Urgent: Letter from Intelligence, Military, Diplomatic, and Law Enforcement Professionals  —  PREFACE:  —  A group of distinguished intelligence and military officers, diplomats, and law enforcement professionals delivered an urgent message this morning to the chairman and the ranking minority member …

Paul Raises More Than $3.5 Million  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, aided by an extraordinary outpouring of Internet support Monday, hauled in more than $3.5 million in 20 hours.  —  Paul, the Texas congressman with a Libertarian tilt and an out-of-Iraq pitch …

Rosie O'Donnell in Talks to Join MSNBC  —  Rosie O'Donnell, who abruptly left "The View" on ABC last spring after drawing attention and ratings for her opinions on everything from the Iraq war to her co-hosts, is in serious discussions to return to television atop a new soapbox …

Supermodel 'rejects dollar pay'  —  The world's richest model has reportedly reacted in her own way to the sliding value of the US dollar - by refusing to be paid in the currency.  —  Gisele Bündchen is said to be keen to avoid the US currency because of uncertainty over its strength.

EDWARDS ON IRAN: FLIPPING OR FLOPPING?  —  If you watched the Democratic debate, you know that most of the candidates disagreed with Hillary Clinton about her vote on a non-binding resolution addressing Iran and the declaration of the Revolutionary Guard there as a terrorist organization.

White House Tells Musharraf: Never 'Restrict Constitutional Freedoms' To Fight Terror  —  During today's White House press briefing, spokeswoman Dana Perino condemned Gen. Pervez Musharraf's declaration of "emergency rule" in Pakistan.  She said that the administration is "deeply disappointed" …

Terrorists are 'running out of people to kill,' says Obey  —  If violence is decreasing in Iraq, it may be because insurgents "are running out of people to kill," House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) said Monday.  —  "There are fewer targets of opportunity," Obey said in a speech to the National Press Club.

Stephen Colbert Drops Presidential Bid … NEW YORK (AP) - Stephen Colbert has dropped his bid for the White House.  —  His announcement came after the South Carolina Democratic Executive Council voted last week to keep the host of "The Colbert Report" off the state's primary ballot.  The vote was 13-3.

Thompson advisor steps down  —  Philip J. Martin, a key fundraiser for the GOP presidential candidate, has a record for selling drugs.  The campaign says it will no longer use his jet for travel.  —  BEDFORD, N.H. — A top fundraiser with a criminal record for selling drugs resigned from the campaign of presidential hopeful Fred.

Limbaugh Attacks!  —  Rush Limbaugh went after a young HS graduate on his radio show because she broke down and cried talking about the environment and Global Warming.  —  via email: … Download (40) |  Play (42)  —  The Gavel has the video of her testimony. … (Read the rest of this story...)

Special Comment: George Bush's Criminal Conspiracy of Torture  —  In his latest fire-breathing Special Comment Keith tears into President Bush for firing a true patriot that spoke out against torture, while cowardly and simultaneously ordering others to commit the very same heinous crime.

GUILIANI'S FLIP-FLOP ON HEALTH INSURANCE FOR KIDS.  —  In his campaign for president, Rudolph Giuliani keeps suggesting that his experience as a prostate cancer survivor makes him uniquely qualified to evaluate the American health care system.  To judge from his recent pronouncements …

Romney scores a big conservative endorsement  —  Score another touchdown for Mitt Romney in the Republican struggle for the party's conservative family values base.  —  The former Massachusetts governor has just received the endorsement of Paul Weyrich, an influential conservative leader …

Can the Democrats Own Prosperity?  —  And can they exorcise the ghost of Jimmy Carter?  —  In America, politics is usually like the weather, changing from day to day in ways that are often capricious, rarely meaningful, but always useful as fodder for unproductive conversation.