Bush: 'I Am Relevant'  —  A defensive President Bush insisted that he was still relevant this morning in a news conference dominated by his bitter complaints about the Democratic Congress.  —  Asked how he found himself vetoing a children's health insurance bill that had passed Congress …

Both Parties Have Strengths in "SCHIP" Debate  —  Democrats generally preferred, but Bush's counterarguments have support  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The Beltway debate over a bill reauthorizing federal funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is moving beyond the attempt …

Posted by: Lallye of she changes movement's why!  8:19am today  —  As soon as the page opened, I immediately and definitely saw clockwise, even before I saw the question.  I tried for several minutes to see anit-clockwise.  Could almost catch a glimpse by looking to the right or left …

Mukasey Calls Torture 'Antithetical' to American Way  —  That was, um, unexpected.  Not only did Michael Mukasey repudiate the so-called 2002 "torture memo" signed by Office of Legal Counsel chief Jay Bybee — which appears to have survived in spirit, if not in letter — but he compared U.S. torture to the Holocaust.

Stephen Colbert: I am running for president  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Stephen Colbert has announced his candidacy for president on "The Colbert Report," tossing his satirical hat into the ring of an already crowded race.  —  "I shall seek the office of the president of the United States," …

A Line in the Sand.  Putting Everyone on the Record.  —  The House is voting today on FISA legislation, the Democrats have played petty politics with this bill.  As currently written, many of America's national security experts are concerned that it will limit their ability to protect this country.

Morgan Stanley Sells Entire New York Times Stake  —  Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) — Morgan Stanley, the second-biggest shareholder in New York Times Co., sold its entire stake today, according to a person briefed on the transaction, sending the stock to its lowest in more than 10 years.

Imagine If A Democrat Had Done This, Part 9,487  —  Here's a question: When are the cable nets and the Capitol Hill press and the pundits going to dig into the role that GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell played in pushing the smear of the Frost family?  —  It needs to be said that reporters …

Rudy's Doin' It!  —  Battle Stations!  Shocked Cacophony Among New York Democrats That Rudy They Know May Actually Become Republican Candidate; 'Romney Is Entitled to Three Wives,' Says Charlie Rangel  —  EDITION OF THE NEW YORK OBSERVER.  —  Philip Burke  —  Rudy-lot!

Birth-Control Foe To Run Office on Family Planning  —  The Bush administration again has appointed a chief of family planning programs at the Department of Health and Human Services who has been critical of contraception.  —  Susan Orr, most recently an associate commissioner in the Administration …

Packaging 9/11, Terror and the War in Iraq  —  The language used to talk about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the language used to take the nation to war in Iraq have been so interlaced that polls show they are inextricably linked in the minds of a substantial number of voters.

Law Firm's Gifts Bring Questions After Guilty Pleas  —  Over the years, as it became Exhibit A for critics of shareholders' class-action lawsuits, the law firm of Milberg Weiss often enjoyed the support of Democrats who called the suits an invaluable weapon in the universal conflict between big business and the little guy.

Republican to Democrats: Watch Out  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — What does a special election in Massachusetts have to do with next year's battle for Congress?  —  A lot, Republicans hope.  The Democrat beat the Republican in Tuesday's contest, but the GOP sees victory in defeat.

Republican Iowa Caucus  —  Iowa: Romney 25% Thompson 19% Huckabee 18%  —  The first Rasmussen Reports poll of the Iowa Republican Caucus for 2008 finds former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney enjoying a six-point lead while former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee …

Patrick will endorse Obama, officials say  —  Obama lent Patrick a helping hand in last year's governor's race.  —  Governor Deval Patrick is throwing his support to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, an endorsement that will give the Illinois senator a much needed boost …

TB-tainted man crosses border 76 times  —  A Mexican national infected with a highly contagious form of tuberculosis crossed the U.S. border 76 times and took multiple domestic flights in the last year, according to Customs and Border Protection interviews and documents obtained by The Washington Times.