Hillary Edges Out Oprah as Most Admired Woman in '07  —  PRINCETON, NJ — For the sixth year in a row, President George W. Bush is the most admired man and Sen. Hillary Clinton the most admired woman in Gallup's annual survey.  But neither winner had a very decisive win this year …

Praise for Liberal Fascism  —  Charles Murray declares: “'It is my argument that American liberalism is a totalitarian political religion,' Jonah Goldberg writes near the beginning of Liberal Fascism.  My first reaction was that he is engaging in partisan hyperbole.  That turned out to be wrong.

Would you, could you, vote McCain?  —  Here's some straight talk about John McCain from New Hampshire voters, via the Boston Globe.  The voters' main concerns: He's a Ted Kennedy shamnesty supporter and he's too old:  —  The Manchester Union Leader attacks Romney as a Johnny-come-lately …

Goodbye, Cruel Jews  —  I did not come to this site to fight in the Jew Wars.  —  I came to join with MSOC, in her words, to rage against the lying of the right, against injustice and cruelty.  Instead, I found injustice, cruelty and hate directed at me.  —  I left, then, earlier this year …

Obama ups the ante in Iowa  —  MASON CITY, Iowa — One week before Iowans gather for the first-in-the-nation caucus, Sen. Barack Obama said Wednesday that his message of change has already been “vindicated."  —  Obama made the declaration at the outset of a critical final push in Iowa …

Huckabee still gives paid speeches  —  Breaking with tradition for presidential candidates, Mike Huckabee is continuing to accept paid speaking engagements in the thick of his insurgent presidential campaign, although churches get a break from his usual fee of up to $25,000.

Edwards' Closing Argument: I'm The True Fighter For Middle Class  —  In a new internal memo to supporters, Edwards deputy campaign manager Jonathan Prince has laid out the campaign's closing argument in Iowa.  —  The closing slogan is, “America Rising: Fighting for the Middle Class,” …

At 60% of Total, Texas is Bucking Execution Trend  —  This year's death penalty bombshells — a de facto national moratorium, a state abolition and the smallest number of executions in more than a decade — have masked what may be the most significant and lasting development.

Tsunami aid ‘spent on politics’  —  THREE years after Australians donated $400 million to rebuild Asian lives devastated by the 2004 tsunami, aid groups are under attack for spending much of the money on social and political engineering.  —  A survey by The Australian of the contributions …

Favorite quotes of 2007  —  One of the few things I dislike more than end-of-the-year “looking back” lists is the incessant chatter and worthless speculation over the upcoming primaries.  But that chatter and speculation is inundating everything.  Thus, I offer some of my favorite quotes of 2007:

Shiite Contest Sharpens In Iraq  —  KARBALA, Iraq — Posted at the door of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's office recently, a flier denounced the arrests of his followers.  Up and down the barricaded street, soldiers and policemen loyal to his Shiite rivals stood sentry …

The Villainy of Non-Rape  —  Remember, intellectual sophistication and penetration is best indexed by the depth of perversity: … Here's hoping Columbia snap this one up.  Cupid Stunt.

Dem voters no longer fighting battle of Iraq  —  The successes of President Bush's troop surge in Iraq are quieting things down in another, unexpected place: the Democratic campaign trail in Iowa and New Hampshire.  —  When asked, voters in the early presidential states all say the war in Iraq is important to them.

Giuliani doctor: All tests normal  —  Manchester, N.H. - Not surprisingly, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's doctor says all is well with the Republican presidential candidate.  —  Last week, Giuliani was en route to New York when his plane turned around and returned to St. Louis.

Challenging Cheney  —  A National Archives official reveals what the veep wanted to keep classified—and how he tried to challenge the rules  —  J. William Leonard learned the hard way the perils of questioning Vice President Dick Cheney.  The veteran National Archives official challenged claims …