Down to the wire in Iowa: Dems in a dead heat  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Two weeks to go until the Iowa caucuses and it  —  appears to be a dead heat in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination in the Hawkeye State, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll out Thursday morning.

Bob Kerrey Apologizes To Obama Over Raising Muslim “Issue”  —  I didn't mean to do it.  —  That's the gist of former Nebraska Senator and Hillary Clinton supporter Bob Kerrey's written apology to Democratic Senator Barack Obama for raising the issue of Obama's Muslim background …

Taking a Turn for the Weird  —  MANCHESTER, N.H. — Maybe it's the rush of pre-Christmas preparations.  Or maybe it's the effects of too many holiday parties.  But life has suddenly become very confusing on the way to the 2008 presidential election.  —  A bit over a week ago, almost everything seemed normal.

Tancredo set to quit race  —  Immigration-reform champion failed to gain traction in presidential bid  —  WASHINGTON — Rep. Tom Tancredo plans to withdraw from the GOP presidential field today, ending a campaign in which he failed to gain much attention or traction as rivals largely adopted his long-held immigration positions.

Powerful Iraq cleric may extend freeze on militia  —  NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is considering extending a freeze on the activities of his powerful Mehdi Army militia, his official spokesman said.  —  “Yes, there is a chance that the freeze on the Mehdi Army …

The Endless Campaign  —  The Iowa caucuses are 14 days away, with the New Hampshire primary five days later.  And what follows from there won't be pretty.  The way Americans are selecting our presidential candidates in 2008 is, frankly, a mess.  —  The first problem is the overall length of the campaign.

Senior Qaeda Theologian Urges His Followers To End Their Jihad  —  WASHINGTON — One of Al Qaeda's senior theologians is calling on his followers to end their military jihad and saying the attacks of September 11, 2001, were a “catastrophe for all Muslims."  —  In a serialized manifesto written …

A Nuclear Site Is Breached  —  South African Attack Should Sound Alarms  —  An underreported attack on a South African nuclear facility last month demonstrates the high risk of theft of nuclear materials by terrorists or criminals.  Such a crime could have grave national security implications …

Crackdown has illegal immigrants leaving Arizona  —  NOGALES, Sonora - It's a common scene this time of year: streams of overloaded cars, pickups and vans with U.S. license plates crossing into Mexico for the holidays.  —  Most are filled with Hispanic families from Arizona and other states …

Official: Justice Dept. slowed probe into phone jamming  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department delayed prosecuting a key Republican official for jamming the phones of New Hampshire Democrats until after the 2004 election, protecting top GOP officials from the scandal until the voting was over.

Kristol, Krauthammer Are Out of Time  —  Bill Kristol.  —  Two conservative Time magazine columnists are on their way out the door: Neither William Kristol nor longtime contributor Charles Krauthammer will be on contract with the magazine starting next month.

Sondra K-Grande Conservative Blogress Diva 2008  —  When we launched the Grande Conservative Blogress Diva contest this year, we expected to have a number of blogresses nominated and seconded as we did.  So, we assumed a run-off would be necessary.  —  What we did not anticipate was the number of glitches in this year's competition.

HILL'S BROTHER A DEADBEAT  —  OWES 158G IN KID SUPPORT & ALIMONY  —  Owe, brother!  —  Hillary Rodham Clinton's youngest sibling is a deadbeat dad who owes tens of thousands of dollars in child support to his politically connected ex, The Post has learned.