Krugman vs. Krugman  —  In liberal Democratic circles, the debate over Social Security has taken a dangerous "don't worry, be happy" turn.  —  The argument has two equally dishonest components.  The first is to deny that Social Security faces a daunting financing problem …

Democratic 2008 presidential race tightens: Reuters poll  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The 2008 Democratic presidential race has tightened, with Barack Obama gaining on front-runner Hillary Clinton six weeks before the first contest, according to a national Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.

Road From Damascus  —  Iraqis are voting with their feet by returning home after exile  —  The figures are hard to estimate precisely but the process could involve hundreds of thousands of people.  The numbers are certainly large enough, as we report today, for a mass convoy to be planned next week …

LAWYERS, GUNS & WASHINGTON  —  DC GUN BAN A TOUGH TEST FOR COURT  —  BY deciding yesterday to hear the District of Columbia's appeal of the federal court ruling that overturned DC's gun ban, the Supreme Court has ensured that gun control and gun rights will play a major role in the coming election …

Bush More Emphatic In Backing Musharraf  —  President Bush yesterday offered his strongest support of embattled Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, saying the general "hasn't crossed the line" and "truly is somebody who believes in democracy."

A Scientific Advance, a Political Question Mark  —  The discovery that it is possible to create equivalents to embryonic stem cells without destroying embryos has the potential to reshape — and perhaps defuse — the acrimonious political debate that has raged ever since human embryonic stem cells were discovered in 1998.

Joe Klein: Both factually false and stuck in the 1980s  —  For the sake of its own credibility, Time Magazine needs immediately to prohibit Joe Klein from uttering another word about the eavesdropping and FISA controversy.  He simply doesn't know what he's talking about and he publishes demonstrably false statements.

Rudy defends Obama's discussion of previous drug use  —  Chicago, IL — Rudy Giuliani declared that Americans should not expect a "pretense of perfection" from candidates running for office and says he respects Barack Obama's "honesty" for discussing his previous drug use with a group of high schoolers today.

The Tragedy of the Commons  —  Every year around this time, schoolchildren are taught about that wonderful day when Pilgrims and Native Americans shared the fruits of the harvest.  "Isn't sharing wonderful?" say the teachers.  —  They miss the point.  —  Because of sharing, the first Thanksgiving in 1623 almost didn't happen.

Democrats Move to Block Bush Appointments  —  Who says the Senate cannot act quickly?  It conducted a full day's business in less than 30 seconds on Tuesday.  —  Of course, there was no real business to conduct.  But fearing that President Bush would again use a Congressional recess …

G.O.P. Rivals Trade Charges on Illegal Immigration  —  The back and forth between Mitt Romney's and Rudolph W. Giuliani's presidential campaigns over illegal immigration continued yesterday, with each side impugning the other's record on the issue.  —  Mr. Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts …

Military Says Bonus Letter Was A 'Mistake'  —  A KDKA investigation is getting national attention and results for a wounded soldier from Mt. Lebanon and perhaps thousands of others.  —  The Army ordered Jordan Fox to return thousands of dollars in bonus money because his injuries prevented him from completing his tour.

Ruling Will Cripple Probes Of Lawmakers, U.S. Says  —  A little-noticed aspect of an appellate court decision could sharply limit investigations of members of Congress and hamper ongoing corruption probes, the Justice Department said this week in a motion seeking an emergency stay of the ruling.

Huckabee Makes Crucial Gains Among GOP Base  —  GOP Underdog Says Caucus Momentum Will Propel Campaign to Party Nomination  —  Propelled by little more than his message and political skills, Republican presidential contender former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has vaulted into a statistical dead heat …

The Secular Priesthood  —  From a reader: … Me: I think this a good point and I'm actually very sympathetic to this sort of analysis.  For example, I think political correctness is a secular version of sumptuary laws and manners (that doesn't mean I'm a fan of political correctness).