Air America host Randi Rhodes wasn't mugged  —  Air America radio host Randi Rhodes is temporarily off the air, but claims she was brutally attacked near her Manhattan apartment are bogus, her lawyer and a police source said today.  —  Fellow host Jon Elliott claimed on the liberal radio network …

The Real Iraq We Knew  —  Today marks five years since the authorization of military force in Iraq, setting Operation Iraqi Freedom in motion.  Five years on, the Iraq war is as undermanned and under-resourced as it was from the start.  And, five years on, Iraq is in shambles.

Rudy In 1996: "I'm Really Not" A Republican Mayor  —  As part of his efforts to win over GOP primary voters, Rudy Giuliani has repeatedly said that he governed New York city as Mayor by adhering to Republican and conservative principles.  —  Today, for instance, Rudy said that he "gave my blood" …

Lynne Cheney: 'Dick and Barack Obama are eighth cousins.'  —  In an MSNBC interview today, host Norah O'Donnell asked Lynne Cheney her views on Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D-NY) presidential campaign and whether "America is ready for a woman president."  Cheney replied that she actually has a "certain bias":

Putin and Iran  —  Vladimir Putin's warnings against military action against Iran deserve to be taken very seriously.  Since we're not contemplating actually conquering Iran and trying to occupy its territory, people need to understand that the post-strike diplomatic environment …

After Nobel, Support for Gore Presidential Bid Remains Limited  —  Gore's favorable rating improves to 58% in new poll  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Former Vice President Al Gore has added the Nobel Peace Prize to the collection of awards he has won this year, which also includes an Academy Award and an Emmy.

Ron Paul's America  —  This is Patrick Ruffini's map of where Ron Paul is getting his money.  The strength in the Mountain West is impressive, if unsurprising.  The hostility of the South to his message of individual liberty is also no big whup.  Stuart Benjamin notices how evenly spread Paul's money-base …

Iraq demands Blackwater leave the country  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki asked the U.S. State Department to "pull Blackwater out of Iraq," after an Iraqi probe concluded that the private contractors committed unprovoked and random killings in a September 16 shooting, an adviser to al-Maliki told CNN.

CBS' Logan: 'We're doing extremely badly' in Iraq.  —  Last night on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CBS News' Chief Foreign Correspondent Lara Logan was asked, "How are we doing" in Iraq?  Logan responded, "It's much worse than the picture, the image we even have of Iraq": … Watch it:

Democrats split on genocide resolution  —  Democrats are split on the value of bringing a controversial Armenian genocide resolution to a floor vote.  —  Five House Democrats plan to hold a news conference Wednesday to urge their leadership not to bring the resolution to the floor …

McConnell Aide Acknowledges That He Tried To Spread Bogus Smear Of Graeme Frost  —  Check this out: An aide to GOP leader Mitch McConnell has acknowledged in an interview with Kentucky's Courier-Journal that he actively sought to alert reporters to the wingnut smearing of 12-year-old SCHIP posterkid Graeme Frost:

Six Degrees Of Your Privacy  —  In case you were wondering about the need for individual, particularized warrants for American citizens under FISA, wonder no more: … Beyond the blatant attempt at fobbing this onto the government by playing the "we're just being patriotic and who are we to ask questions" …