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:

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.

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.

Mississippi special election date causes uncertainty  —  The timing of Sen. Trent Lott's (R-Miss.) resignation has opened legal questions about the date of the special election, which state officials were still trying to clarify Monday afternoon.  —  Gov. Haley Barbour (R) …

On the Jewish Question  —  Herewith some thoughts about tomorrow's Annapolis peace conference, and the larger problem of how to approach the Israel-Palestine conflict.  The first question (one might think it is obvious but apparently not) is, "What is the conflict about?"

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.

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 …

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 …

In Hospice Care, Longer Lives Mean Money Lost  —  CAMDEN, Ala. — Hundreds of hospice providers across the country are facing the catastrophic financial consequence of what would otherwise seem a positive development: their patients are living longer than expected.

Christopher Booker's Notebook  —  We are set on a course of 'planet saving' madness  —  The scare over global warming, and our politicians' response to it, is becoming ever more bizarre.  On the one hand we have the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change coming …

Gang rape in Annapolis  —  It is fitting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chose the U.S. Naval Academy for the venue of today's so-called Mideast peace conference.  The reputation of that extraordinary institution in Annapolis has been sullied in recent years by a succession of rapes of young women.

Patrick signs bill moving presidential primary to Super Tuesday … Stamping out the possibility of hosting a meaningless election, Massachusetts has moved its presidential primary up a month and will be one of 23 states sending voters to the polls on "Super Tuesday."

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.