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 …

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.

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?

Say It Enough Times It Must Be True  —  First the Clinton campaign whines that the other candidates were picking on the girl.  Then, standing up to Russert is like standing up to Hitler.  Then Bill Clinton compared Russert to the Swift Boat Vets.  Now the Clinton campaign is warning Wolf Blizter that he better not "pull a Russert."

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.

The Daily Show  —  IN many towns and cities, the newspaper is an endangered species.  At least 300 daily papers have stopped publishing over the past 30 years.  Those newspapers that have survived are struggling financially.  Newspaper circulation has declined steadily for more than 10 years.

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 …

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 …

'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 …

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.

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 …

2 dead in bombing at Philippine Congress  —  MANILA, Philippines - A bomb exploded at an entrance of the Philippine House of Representatives late Tuesday, killing a congressman and a driver.  Police and soldiers in the capital went on high alert after the explosion, which injured nine people.

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 …