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.

Giuliani OK after checkup at hospital  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Republican Rudy Giuliani planned to head home to New York City on Thursday after spending the night in a St. Louis hospital getting checked out for flu-like symptoms, his campaign said.  —  “After precautionary tests …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

In Charity and Politics, Clinton Donors Overlap  —  Over the last decade, former President Bill Clinton has raised more than $500 million for his foundation, allowing him to build a glass-and-steel presidential library in Little Rock, Ark., and burnish his image as an impresario of global philanthropy.

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 …

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.