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 …

Edwards announces paid family leave plan  —  CONCORD, N.H. - When it comes to helping parents take time off from work, Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards is raising the stakes.  —  The former North Carolina senator on Tuesday will propose spending $2 billion a year …

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) …

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 …

Senate GOP leaders target earmarks  —  A multilevel operation aimed at harnessing the power of the Internet represents the most coordinated attack yet on earmarks, considered a cornerstone of legislative dealmaking for the way they have been used to induce votes and curry favor with supporters.

Note to HRC staffers: Trust your candidate  —  Does Hillary Clinton really need to plant questions?  —  Does the Clinton campaign really need to twist a college kid's arm to ask Clinton a question about climate change at a climate change event?  —  After Clinton toured a biodiesel plant in Newton …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Gays should be hanged, says Iranian minister  —  Homosexuals deserve to be executed or tortured and possibly both, an Iranian leader told British MPs during a private meeting at a peace conference, The Times has learnt.  —  Mohsen Yahyavi is the highest-ranked politician to admit …

Dances With Wolves...  is the real reason the Dems can't talk about, much less show their support for, the turnaround in Iraq.  Happy Feet is how they're working on their kids.  Rich points out that the press doesn't want to report improvement in Iraq.  Ralph Peters makes the same point …