Hillary Clinton Embraces Her Husband's Legacy  —  After months of discussion within her campaign over how heavily she should draw on her husband's legacy, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is closing out her Iowa and New Hampshire campaigns in a tight embrace of Bill Clinton's record …

Why Inexperience Matters  —  The AP takes a look at the political development of Barack Obama, and it's hard not to look at it as an apprenticeship.  His position changes don't count as flip-flops in the same sense that a teenager's infatuation with radical politics changes with some maturity.

9/11 Panel Study Finds That C.I.A. Withheld Tapes  —  WASHINGTON — A review of classified documents by former members of the Sept. 11 commission shows that the panel made repeated and detailed requests to the Central Intelligence Agency in 2003 and 2004 for documents and other information …

Why Rudy Giuliani loves Norman Podhoretz  —  When Norman Mailer died in November, it was hard not to feel a twinge of melancholy and nostalgia for the vanished world of the New York Family of intellectuals.  In the past decade, many of its most colorful members have passed away …

FBI Prepares Vast Database Of Biometrics  —  $1 Billion Project to Include Images of Irises and Faces  —  CLARKSBURG, W. Va. — The FBI is embarking on a $1 billion effort to build the world's largest computer database of peoples' physical characteristics, a project that would give …

“Media Matters"; by Jamison Foser  —  For much of the past week, MSNBC's Chris Matthews and Tucker Carlson have been in high dudgeon over former Sen. Bob Kerrey's recent reference to Barack Obama's middle name.  —  Kerrey said during an event announcing his endorsement of Hillary Clinton that …

Huckabee: Gitmo is too nice  —  Remember this one from Romney during an early GOP debate? … Download (50) |  Play (73) Download (117) |  Play (24)  —  Mike Huckabee, that Christian leader who doesn't see crosses, only bookshelves told CBS News that (h/t Charles):

Guest Voice: Huckabee's Smart Strategy Is No Accident  —  This is a Guest Voice column by Michael Reagan, Ronald Reagan's oldest son, who is also a popular radio talk show host.  Guest Voice columns do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Moderate Voice or its writers.  —  Smart Strategy is No Accident

The “Myth” of Welfare Queens  —  In one of his slew of Republicans-are-racist posts earlier in the year, Paul Krugman wrote, sarcastically: … Of course, there couldn't be a third option - like, say, that Reagan was indulging in his typical fondness for using vivid Reader's Digest-style anecdotes …

The Eggnog Factor  —  Often, I will describe the success or failure of a candidate in terms of the “beer factor” — whether voters would want to have a beer and a conversation with a contender or not.  This measure transcends partisanship.  I'd rather have a beer and a chat with Bill Clinton …

Poetic Political Commentary: “If” For 2008 Presidential Candidates  —  Here's a special original 2008 presidential campaign poetic commentary by TMV's favorite poet, Michael Silverstein, aka Wall Street Poet.  —  If Kipling's poem, “If,” were addressed to 2008 presidential candidates, it might go something like this...

Time to Cover Up?  —  Is Time magazine's “full” and “complete” transcript of its “Person of the Year” interview with Vladimir Putin a fraudulent cover up?  It appears so.  A glaring factual error was apparently edited out of the transcript in an attempt to spare top executives embarrassment …

Where's The McCain Beef?  —  We're here at the Media Watch, Day 2 of The New York Times Held Hostage.  Despite the Drudge Report announcement earlier this week that the Gray Lady would release an investigative report that Senator John McCain had traded favors for lobbyist cash, the report still has not hit their website.

an open letter to president bush: end the era of earmarks  —  Porkbusters is proud to be a signatory to the open letter to President Bush below.  If your organization or publication would like to be listed as supporting this effort, please email bear -at- truthlaidbear -dot- com.  —  Mr. President:

Policy Implosion  —  Bush backs Moscow's fueling of Bushehr.  —  PERHAPS THE ONLY THING more disappointing than Moscow's shipment this week of lightly enriched uranium to fuel the power reactor at Bushehr in Iran was President Bush's endorsement of it.  “If the Russians are willing to do that …

Understanding US Election Issues & Presidential Candidates  —  People living outside America find it difficult to get a clear picture of the issues and candidates in the US presidential election 2008 as a majority of the US media and the blogs seem to have become rather emotive (and partisan? …