Edwards and Wife Plan News Conference  —  John Edwards, the North Carolina Democrat making a second bid for the presidency, announced late Wednesday night that he would hold a news conference Thursday, a day after he and his wife, Elizabeth, visited Mrs. Edwards' doctor to assess her health following her recovery from breast cancer.

Bush loyalist among fired U.S. attorneys  —  Threatened controversy over a poor evaluation of federal prosecutor Kevin Ryan in San Francisco derailed plans to retain him.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The "company man" hired and fired by the Bush administration as U.S. attorney in San Francisco …

Mystery creator of anti-Clinton ad ID'd  —  WASHINGTON - The mystery creator of the Orwellian YouTube ad against Hillary Rodham Clinton is a Democratic operative who worked for a digital consulting firm with ties to rival Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record).

Political Spectacle  —  THE WHITE HOUSE and congressional Democrats have drawn deep lines in the sand over who will testify, and how, as Congress investigates the dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys.  The stubbornness and overheated rhetoric on both sides threaten an unnecessary constitutional crisis …

Prosecutor Says Bush Appointees Interfered With Tobacco Case  —  The leader of the Justice Department team that prosecuted a landmark lawsuit against tobacco companies said yesterday that Bush administration political appointees repeatedly ordered her to take steps that weakened the government's racketeering case.

House Democrats Weigh Plan for Iraq Withdrawal  —  Representative Dan Boren is a Democrat, but after visiting Iraq last week he announced a decision that puts him at odds with his party's leaders: he intends to vote against their plan to set a deadline for troops to leave Iraq.

Was She Covert?  —  Republican Rep. Peter Hoekstra could hardly believe what he heard on television Friday as he watched a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing.  Rep. Henry Waxman, the Democratic committee chairman, said his statement had been approved by the CIA director, Michael Hayden.

Boxer Slams Down Inhofe's Global Warming Filibuster: 'You Don't Make The Rules Anymore'  —  Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) has said Al Gore is "full of crap" and compared people who believe in global warming to "the Third Reich."  During today's Senate hearing, Inhofe used a considerable amount …

What Bush is hiding  —  In the U.S. attorney scandal, Alberto Gonzales gave orders, but he also took them — from Karl Rove, who plotted to turn the federal criminal justice system into the Republican Holy Office of the Inquisition.  —  Alberto Gonzales, right, and Karl Rove at the Jan. 31 …

In Utah, an Opponent of the 'Culture of Obedience'  —  SALT LAKE CITY — Rocky Anderson may not be the most liberal mayor in America.  But here in the most conservative state, he might as well be.  —  Just being himself is enough to galvanize, divide or enrage people who have followed …

Florida moves to wipe out clout of smaller states with Jan. 29 presidential primary  —  Tallahassee - Hoping to muscle Florida into a pre-eminent role in picking next year's Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, the state House voted Wednesday to leapfrog almost all the other states …

Congress's Challenge on Iraq  —  The House of Representatives now has a chance to lead the nation toward a wiser, more responsible Iraq policy.  It is scheduled to vote this week on whether to impose benchmarks for much-needed political progress on the Iraqi government …