Pat Robertson Endorses Rudy: Deems Him 'More Than Acceptable to People of Faith'  —  Pat Robertson, one of the most influential figures in the social conservative movement, announced his support for Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid this morning at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. [Watch the video below]

Thanks and Praise  —  Thanks and Praise: I photographed men and women, both Christians and Muslims, placing a cross atop the St. John's Church in Baghdad.  They had taken the cross from storage and a man washed it before carrying it up to the dome.  —  A Muslim man had invited the American soldiers from …

Good as Gold  —  Kevin Drum calls Ron Paul a "fruitcake" and demands that you—yes, you!—stop taking him so damn seriously. … Dean Barnett trods some of the same territory, arguing that Paul is a crazy candidate for crazy people who won't run on sensible ideas like doubling Gitmo and moving …

U.S. Aid to Musharraf is Largely Untraceable Cash Transfers  —  After Pervez Musharraf declared martial law this weekend, Condoleezza Rice vowed to review U.S. assistance to Pakistan, one of the largest foreign recipients of American aid.  Musharraf, of course, has been a crucial American ally since …

Girl gets detention for hugging  —  Illinois middle school bans public displays of affection; parents urge change  —  MASCOUTAH, Ill. - Two hugs equals two days of detention for 13-year-old Megan Coulter.  —  The eighth-grader was punished for violating a school policy banning public displays …

Election 2008: New Hampshire Democratic Primary  —  New Hampshire: Clinton Lead Shrinks to 10 Points  —  Senator Hillary Clinton's lead in the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire Primary has fallen to its lowest level of the season.  —  The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone poll …

Ex-Navy Instructor Promises to Hit Back If Attacked on Torture  —  Malcolm Nance, good-spirited though he is, is a pugnacious guy.  Nearly 20 years' service in the Navy, including time instructing would-be Navy SEALs how to resist and survive torture if captured.  Intelligence and counterterrorism expert.

House Passes ENDA  —  The House has just passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), H.R. 3685, by a vote of 235-184.  Watch highlights of the afternoon's debate >>  —  Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke in favor of the bill shortly before passage:

'All modern discoveries are by Muslim scientists'  —  LAHORE: Muslim scientists have made all discoveries of the current age, said University of Columbia's Arabic and Islamic Studies prof George Saliba at a seminar at the Government College University (GCU) on Monday.

Court strikes down Jan. 15 primary  —  Voter participation lists called unconstitutional  —  Michigan's star-crossed bid to leap to the head of the presidential primary nominating process appeared to go up in smoke Wednesday as an Ingham County Circuit Court judge ruled that a provision …

Countdown: Impeachment Impediment  —  Keith Olbermann brings my favorite talking head, Air America's Rachel Maddow, to discuss the fumbling and cowardly manner in which Dennis Kucinich's motion to impeach Dick Cheney was handled yesterday. … I know from the contents of my email inbox …

Report: Abstinence not curbing teen sex  —  WASHINGTON - Programs that focus exclusively on abstinence have not been shown to affect teenager sexual behavior, although they are eligible for tens of millions of dollars in federal grants, according to a study released by a nonpartisan group that seeks to reduce teen pregnancies.

Gunmen open fire on Venezuelan protesters  —  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Gunmen opened fire on students, killing at least one, as they were returning from a march Wednesday at which 80,000 people denounced President Hugo Chavez's attempts to expand his power.  —  At least one person was killed and six were wounded, officials said.

Interview of the President by RTL and N-TV, German TV  —  Q Mr. President, in a couple of days the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel will come to your ranch, which I think is a special privilege.  What will you do with her on the ranch on a weekend like that?

Giuliani Is Still Standing By Questionable Figures  —  The former New York mayor would have us believe that he was off by one percentage point at most in calculating his chances of surviving prostate cancer in Britain.  In fact, he was spectacularly wrong the first time and equally wrong the second time.