Chris Dodd's leadership vs. Clinton and Obama's game playing  —  (updated below)  —  Chris Dodd appeared yesterday for a speech and Q&A session sponsored by FireDogLake regarding his commitment to doing everything possible to prevent telecom amnesty.  It can be viewed in its entirety here.

MEDIA MYTHS ABOUT THE JENA 6  —  A local journalist tells the story you haven't heard.  —  Republish  —  JENA, LA. - By now, almost everyone in America has heard of Jena, La., because they've all heard the story of the "Jena 6."  White students hanging nooses barely punished …

Bush is the biggest spender since LBJ  —  WASHINGTON — George W. Bush, despite all his recent bravado about being an apostle of small government and budget-slashing, is the biggest spending president since Lyndon B. Johnson.  In fact, he's arguably an even bigger spender than LBJ.

Tilting the Scales of Justice  —  Every time we take a look at the United States attorney scandal, more evidence emerges that Alberto Gonzales politicized the Justice Department to the point where it sometimes seems like a branch of the Republican National Committee.

Romney's Slip of Tongue Blurs Osama and Obama  —  Senator Barack Obama rallying a global terror movement?  Mitt Romney might have still been a bit bleary-eyed on Tuesday morning when he twice confused Mr. Obama with Osama bin Laden when referring to the latter's new recorded message for jihadists to fight in Iraq.

Clinton's White House years become a boon  —  Democratic voters are looking favorably on her experience as first lady, even on her failed healthcare effort, a poll finds.  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has neutralized the political fallout from some of the most difficult moments …

Remember Iraq  —  Boy, am I glad we finally got out of Iraq.  It was so painful waking up every morning and reading the news from there.  It's just such a relief to have it out of mind and behind us.  —  Huh?  Say what?  You say we're still there?  But how could that be — nobody in Washington is talking about it anymore?

Wilton: Romney endorsement a mistake  —  SPARTANBURG, S.C. (BP)—South Carolina pastor Don Wilton said Oct. 23 he made a "personal error" in agreeing to support the campaign of Mitt Romney for president.  —  The pastor of First Baptist Church in Spartanburg and a former president …

Thompson's N. H. window closing  —  A key supporter to former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) joined a rival campaign Tuesday morning, telling The Hill that Thompson is clearly not intending to campaign seriously in the first-in-the-nation primary state.  —  Former state Rep. Dan Hughes …

Sept 11 'not that terrible' says Doris Lessing  —  Doris Lessing, the Nobel Prize-winning British author, has called the attacks on New York on Sept 11, 2001, "not that terrible", compared to the campaign of terror waged by the IRA in the UK.  —  Lessing, 88, who won the Nobel Prize …

As Campaigns Chafe at Limits, Donors Might Be in Diapers  —  Elrick Williams's toddler niece Carlyn may be one of the youngest contributors to this year's presidential campaign.  The 2-year-old gave $2,300 to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).  —  So did her sister and brother, Imara, 13 …

New book says US uses 'methods of the most tyrannical regimes'  —  More than 100,000 pages of newly released government documents demonstrate how US military interrogators "abused, tortured or killed" scores of prisoners rounded up since Sept. 11, 2001, including some who were not even suspected …

Children's Health Yields to the Senators From Pork  —  The United States Senate yesterday was confronted with a stark choice: health care for children, or pet projects for lawmakers' home states.  —  The final tally?  —  Pet Projects 68, Kids 26.  —  In truth, the children never had a chance.

We, The People...  A little Schoolhouse Rock, and the Preamble to the US Constitution.  Enjoy.  —  Through a recent op-ed in the Daytona Beach News-Journal (H/T to reader WB for the link), I was reminded of the stark contrast between legislators and justices of a bygone era and those today.  To wit:

How to Cool the Globe  —  DESPITE growing interest in clean energy technology, it looks as if we are not going to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide anytime soon.  The amount in the atmosphere today exceeds the most pessimistic forecasts made just a few years ago, and it is increasing faster than anybody had foreseen.

Crunch Time  —  We are hearing that the violence in Iraq is decreasing.  —  And we all hear the phrase 'The Surge.'  —  But what is the surge?  How has it worked to decrease the violence?  —  In my upcoming movie, the viewer will get to see the surge from the inside …