Clinton Gets an Instant Chance to Wield a New Weapon  —  It used to be that when a campaign had an argument with a news report, it put out a mass e-mail message disputing the offending item.  That was a huge technological leap from the fax machine.  —  Now even e-mail may be growing quaint.

What happened to the Senate's "60-vote requirement"?  —  Every time Congressional Democrats failed this year to stop the Bush administration (i.e., every time they "tried"), the excuse they gave was that they "need 60 votes in the Senate" in order to get anything done.

Obama Picks Up a Coveted Endorsement in N.H.  —  Barack Obama has just picked up a fairly important endorsement in New Hampshire.  —  Lenore Patton is the chairwoman of the Rockingham County Democrats and— like every other party leader in NH — had been relentlessly  —  courted by the Clinton campaign.

History and Calumny  —  Today, I'm going to write about a slur.  It's a distortion that's been around for a while, but has spread like a weed over the past few months.  It was concocted for partisan reasons: to flatter the prejudices of one side, to demonize the other and to simplify …

Kerik's Corruption Case Dogs Giuliani  —  The scene outside the old Victorian-style courthouse in Dubuque on Thursday morning showed that the indictment of Bernard B. Kerik is at the very least a big distraction for Rudolph W. Giuliani's presidential campaign.

A Failure to Lead  —  The Democratic Congress is more interested in acting out than in taking positive action.  —  This week is the one-year anniversary of Democrats winning Congress.  But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid probably aren't in a celebrating mood.

Things Are Tough All Over  —  But Mrs. Clinton is no Iron Lady.  —  The story as I was told it is that in the early years of her prime ministership, Margaret Thatcher held a meeting with her aides and staff, all of whom were dominated by her, even awed.  When it was over she invited …

Huge offshore oil discovery in Brazil  —  RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) — A huge offshore oil discovery could raise Brazil's petroleum reserves by a whopping 40 percent and boost this country into the ranks of the world's major exporters, officials said.  —  The government-run oil company …

Rove Decries 'Nutty' 'Vitriolic' Bloggers Who Spew 'Bad Words'  —  Yesterday, ThinkProgress attended a Yahoo-sponsored Citizen 2.0 event in Washington, DC, at which Karl Rove discussed the intersection of politics and the Internet.  Rove lamented the loss of civility in politics on the web …

Huckabee's Salvation  —  Dr. James Dobson, who has largely been made irrelevant to the 2008 Republican presidential race, has apparently found his man, and according to an adviser, is ready to change the landscape of the Republican nomination race.  —  "He is the leader of the evangelical …

UPDATE 3-S&P says State St-managed CDO liquidating assets  —  The trustee of a $1.5 billion collateralised debt obligation (CDO) managed by State Street Global Advisors has started selling assets, apparently starting a process of liquidation, Standard & Poor's said late on Thursday.

New Jersey Rep. Saxton to Retire  —  Rep. Jim Saxton, the twelve-term Republican from New Jersey's 3rd District, plans to retire after his current term, an announcement that could come as early as today, according to sources familiar with his decision.  —  Saxton's retirement opens up a seat …

BlogWorld Expo Panel Discussion: Raising The Level Of Discourse  —  One of the difficulties of attending an event like BlogWorld Expo is the sheer busy-ness that accompanies it.  I'm exhibiting for BlogTalkRadio as well as being a speaker at the expo, and still trying to get around to see some of the offerings by other vendors.

Pakistan's Bhutto released from house arrest  —  ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was freed from house arrest late on Friday, hours after she was stopped from leaving her Islamabad home to lead a rally against the president's imposition of emergency rule.

Waterboarding Is Torture, Says Ex-Navy Instructor  —  A former Navy survival instructor subjected to waterboarding as part of his military training told Congress yesterday that the controversial tactic should plainly be considered torture and that such a method was never intended for use …

Biden: Democrats have lost faith in the American people  —  Sen. Joe Biden said in an interview at the New Hampshire Union Leader this afternoon that too many Democrats, including the frontrunners for the presidential nomination, do not have faith in the American people.