A Vote for Justice  —  I AM voting today to support Michael B. Mukasey for attorney general for one critical reason: the Department of Justice — once the crown jewel among our government institutions — is a shambles and is in desperate need of a strong leader, committed to depoliticizing the agency's operations.

WHY ACTORS AND MODELS LOVE TO HANG OUT WITH HUGO CHÁVEZ.  —  Ninety years ago this week, a Bolshevik mob stormed the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, arrested the provisional government, and installed a "dictatorship of the proletariat" in its place.  Though the Russian revolution …

The Paul-Bearers Carry On [David Freddoso]  —  Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) ended Guy Fawkes Day having done something no Republican has ever done before.  He raised almost $4 million over the Internet without spending so much as a thin dime (beyond transaction fees, of course).

Climate Is a Risky Issue for Democrats  —  All of the leading Democratic contenders for the presidency are committed to a set of cuts in greenhouse gas emissions that would change the way Americans light their homes, fuel their automobiles and do their jobs, costing billions of dollars …

Cheney impeachment ready for a vote: To table it  —  It now looks as if Rep. Dennis Kucinich's effort to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney will finally come to a vote today - but not the vote for which supporters have been hoping.  —  With Democrats averse to opening an intramural debate …

Immigration chief sorry over party costume  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Department of Homeland Security will investigate a Halloween costume party hosted by a top immigration official and attended by a man dressed in a striped prison outfit, dreadlocks and darkened skin make-up …

Clinton Defends Wife on Licenses  —  LAS VEGAS (AP) — Former President Clinton on Monday compared Republican criticism of his wife's position on driver's license for illegal immigrants to the ads that helped sink John Kerry's White House hopes in 2004.  —  "I had the feeling that at the end …

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.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words  —  One of Sunlight's resident creative geniuses (yes, there are many of them) have taken all the Defense Appropriations Earmarks and made them available for viewing within Google Earth.  (You can only view this using Google Earth which you can download from this page.)

Even Fred Thompson doubts he'll be president  —  Even Fred Thompson doesn't think he will become president.  Chatting off-air to a television reporter, a stunningly candid off-the-cuff quip from the Hollywood actor cemented the impression that his heart is not in the 2008 race.

Stop lying to yourself.  You love Dennis Kucinich  —  Dear Democrats:  —  It has recently come to my attention that you (and by "you" I also mean "I") are in the grip of mass self-delusion.  It's long entrenched, and reinforced every night as many of you swig your beers or glasses of wine …

Ousted Chief Justice in Pakistan Urges Defiance  —  In a telephone address to lawyers in Pakistan's capital, the ousted chief justice of the Supreme Court urged them today to continue to defy the state of emergency imposed by the president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

THE GOLDEN WINGNUT AWARD....The Wingnut Contest is over and the votes have now been tallied by the prestigious accounting firm of Pollhost.com.  So without further ado, the five winners of the Golden Wingnut Award are:  — John Hinderaker: "It must be very strange to be President Bush.

Cable Channel Nods to Ratings and Leans Left  —  Riding a ratings wave from "Countdown With Keith Olbermann," a program that takes strong issue with the Bush administration, MSNBC is increasingly seeking to showcase its nighttime lineup as a welcome haven for viewers of a similar mind.

Farm payments benefited legislators  —  WASHINGTON — When the bill that would extend farm subsidies for five years goes to the Senate floor this week, eight senators will have special reason to pay close attention: They or their relatives collected about $3 million in federal payments from 1995 to 2005 …