Pardon Me?  —  Hillary Clinton Takes Cash From Recipients of Husband's Controversial Pardons  —  Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., speaks about her health care policy on Sept. 18, 2007.  An examination of Clinton's fundraising donors reveals three donors …

Saudi punishes gang rape victim with 200 lashes  —  A court in the ultra-conservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia is punishing a female victim of gang rape with 200 lashes and six months in jail, a newspaper reported on Thursday.  —  The 19-year-old woman — whose six armed attackers …

Americans Widely Disappointed With Democrats in Congress  —  Majority more displeased than content with handling of seven issues  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Amidst a swirl of public dissatisfaction about the Iraq war, the economy, government corruption, and with President Bush more generally …

Karl Rove Hired As Newsweek Contributor To 'Balance' Markos  —  Earlier this week, Newsweek announced that it is hiring DailyKos founder Markos Moulitsas as a contributor for the 2008 presidential campaign, offering occasional opinion pieces.  Markos said, "Newsweek is 'balancing …

The Icebergs Ahead For the Democrats  —  As the Democratic presidential race finally gets down to brass tacks, two issues are becoming paramount.  But only one of them is clearly on the table.  —  That is the issue of illegal immigration.  A very smart Democrat, a veteran of the Clinton administration …

Iraqis Wasting An Opportunity, U.S. Officers Say  —  With Attacks Ebbing, Government Is Urged to Reach Out to Opponents  —  CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq — Senior military commanders here now portray the intransigence of Iraq's Shiite-dominated government as the key threat facing the U.S. effort in Iraq …

Dems: No More Transparency  —  For those wondering why Democrats in Congress get such terrible grades in Gallup's latest polling, it might be because of moves like this one: … It's stunning that Congressional leaders would propose a new law to block Congress and the public from simply reviewing the details of the federal budget.

Mr. Chavez's Coup  —  TENS OF thousands of Venezuelan students marched to the Supreme Court in Caracas last week to protest the new "socialist" constitutional reform that President Hugo Chavez is preparing to impose on the country.  On their return, students from the Central University …

New Attorney General opposes changes to wiretap law  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — In his second day on the job, Attorney General Michael Mukasey leaped into the political fray, telling a key Democratic senator he opposes his electronic surveillance plan and would recommend the president veto it if it is passed.

O'Malley draws line with Democrats  —  Backing abortion rights candidates 'borders on scandal'  —  BALTIMORE - Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston, saying the Democratic Party has been persistently hostile to opponents of abortion rights, asserted yesterday that the support of many Catholics …

Graham may seek to pull plug on Maliki  —  In a move that could give cover to Republicans in an increasingly tough election year, one of the Bush administration's most steadfast supporters in the Senate is indicating that he may introduce legislation later this year that could alter the administration's Iraq policy.

Mitt Romney: Perfect tough guy for right-wing war cheerleaders  —  A New York Times profile this morning details what Mitt Romney was doing during the Vietnam War.  Although the article reflects quite poorly on his character, it demonstrates why his candidacy is resonating among our country's right-wing war-cheerleading faction.