A Depressing Debate  —  What a depressing debate.  CNN's long slide into mediocrity accelerates.  Is this what running for president of the greatest democracy in the world has become?  Standing in front of CNN's corporate logo in a hall full of yowling Ron Paul loons and enduring clumsy webcam questions …

Giuliani billed obscure agencies for trips  —  As New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani billed obscure city agencies for tens of thousands of dollars in security expenses amassed during the time when he was beginning an extramarital relationship with future wife Judith Nathan in the Hamptons …

Transcript: CNN/YouTube GOP debate  —  ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (CNN) — The eight candidates vying to be the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 elections answered questions submitted by CNN and YouTube users in a debate Wednesday night.  Here is a full transcript of the event:

Venezuela Chavez: CNN may be instigating my murder  —  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Wednesday CNN may have been instigating his murder when the U.S. TV network showed a photograph of him with a label underneath that read "Who killed him?"

ON DEADLINE: "Good Bill" vs "Bad Bill"  —  DES MOINES, Iowa - As only he can do, Bill Clinton packed campaign venues across eastern Iowa and awed Democratic voters with a compelling case for his wife's candidacy.  He was unscripted, in-depth and generous.  —  He also was long-winded, misleading and self-absorbed.

John Ashcroft: I'm Willing To Be Waterboarded  —  Last night, former Attorney General John Ashcroft delivered an address on national security at the University of Colorado.  The event was marked by heated protests.  About 20 student protesters wearing "shirts with 'shame' written on the backs …

Lott's brother-in-law indicted  —  Sen. Trent Lott's brother-in-law, Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, a high profile trial lawyer best known for suing big tobacco and insurance companies, has been indicted on bribery charges.  —  Several media outlets are reporting the news about Scruggs …

Obama Scoffs at Clinton War Claim  —  ABC News' Sunlen Miller Reports: Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., scoffed Wednesday at former President Bill Clinton's recent claim that he opposed the Iraq war from the very beginning.  —  "Well if he did," Obama said on a conference call with reporters, "I don't think most of us have heard about it."

Live From St. Pete: Pics from the Debate II  —  If you come to the YouTube after-party, you too can party like a pelican.  You know, with... I don't know, a gallon of fish and saltwater in your mouth.  And, dancing to techno.  Pelicans love techno.  Woo hoo!  —  I foil CNN's brand placement with my hair.