift investigation and repair of the problems plaguing outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center …

Berger Case Still Roils Archives, Justice Dept.  —  In a chandeliered room at the Justice Department, the longtime head of the counterespionage section, the chief of the public integrity unit, a deputy assistant attorney general, some trial lawyers and a few FBI agents all looked down at their pant legs and socks.

Where Tim Hardaway Was Right  —  Recent comments by retired basketball star Tim ("I hate gay people") Hardaway did serious damage to his image and career but also unwittingly raised serious cultural issues about sexuality and gender.  —  Hardaway appropriately apologized for his harsh remarks …

Anti-American feelings soar among Muslims, study finds  —  The War on Terror has radicalised Muslims around the world to unprecedented levels of anti-American feeling, according to the largest survey of Muslims ever to be conducted.  —  Seven per cent believe that the events of 9/11 were "completely justified".

NBC News And The Libby Trial  —  My guess is that NBC News is deeply divided on the Scooter Libby trial.  Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews and David Shuster are undoubtedly rooting for convictions on all five formal charges and maybe a few more - David Shuster is probably right now working …

Open Letter on Iranian Holocaust Denial Conference  —  [This has been sent to me by an Iranian reader, with a request that I post it.]  —  An open letter by a group of Iranian academics, writers, and artists regarding the Tehran Conference on Holocaust Denial

The 'Crime' Of Blogging In Egypt  —  A former college student, Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman, is sitting in an Egyptian prison, awaiting sentencing tomorrow.  His alleged "crime": expressing his opinions on a blog.  His mistake: having the courage to do so under his own name.

Will '08 Democrats Follow Murtha, Vote to Cut Troop Funds?  —  As dangerous as President Bush's record on Iraq may be to Republican presidential candidates in 2008, Democrats also are risking revival of fears that their party is weak on foreign policy.  —  If Democratic candidates embrace …

NRCC to keep Alishtari money — for now  —  As we discussed yesterday, Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari (aka Michael Mixon) currently faces federal charges of providing material support to terrorists.  Alishtari is also a generous Republican donor contributing more than $15,000 in the '02 …