New poll shows Clinton trails top 2008 Republicans  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton trails five top Republican presidential contenders in general election match-ups, a drop in support from this summer, according to a poll released on Monday.

Trent Lott Fallout: The Gay Escort Who Knew Too Much  —  UPDATE, 5:30: "Here's my public comment, on-the-record: Sen. Lott and I have no current affiliation with one another.  I'm sure he would appreciate no further scrutiny," Benjamin Nicholas tells Big Head DC.  —  ORIGINAL:  —  Must credit Big Head DC:

Iraqis may offer US deal to stay longer  —  BAGHDAD - Iraq's government, seeking protection against foreign threats and internal coups, will offer the U.S. a long-term troop presence in Iraq in return for U.S. security guarantees as part of a strategic partnership, two Iraqi officials said Monday.

Gore meets Bush, declares it 'cordial... substantive'  —  Al Gore slipped out the side door of the West Wing.  —  In his private Oval Office meeting with President Bush, the former vice president insisted that they had spoken about global warming "the whole time.'' It wasn't clear if the winner …

Official: Bride, groom stopped in Iraq actually terror suspects  —  BAGHDAD (CNN) — Soldiers manning a checkpoint near Baghdad stopped a wedding convoy to find that the purported bride and groom were wanted terror suspects, an Iraqi Defense Ministry official said Monday.

A MUSLIM BELONGS IN THE CABINET  —  Muslims are uniquely qualified to help deter Islamist threats. … Mitt Romney tells good jokes.  I had the chance to hear a few of them this month at a political fundraiser in Las Vegas, where the Republican presidential contender gave his audience a few …

Ron Paul endorsed by Nevada brothel owner  —  Political contribution boxes to be left outside Carson City's BunnyRanch  —  RENO, Nev. - Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, an underdog Texas congressman with a libertarian streak, has picked up an endorsement from a Nevada brothel owner.

Poll: WGA wins hearts; studios retain muscle  —  Study: Guild gets point across better  —  To read Variety's strike survey, click here  —  As the WGA strike begins its fourth week, the outcome of Hollywood's first significant labor crisis in 20 years is anything but certain.

Hastert Resigns Tonight  —  After months of playing coy about when he would depart, Rep. J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) bid his official farewell to the House today.  —  The speaker for eight years, Hastert wrote letters to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill.) …

DPRK On The Verge Of Collapse?  —  Intelligence sources and other observers both here in the capital of the PRC and elsewhere in Asia are stating that they project a possible collapse of the North Korean regime within six months time.  —  Although there have been similar dire predictions made in the past …

Taking Marriage Private  —  WHY do people — gay or straight — need the state's permission to marry?  For most of Western history, they didn't, because marriage was a private contract between two families.  The parents' agreement to the match, not the approval of church or state, was what confirmed its validity.

More Massive Bellyflops From The Republican Netroots  —  Five weeks ago, the NRCC launched a project to get supporters to create their own campaign videos attacking Democrats.  If successful, this project would defy a pattern where Republican grassroots activists never take action into their own hands:

Joe Klein digs Time's hole deeper still  —  (updated below)  —  Joe Klein has just posted yet again about his FISA confusion, and it has now moved well beyond farce into an almost pity-inducing realm.  If Time has any dignity at all, someone there will intervene and put a stop to this.

Obama PAC Is Active In Key Election States  —  When Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) launched his presidential campaign in January, he stopped raising money for his Hopefund, the political action committee he used to raise millions for fellow Democrats in previous campaigns.

Teacher Arrested Over Teddy Bear Named Mohammed  —  A British teacher is facing 40 lashes in a Sudanese jail if convicted of insulting Islam's prophet by letting children name a teddy bear Mohammed.  —  Gillian Gibbons, 54, from Liverpool, was arrested on suspicion of blasphemy on Sunday.

Islamists target Arizona base  —  Fort Huachuca, the nation's largest intelligence-training center, changed security measures in May after being warned that Islamist terrorists, with the aid of Mexican drug cartels, were planning an attack on the facility.  —  Fort officials changed security measures …

In search of an across the board "leave me the heck alone" conservative  —  You can take or leave this post, but I figured I'd lay out my present thinking on this race, looking at just the top candidates: Rudy, Mitt, Fred, John, and Mike.  —  Of the five candidates, all, I think we can say, are conservative in some way.