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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

Marcos . . . Pinochet . . . Musharraf?  —  Islamist barbarians are at the gates.  The president declares de facto martial law.  The country's democratic forces of the center and left, led by well-dressed lawyers and a former prime minister, take to the streets.  —  What is America to do about Pakistan?

Bad news for Hugo?  —  Chavez is deeply in debt to the Chinese, having borrowed $4 billion just this week.  In exchange, he's saying that Venezuela will double its exports of oil to China, … Minister of Energy and Petroleum and President of Petroleos de Venezuela, Rafael Ramirez claims …

Stop the Madness  —  I had wondered if there was a bit of an overreaction by me and others to Obama's Social Security language which was why I tried to explain our hypersensitivity to the issue.  Turns out there was no overreaction.  Obama is peddling  —  the "social security crisis" narrative.

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 …

Rage of Reason  —  It's official: Bush Derangement Syndrome is now a full-blown epidemic.  George W. Bush apparently has reduced more of his fellow citizens to frustrated, sputtering rage than any president since opinion polling began, with the possible exception of Richard Nixon.

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 …

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.

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 …