It's Official: McCain's Press Staff Resigns  —  Sen. John McCain's top three press aides resigned this morning, Republicans close to the campaign said and one of those aides confirmed.  —  The campaign's research director and two other press staffers also stepped down.

Campaigns Raise, Burn More Cash, More Quickly  —  Rapid Spending Puts Some in Jeopardy Early  —  Candidates for the White House are not only raising far more than ever before, many are also spending that money as fast as they get it, leaving some close to being forced from the race almost six months before the first votes are cast.

Cheney pushes Bush to act on Iran  —  Ewen MacAskill in Washington and Julian Borger  —  The balance in the internal White House debate over Iran has shifted back in favour of military action before President George Bush leaves office in 18 months, the Guardian has learned.

Hamas Support Melting Away  —  The degree of the self-inflicted catastrophe that Hamas created with its rebellion has come into clearer focus after polling Gaza voters.  The territory used to serve as Hamas' political power base, but now a plurality of voters support their rival, Fatah.

Interest flares for Thompson's papers  —  KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - If one man's trash is another man's treasure, then one politician's old papers are potentially another politician's — or journalist's — gold mine.  —  Which explains why Republican Fred Thompson's previously little-noticed personal papers …

A GOP comeback strategy  —  Way behind in the polls, the party should exploit the anti-politician mood and offer a hopeful message.  —  ALL THE BIG questions for 2008 are on the Democratic side: Can Hillary Clinton show her humanity?  Does Obama have enough experience?  Will Edwards find a cheaper barber?

Pentagon balked at pleas from officers in field for safer vehicles  —  Pfc. Aaron Kincaid, 25, had been joking with buddies just before their Humvee rolled over the bomb.  His wife, Rachel, later learned that the blast blew Kincaid, a father of two from outside Atlanta, through the Humvee's metal roof.

[TS] Op-Ed Columnist: The Waiting Game  —  The opponents of universal health care appear to have run out of honest arguments.

Execution Of Ga. Man Near Despite Recantations  —  SAVANNAH, Ga. — A Georgia man is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Tuesday for killing a police officer in 1989, even though the case against him has withered in recent years as most of the key witnesses at his trial have recanted …

John Edwards Vows To End All Bad Things By 2011  —  AMES, IA—In an effort to jump-start a presidential campaign that still has not broken into the top Democratic tier, former Sen. John Edwards made his most ambitious policy announcement yet at a campaign event in Iowa Monday …

O'Hanlon's 'Soft Partition' Plan Envisions Long-Term Occupation Of Iraq  —  Prior to the invasion of Iraq, Brookings Institution senior fellow Michael O'Hanlon predicted, "The United States and coalition partners would win any future war to overthrow Saddam Hussein in a rapid and decisive fashion.

Young Adults Are Giving Newspapers Scant Notice  —  With the United States military fighting a protracted war in Iraq and a wide-open presidential campaign already making headlines daily, Americans of all ages are interested in current affairs and are consuming news like never before, right?

Cunningham report portrays entangled panel  —  The still-unreleased findings say intelligence committee aides were used by the California congressman, now in prison for bribery.  —  WASHINGTON — An internal investigation that the House Intelligence Committee has refused to make public portrays …

IAEA confirms N. Korea has shut reactor  —  SEOUL, South Korea - U.N. inspectors have verified that North Korea shut down its nuclear reactor, the watchdog agency's chief said Monday, the first on-the-ground achievement toward scaling back Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions since the international standoff began in late 2002.