Democrats remain stalled on Iraq debate  —  As the congressional session lurches toward a close, Democrats are confronting some demoralizing arithmetic on Iraq.  —  The numbers tell a story of political and substantive paralysis more starkly than most members are willing to acknowledge publicly, or perhaps even to themselves.

La. Pol's 'Buckwheat' Remark Sparks Ire  —  HOUMA, La. (AP) — A white state lawmaker in a runoff election called a black civil-rights veteran who had helped her campaign "Buckwheat," prompting the NAACP to urge voters to kick her out of office.  —  Rep. Carla Blanchard Dartez, a Democrat …

A Not-So-Perfect Picture of Party Unity  —  On both sides of the ticket, the presidential nominating contest is growing increasingly combative, as voters may well witness Thursday during a debate in Las Vegas among the Democratic candidates.  —  So how is John Edwards feeling …

Court takes no action on gun case  —  The Supreme Court on Tuesday announced no action on a new case testing the meaning of the Second Amendment — an issue the Court has not considered in 68 years.  The Orders List contained no mention of either the District of Columbia's appeal (07-290) …

A 'FORGOTTEN' WAR  —  AS IRAQ IMPROVES, COVERAGE DRIES UP  —  LAST weekend's news coverage of our veterans was welcome, but deceptive.  The "mainstream media" honored aging heroes and noted the debt we owe to today's wounded warriors - but deftly avoided in-depth coverage from Iraq.  Why?

Your FCC At Work  —  In the most bizarre example yet of GOP corporate welfare, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has taken to the op-ed page of the New York Times to propose that — in order to save the newspaper industry — big-city papers should now be permitted to purchase a television or radio station in their market.

'Hidden Costs' Double Price Of Two Wars, Democrats Say  —  The economic costs to the United States of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan so far total approximately $1.5 trillion, according to a new study by congressional Democrats that estimates the conflicts' "hidden costs"— including higher oil prices …

Bush pushes budget fight with Democrats  —  NEW ALBANY, Ind. - President Bush, escalating his budget battle with Congress, on Tuesday vetoed a spending measure for health and education programs prized by congressional Democrats.  —  He also signed a big increase in the Pentagon's non-war budget although …

Giuliani Campaign Tries to Minimize Fallout From Kerik Indictment  —  Aides to former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani worked yesterday to bat down the perception that his bid for the Republican presidential nomination had suffered after Friday's indictment of Bernard B. Kerik, his longtime ally and former business partner.

Movin' On Up  —  A Treasury study refutes populist hokum about "income inequality."  —  If you've been listening to Mike Huckabee or John Edwards on the Presidential trail, you may have heard that the U.S. is becoming a nation of rising inequality and shrinking opportunity.

Clinton vs. Giuliani, The Sequel?  —  Front-runners Were Rivals in 2000 Senate Race, but Who Do Their Supporters Prefer Now?  —  Even by the larger-than-life standards of New York politics, the campaign to retire Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan's open seat in 2000 was a monumental battle.

WHY THE STATES ARE STANDING BY THEIR OUTDATED, MESSY LETHAL-INJECTION PROTOCOLS.  —  It's unofficial: The country is in the throes of a de facto moratorium on the death penalty.  In the wake of a Supreme Court decision in September to take a case testing the constitutionality …

What Makes a Terrorist  —  It's not poverty and lack of education, according to economic research by Princeton's ALAN KRUEGER.  Look elsewhere.  —  In the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, policymakers, scholars, and ordinary citizens asked a key question …