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 …

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) …

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 …

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.

Dems Tie Up Fiscal 2008 Appropriations Bill in Pork  —  WASHINGTON — Despite the Democrats' pledge to get control of their addiction to wasteful spending, their mountain of pork-barrel provisions has prevented Congress from passing its appropriations bills for fiscal year 2008.

'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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Righting Reagan's Wrongs?  —  Let's set the record straight on Ronald Reagan's campaign kickoff in 1980.  —  Early one morning in the late spring of 1964, Dr. Carolyn Goodman, her husband, Robert, and their 17-year-old son, David, said goodbye to David's brother, Andrew, who was 20.

Lotta Cuts  —  Okay, we're starting to get some good tips to help us flesh out Rudy's new promise that he'll replace only 50% of federal workers slated to retire over the next decade.  —  TPM Reader JR points us to this article in Government Executive magazine that notes that ...

Voters dismiss 'piling on' charge  —  Most Americans reject the charge that other presidential candidates are "piling on" Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, according to a new Fox 5/The Washington Times/Rasmussen Reports poll.  —  Only 25 percent of voters said recent criticism …

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 …