Nader ponders run, calls Clinton 'coward'  —  Ralph Nader says he is seriously considering running for president in 2008 because he foresees another Tweedledum-Tweedledee election that offers little real choice to voters.  —  "You know the two parties are still converging …

Vice President Exempts His Office from the Requirements for Protecting Classified Information  —  The Oversight Committee has learned that over the objections of the National Archives, Vice President Cheney exempted his office from the presidential order that establishes government-wide procedures …

Transcript of The Times interview with General Petraeus  —  What is your priority in the surge operation?  —  "It is to disrupt al-Qaeda and its ability to conduct sensational attacks and to try to continue the cycle of violence, which they have been trying to do all along.

Americans' Confidence in Congress at All-Time Low  —  Confidence in most institutions drops  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The percentage of Americans with a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in Congress is at 14%, the lowest in Gallup's history of this measure — and the lowest …

Irshad Manji: Islam the problem  —  GROWING up in Vancouver, I attended an Islamic school every Saturday.  There, I learned that Jews can't be trusted because they worship "moolah, not Allah", meaning money, not God.  According to my teacher, every last Jew is consumed with business.

Justice Dept.'s No. 2 to Counter Claims of Untruths Over Firings  —  McNulty Also to Tell Panel He Doesn't Think Officials Misled Him  —  Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty today will defend his past statements about the firings of U.S. attorneys, rebutting allegations …

Immigration Vote Count  —  Opponents of the immigration bill recognize that the vote on cloture (maybe tomorrow, but probably early next week) will be key.  Outside groups are scoring a vote for cloture as a vote for the bill.  Cloture will succeed with 60 votes.

A new carbon standard  —  Taxes on CO2 emissions alone won't get us where we need to go.  —  PROMINENT VOICES are calling for national carbon taxes as a way to fight global warming.  Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, the Los Angeles Times' editorial board and economists …

List of journalists taking sides  —  And their explanations, from 'Yikes!' to 'They're all in somebody's pocket'  —  Have you captured a candidate on camera?  We want to see it.  Click here to send us your pictures and videos, and we'll post the best on MSNBC.com.

Rep. Pelosi responds to boos on war  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) yesterday reaffirmed her commitment to end the war in Iraq, but her words were greeted with skepticism and some boos by anti-war liberal activists.  —  Addressing the liberal pressure group Campaign for America's Future …

Lincoln's Example for Iraq  —  In his only term in Congress, Abraham Lincoln was an ardent opponent of the Mexican War.  He introduced a series of resolutions that challenged President James Polk to show the "spot" of American soil on which Mexicans had spilled American blood …

14 U.S. troops killed in Iraq in 48 hours … BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Fourteen U.S. troops have been killed in attacks over the past two days in Iraq — 12 soldiers and two Marines — according to the U.S. military.  —  In the deadliest attack, a roadside bomb struck a military vehicle …

Not Buying It  —  ON a Friday evening last month, the day after New York University's class of 2007 graduated, about 15 men and women assembled in front of Third Avenue North, an N.Y.U. dormitory on Third Avenue and 12th Street.  They had come to take advantage of the university's end-of-the-year move-out …

Missing Soldier's Wife Faces Deportation  —  As Military Searches For Kidnapped Soldier In Iraq, U.S. Threatens To Send Wife Back To Dominican Republic  —  (CBS/AP) While the U.S. military searches for a soldier missing in Iraq, kidnapped by insurgents possibly allied with al Qaeda …

MBA Press Release: PBS to Credential Bloggers for Next Week's Democratic Presidential Forum  —  Media Bloggers Association to assist PBS in processing requests for media credentials from bloggers.  —  PBS has set aside a limited number of media credentials for bloggers who wish to cover the upcoming …

Bloomberg stirs GOP talk on Hill  —  During a small dinner after a recent fundraiser for Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.), New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was then still a Republican, told fellow diners at the residence of Georgette Mosbacher that he would not be running for president.