Primary Season Getting Earlier  —  S.C. GOP's Move Could Push Votes For 2008 Into '07  —  South Carolina's Republican Party will move its 2008 presidential primary forward to Jan. 19, sources said yesterday, a decision almost certain to spark a cascade of calendar changes that could push …

Polls show shift in attitudes on Iraq following military inroads  —  WASHINGTON — Even some critics of President Bush's Iraq war policies are conceding there is evidence of recent improvements from a military standpoint.  But Bush supporters and critics alike agree that these have not been matched …

First Father: Tough Times on Sidelines  —  There are times in the life of George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States and father of the 43rd, that people, perfect strangers, come up to him and say the harshest things — words intended to comfort but words that wind up only causing pain.

Romney: Giuliani's NYC 'Sanctuary' for Illegal Immigrants  —  Republican Presidential Contender Calls Giuliani's New York a 'Sanctuary' for Illegals  —  In one of the strongest conflicts yet between Republican presidential front-runners, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney attacked rival …

Fair but Unbalanced  —  How the media promote false pessimism about the economy.  —  Not that it needed any help, but the already energized debate about journalistic bias was electrified when Rupert Murdoch, owner of the "fair and balanced" Fox News Channel, struck a deal to buy The Wall Street Journal.

New Republic Iraq Stories Questioned  —  NEW YORK — A magazine gets a hot story straight from a soldier in Iraq and publishes his writing, complete with gory details, under a pseudonym.  The stories are chilling: An Iraqi boy befriends American troops and later has his tongue cut out by insurgents.

Bush Apparently Had Lyme Disease  —  President Bush was treated a year ago for what appears to have been Lyme disease, the White House said yesterday in disclosing the results of his annual physical exam.  —  A report of the president's recent medical examination said his case had …

AFL-CIO Forum Ratings: Lowest Yet  —  The AFL-CIO Democratic forum last night on MSNBC, was the lowest rated-yet of the eight primary debates/forums held this election season.  Based on live +same day data, Nielsen found the debate had 960,000 total viewers and 340,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo.

Bush May Try to Cut Corporate Tax Rates  —  President Cites Need To Compete Globally  —  President Bush said yesterday that he is considering a fresh plan to cut tax rates for U.S. corporations to make them more competitive around the world, an initiative that could further inflame a battle …

Hurdles Frustrate Effort to Shrink Guantánamo  —  The decision this week by the British government to request the return of five Guantánamo detainees with British ties was welcome news for Bush administration officials eager to cut the detention center's population.

Romney has a memory lapse on Mass.  —  WILTON, Iowa — Mitt Romney spent yesterday morning barnstorming the small farming communities of Eastern Iowa, holding a series of "Ask Mitt Anything" events and urging his supporters to turn out for the straw poll in Ames on Saturday.

British Criticize U.S. Air Attacks in Afghan Region  —  SANGIN, Afghanistan — A senior British commander in southern Afghanistan said in recent weeks that he had asked that American Special Forces leave his area of operations because the high level of civilian casualties they had caused was making it difficult to win over local people.

AT&T drops Pearl Jam's call  —  In a prominent nod to one of the festival's lead sponsors, the logo for this year's Lollapalooza concerts in Chicago includes the tag line, "delivered by AT&T."  But Sunday's headliner Pearl Jam complained that AT&T delivered less than the band's full performance during its Lollapalooza webcast.

Kent officer tickets man for 'Impeach Bush' sign  —  Kent - A soft-spoken teacher posted the words "Impeach Bush" in a public garden, and Kent police cast him as an outlaw.  —  Today Kevin Egler is fighting that in Kent Municipal Court, and the case is emerging as a free-speech issue …