MY TAKE ON THE DEM DEBATE  —  So, a few observations about the Democratic debate.  —  First, a few months ago, I said that I didn't get what Barack Obama thought he was doing in one of the debates, that he was doing a very good job debating as the frontrunner, when in fact he was falling further and further behind Hillary Clinton.

LAST NIGHT'S DEBATE: A POST-MORTEM  —  I wasn't able to watch the Republican debate last night, so I viewed it this morning here.  I haven't read any newspaper coverage of the debate yet, but have briefly scanned 30 or 40 emails from the campaigns, from which it appears that, as usual, all of the candidates are claiming victory.

THE PACK....Ezra Klein watches pack journalism at work, 2008 style, and it's not pretty.  Nickel version: If some other reporter says Hillary Clinton melted down because she displayed a flash of emotion in last night's debate, then she melted down.  After all, who are you going to believe, the spin room or your own lyin' eyes?

Why I Believe Bush Must Go  —  Nixon Was Bad.  These Guys Are Worse.  —  As we enter the eighth year of the Bush-Cheney administration, I have belatedly and painfully concluded that the only honorable course for me is to urge the impeachment of the president and the vice president.

He Came, and He Saw, but Did He Moderate?  —  The first debates after the Iowa caucuses were a crucible for the candidates, but they were also a test of the Gibson Doctrine.  ABC's anchor, Charles Gibson, began the evening with a policy statement: “The less of a moderator, the better.”

Bishop warns of no-go zones for non-Muslims  —  Islamic extremists have created “no-go” areas across Britain where it is too dangerous for non-Muslims to enter, one of the Church of England's most senior bishops warns today.  —  The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester …

Fred to MSM: ‘I Owe You Nothing’  —  Fred Thompson today blasted the media for propagating a false rumor about his impending withdrawal, while reinforcing the role he has created for himself as the candidate in this race who does not suffer unwelcome questions gladly.

For sale: West's deadly nuclear secrets  —  A WHISTLEBLOWER has made a series of extraordinary claims about how corrupt government officials allowed Pakistan and other states to steal nuclear weapons secrets.  —  Sibel Edmonds, a 37-year-old former Turkish language translator for the FBI …

American Al Qaeda Leader To Bush: ‘We Will Be Waiting For You’  —  Native Californian Al Qaeda Leader Makes Threats Against Bush Middle East Visit  —  American Al Qaeda leader Adam Gadahn told his followers to welcome Bush “with bombs and traps” upon his upcoming visit to the Middle East this week.

The Problem with Populists  —  WASHINGTON — Like Job after losing his camels and acquiring boils, the conservative movement is in distress.  Mike Huckabee shreds the compact that has held the movement's two tendencies in sometimes uneasy equipoise.  Social conservatives …