Internal Affairs  —  Aborted DOJ Probe Probably Would Have Targeted Gonzales  —  Shortly before Attorney General Alberto Gonzales advised President Bush last year on whether to shut down a Justice Department inquiry regarding the administration's warrantless domestic eavesdropping program …

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: I beheaded American reporter … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Admitted 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed told a U.S. military tribunal he personally beheaded Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002, the Pentagon revealed Thursday.

2008 and counting: Using praise as a weapon on the trail  —  Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) slipped in a compliment — of sorts — about a fellow 2008 hopeful during his appearances on the Iowa stump last weekend.  —  "I want to wait and hear what John Edwards has to say, he's kind of good-looking …

Hillary Clinton Lied At The DNC  —  Last month I attended the Democratic National Committee's winter meeting.  I saw every presidential candidate speak about their vision for America and what they would do if elected president, including Senator Hillary Clinton.  —  Clinton made two major statements about Iraq in her DNC speech.

"Liberal Idiots"  —  Reality Check for Iraq War Opponents  —  As the result of a concealed camera and the miracle of YouTube, my old boss, Dave Obey (D-WI), roiled the political waters last week by using the term "liberal idiots" during an argument with an Iraq War protestor.

Loud and divided on Iraq  —  Committee rejects escalation after emotional debate  —  Both served in the military.  Both ran for Congress.  And on Wednesday they found themselves on opposite sides of an intense debate at the state Capitol on a statement against sending more troops to Iraq.

Emanuel tells freshmen to avoid Stephen Colbert  —  Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), the Democratic Caucus chairman, has told new Democratic members of Congress to steer clear of Stephen Colbert, or at least his satirical Comedy Central program, "The Colbert Report."

God's dupes  —  Moderate believers give cover to religious fanatics — and are every bit as delusional.  —  PETE STARK, a California Democrat, appears to be the first congressman in U.S. history to acknowledge that he doesn't believe in God.  In a country in which 83% of the population thinks …

As a child, Obama crossed a cultural divide in Indonesia  —  JAKARTA, INDONESIA — As a boy in Indonesia, Barack Obama crisscrossed the religious divide.  At the local primary school, he prayed in thanks to a Catholic saint.  In the neighborhood mosque, he bowed to Allah.

The real target of the 6 imams' 'discrimination' suit  —  The "flying imams' " federal lawsuit, filed this week in Minneapolis, has made headlines around the country.  The imams are demanding unspecified damages from US Airways and the Metropolitan Airports Commission, both with deep pockets.

Support for al-Qaida plots on large right-wing blog  —  (updated below)  —  Revelations that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed planned assassination plots against former Presidents Carter and Clinton — especially Carter — are causing great confusion among right-wing Civilization Warriors.

Dozens in GOP Turn Against Bush's Prized 'No Child' Act  —  More than 50 GOP members of the House and Senate — including the House's second-ranking Republican — will introduce legislation today that could severely undercut President Bush's signature domestic achievement, the No Child Left Behind Act …

TimesSelect Free for College Students — and Graduates?  —  The Loophole in an NYT Plan to Offer Access to the Enrolled  —  NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — The New York Times decided earlier this week to give free TimesSelect access to college students and faculty with ".edu" in their e-mail addresses …