Couric weighs in on Iraq, Rather  —  Her take on the news  —  Speaking at the National Press Club Tuesday evening, CBS "Evening News" anchor Katie Couric pulled back the curtain on her personal views of both the war in Iraq and former "Evening News" anchor Dan Rather.

Kyl-Lieberman Iran Amendment Passes By Huge Margin  —  The Kyl-Lieberman Iran amendment — which ratchets up the confrontation with Iran by calling for the designation of its Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization responsible for killing U.S. troops — just passed overwhelmingly, 76-22.

My Dinner with Ahmadinejad  —  The invitation was on creamy stationery with fancy calligraphy: The Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran "requests the pleasure" of my company to dine with H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  The dinner is at the Intercontinental Hotel …

Ohio, Florida laws could dampen Democratic voting  —  WASHINGTON — Ohio and Florida, which provided the decisive electoral votes for President Bush's two razor-thin national election triumphs, have enacted laws that election experts say will help Republicans impede Democratic-leaning minorities from voting in 2008.

Can She Reach Religious Voters?  —  During a question-and-answer session at Tufts University immediately after the 2004 election, Sen. Hillary Clinton identified the alienation of religious voters as one of the Democratic Party's main problems.  And the appeal she proposed was straightforward …

NPR Rebuffs White House On Bush Talk  —  Radio Network Wanted To Choose Its Interviewer  —  The White House reached out to National Public Radio over the weekend, offering analyst Juan Williams a presidential interview to mark yesterday's 50th anniversary of school desegregation in Little Rock.

The Soros Threat To Democracy  —  Democracy: George Soros is known for funding groups such as MoveOn.org that seek to manipulate public opinion.  So why is the billionaire's backing of what he believes in problematic?  In a word: transparency.  —  George Soros & MoveOn.org: Exclusive Series

Scoop for Spanish Daily: Transcript of Private 2003 Bush Talk Promising Iraq Invasion  —  NEW YORK El Pais, the highest-circulation daily in Spain, today published what it said was the transcript of a private talk between President George W. Bush and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar on February 22 …

Biden Iraq plan passes  —  From NBC's Ken Strickland  —  In a strong rebuff to the Bush Administration on Iraq, the Senate overwhelming approved a plan by Biden that essentially calls for breaking Iraq into three sections: Kurd, Sunni, and Shia.  While the amendment is nonbinding …

Today's Must Read  —  "It may be worse than Abu Ghraib."  —  That's a senior U.S. military official explaining to The Washington Post how strongly Iraqis are reacting to Blackwater's September 16th shooting of civilians in Baghdad.  By contrast, here's a State Department official …

Calling Rudy  —  For Mr. Giuliani, it's more than his wife that's on the line.  —  Most Americans understand it takes an extra chromosome to run for President, but there are some limits on odd behavior.  Which makes us wonder what Rudy Giuliani was thinking last Friday when he accepted …

Fleischer Callously Tells Dead Soldier's Mom 'There Are Going To Be A Lot More Mothers' Like You  —  Yesterday, Ari Fleischer, former White House Press Secretary and current board member of the White House front group Freedom's Watch, appeared on MSNBC to defend a recent ad showing …

Justice in Jena  —  THE case of the so-called Jena Six has fired the imaginations of thousands, notably young African-Americans who, according to many of their comments, believe they will be in the vanguard of a new civil rights movement.  Whether America needs a new civil rights movement …

Source: Craig won't resign if judge hasn't ruled  —  EDINA, Minnesota (CNN) — Sen. Larry Craig won't resign from the Senate while awaiting a judge's ruling on his effort to get a guilty plea withdrawn in a restroom sex sting, a source said Wednesday.  —  A judge in Minnesota was to hear arguments Wednesday afternoon in the case.