Obama: Tax more income for Soc Sec  —  WASHINGTON - Democrat Barack Obama said Sunday that if elected he will push to increase the amount of income that is taxed to provide monthly Social Security benefits.  —  Obama and other Democratic presidential candidates previously have signaled support for this idea.

Journalism as Sadism  —  Garance Franke-Ruta reports from Iowa on the Village's field trip: "The joke last night at the Hotel Fort Des Moines bar is that the last thing you want to do the morning after a potentially-momentum generating speech is go on Meet the Press with Tim Russert, because he's such a tough questioner."

Armitage on the Leak  —  Richard Armitage appeared on CNN today, discussing Pakistan but also addressing his role as the original leaker in the CIA leak affair.  He took the blame for leaking Valerie Plame Wilson's identity, but he also gave us a bit more evidence to show that …

Al Qaeda fighters, ex-insurgents clash  —  18 killed in battle north of Baghdad  —  Members of an armed group of local residents passed US soldiers in Baghdad's mostly Sunni Azamiyah neighborhood.  Such residents helped US and Iraqi forces patrol the streets yesterday.  (Khalid Mohammed/associated press)

US strike on Iran 'not being prepared'  —  The Pentagon is not preparing a pre-emptive attack on Iran in spite of an increase in bellicose rhetoric from Washington, according to senior officers.  —  Admiral William Fallon, head of Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East …

FORMER CONTROVERSIAL CONGRESSMAN CHARGED WITH DWI  —  DN Capitol Bureau Chief Joe Mahoney reports:  —  Former Rep. John Sweeney was charged with aggravated DWI when he was pulled over by State Police early this morning on the Northway with a 23-year-old woman in his car, police told the Daily News.

Top U.S. official backs Georgia's embattled leader  —  The top U.S. official for the Caucasus praised Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili on Sunday for his leadership over the last 4 years, but suggested he lift a state of emergency and restore an independent media.

'I'll Sell My Soul to the Devil'  —  Corruption Scandals Involve Alaska's Biggest Political Names  —  ANCHORAGE — When the FBI came looking for corruption in Alaska politics, it found an excellent perch in Suite 604 of the Baranof Hotel in Juneau, the state capital.

Earmarks, favors: Young used position for funds and his donors' projects  —  WASHINGTON — As chairman of the House transportation committee, Alaska Congressman Don Young flew at least three times to upstate New York aboard a jet owned by Robert Congel, an ambitious shopping mall developer seeking federal highway money.

The Public Editor: Green reporter, Green Zone dispute, red-hot rhetoric  —  Story appeared in FORUM section, Page E3  —  When The Bee's Bobby Caina Calvan volunteered for a six-week reporting stint in Iraq, he didn't have the faintest notion he would be nominated for an award.

Gifts of Thanks for the Troops  —  BAGHDAD — As the veterans of World War II pass too quickly into history, their ranks are being replaced by a new "greatest generation."  The war on terrorism is creating veterans at a rate not seen in decades.  —  Yet the military is much smaller …