Giuliani camp swings back after Kerik jabs  —  None of Rudy's GOP rivals wanted to dive headlong into the Kerik affair, but then a reporter went and asked McCain about it.  And, McCain being McCain, he spoke out … Tom Ridge, the first DHS Secretary, was traveling with McCain and offered …

Presto!  CNN Edits Pelosi's Quote To Make Her Say Dem Congress "Hasn't Done Anything"  —  I'm not sure anyone could outdo this one in terms of, shall we say, "creative" editing of quotes.  —  CNN ran a report this afternoon with the headline: "Record Anger At Congress."

Edwards: I'm closer to Obama than Clinton  —  Edwards seems to be saving his artillery for Hillary, and sought in Des Moines today to minimize the distance between himself and Obama.  —  "The differences between Sen. Clinton and myself are much more dramatic than the differences between …

Joe for VP  —  Bill Kristol has a typically provocative and noteworthy editorial now posted on the website of The Weekly Standard.  Bill points out that the MSM chose to ignore one of the most significant Senate speeches I can recall: Senator Joe Lieberman's critique of the Democratic party's …

Feinstein backs legal immunity for telecom firms in wiretap cases  —  Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Thursday that she favors legal immunity for telecommunications companies that allegedly shared millions of customers' telephone and e-mail messages and records with the government …

Lieberman's Latest  —  Courtesy of Sam Boyd, I see the Financial Times reporting on Joe Lieberman's views.  Apparently, the Wise One "argued that George W. Bush and the Republican presidential candidates remained truer than the Democratic party to its tradition of a 'moral, internationalist …

Why is this man smiling?  (Updated)  —  Just yesterday, Bush said (two posts back), "I've committed our troops into harm's way twice, and it's not a pleasant experience because I understand the consequences firsthand."  Today he went to an army medical facility and met some people who actually …

Two New Hampshire Polls Will Show Shrinking Clinton Lead  —  Two new reputable polls of New Hampshire Democratic Primary voters will show statistically significant drops in support for frontrtunner Hillary Clinton, Democrats who have seen those polls said today.

Clinton Campaign Confirms Planting Town Hall Question, Says It Won't Happen Again  —  SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton's campaign admitted Friday that it planted a global warming question in Newton, Iowa, Tuesday during a town hall meeting to discuss clean energy.

Reid Allowed Vote On Mukasey In Exchange For Military Funding Bill  —  Here's some more on what exactly happened in the negotiations that led up to the rushed confirmation of Michael Mukasey yesterday.  —  According to sources inside and outside the Democratic leadership …

Bush's bishops: Exit Iraq now  —  President Bush's church, long at odds with him on matters of public policy, called on the United States and its partners today to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq immediately.  —  The Bishops of the United Methodist Church approved a resolution calling on Bush …

LAPD defends Muslim mapping effort  —  PRAYERS: Worshipers arrive at the King Fahd Mosque on Friday.  Skeptics of the police program say U.S. Muslims are dispersed, reject extremism, are generally satisfied with their lives and have little in common with their counterparts in Europe, where low-income enclaves can breed terrorism.

Udall has decided to run for Senate  —  U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., has decided that he will run for the Senate seat being vacated by Pete Domenici next year.  —  Udall has called a number of Democratic Party insiders this week, including at least some county party chairs, to inform them of his decision, reliable sources confirmed.

Hamas says it will seize West Bank if Israel withdraws  —  JABALIYA, Gaza Strip (AFP) - A top Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip warned on Friday that the Islamist movement would seize control of the West Bank if Israel withdrew from the occupied territory.  —  "Israel says the party in power in Ramallah …

Mukasey Sworn In as Attorney General  —  Michael B. Mukasey was sworn in as attorney general this afternoon, less than a day after winning Senate confirmation despite Democratic criticism that he had failed to take an unequivocal stance against the torture of terror detainees.

DeLay: 'No American Is Denied Health Care In America'  —  Speaking in the UK yesterday, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) predicted that if a Democrat is elected president in 2008, he or she would seek to install universal health care, similar to the system in Britain.

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.