Iran nabs British sailors in Iraq waters  —  LONDON - Iranian naval vessels seized 15 British sailors who had boarded a ship suspected of smuggling cars in the Persian Gulf off the Iraqi coast on Friday, officials said.  —  The British government demanded "the immediate and safe return of our people and equipment."

House Dems more confident on Iraq vote  —  WASHINGTON - House Democrats are increasingly confident they have the votes to pass legislation designed to force an end to the war in Iraq next year.  —  Several party members dropped their opposition to the bill following days of wrangling within a deeply divided caucus.

E-Mails Show Machinations to Replace Prosecutor  —  Administration Worked for Months to Make Rove Aide U.S. Attorney in Arkansas  —  Two months before Bud Cummins was fired as U.S. attorney in Little Rock, a protege of presidential adviser Karl Rove was maneuvering with the Justice Department to take his place.

Rove, proven liar  —  President Bush's "offer" to let Congress interview Karl Rove about the U.S. attorney firings without an oath is a joke.  As we learned in Plamegate, Rove cannot be trusted to tell the truth.  —  White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove (L) and Press Secretary Tony Snow listen …

White House Spokesman to Undergo Surgery  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Presidential spokesman Tony Snow is undergoing surgery Monday to remove a growth in his lower abdomen, a procedure he said was being done "out of an aggressive sense of caution" because he had colon cancer two years ago.

House OKs Timetable for Troops in Iraq  —  $124B Emergency Bill Sets Binding Benchmarks for Progress in Iraq  —  The House of Representatives today passed a $124 billion emergency spending bill that sets binding benchmarks for progress in Iraq, establishes tough readiness standards …

From Obama's Past: An Old Classmate, A Surprising Call  —  In High School, 'Ray' and 'Barry'  —  Were Friends, Then Took Different Paths  —  Sen. Barack Obama had just come off the Senate floor last Thursday, rushing to get to New Hampshire for a weekend of campaigning for president …

Trends in Political Values and Core Attitudes: 1987-2007  —  Political Landscape More Favorable To Democrats  —  Summary of Findings  —  View the complete report in pdf format  —  Increased public support for the social safety net, signs of growing public concern about income inequality …

Symposium: The First Nuclear Terrorist Power  —  An Islamist insurgency is afoot in Pakistan, posing a dire threat of overthrowing Musharraf.  —  And this may happen sooner rather than later.  —  If the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is created, it means Islamists get their hands on Pakistan's nuclear weapons.

GAO Faults U.S. Military Over Munitions in Iraq  —  Report Says Insurgents Took Unsecured Explosives  —  The U.S. military's faulty war plans and insufficient troops in Iraq left thousands and possibly millions of tons of conventional munitions unsecured or in the hands of insurgent groups …

Politico Rushes to Crack the Story And Ends Up With Egg on Its Face  —  One hour and 4 minutes before John Edwards began a news conference yesterday on the recurrence of his wife's cancer, a two-month-old Web site blared what looked like a major exclusive: "Edwards to Suspend Campaign."

Vilsack to endorse Clinton for president  —  DES MOINES, Iowa - Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a major political coup, captured the endorsement of former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who recently abandoned his own presidential bid, officials told The Associated Press on Friday.