THE NEVADA CAUCUS: Poll: Nevada going to Clinton, Romney  —  Obama picks up no ground; Giuliani fades  —  Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Mitt Romney have comfortable leads in Nevada going into Saturday's presidential campaign caucuses, according to a new Review-Journal poll.

Obama Debuts New Act in Vegas  —  LAS VEGAS (AP) - The White House campaign has brought a new act to Vegas.  Barack Obama has stepped up his campaign against Hillary Rodham Clinton, and he's trying to use humor to bring her down before this weekend's Democratic presidential caucus.

The martyrdom of John McCain  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. - The national media thinks John McCain is under siege again, and his campaign is only too happy to help reporters file their stories.  —  At a rally Thursday, outside McCain's headquarters just down the street from the state capitol here …

Placing the Candidates  —  Interesting chart from the Pew Center.  One piece of bad news for liberals is that it seems that the self-assessed ideology of the American people is still somewhat right of center.  It's also funny how unhinged Republicans' views of Hillary Clinton are.

Mitt Romney's Lobbyist Connections  —  In a tense exchange with an AP reporter on Thursday, Mitt Romney insisted that even though a registered lobbyist is one of his senior advisers, lobbyists do not “run” his campaign.  —  The claim is part of Romney's new self-styled outsider message …

Mauling survivor said he yelled at tiger  —  (01-17) 18:05 PST SAN FRANCISCO — One of the two survivors of the San Francisco Zoo tiger attack that left a 17-year-old dead told the victim's father that the three had yelled and waved at the animal while standing atop the railing of the tiger's exhibit …

The president of Florida  —  Just to be safe, I'm going to say right off the bat that Rudy Giuliani might be the smartest campaign strategist in many a year.  —  That way, if the improbable occurs and the former New York mayor wins the Republican presidential nomination, I can say I knew it all along.

Fact Check: Sen. Obama Followed Hillary's Lead On Stimulus  —  Today, Sen. Obama falsely claimed that Hillary followed his lead on introducing a stimulus package: … Actually, the opposite is true.  Hillary first suggested a stimulus package in December.

Chess master Bobby Fischer dead at 64  —  REYKJAVIK, Iceland - “Chess,” Bobby Fischer once said, “is life."  It was the chess master's tragedy that the messy, tawdry details of his life often overshadowed the sublime genius of his game.  Fischer, who has died at the age of 64, was a child prodigy …

Callous Conservative  —  After watching Fred Thompson debate his Republican rivals, I have often wondered why he is not in the top tier of candidates.  He seems to have John McCain's honesty, without his razor-sharp edges, and Mitt Romney's conservatism, without his jaw-dropping inconsistencies.

McCain Lies His Head Off; NY Times Asleep at Switch  —  One of the most common-supply-side talking points is that tax cuts always lead to higher tax revenues.  It's not really true (revenues crashed after the 2001 Bush tax cuts) but even if it were, it's misleading: Tax revenues tend to rise …

WGA Sells Out To The NAACP  —  After refusing a waiver for the Golden Globes - as the Academy Awards twists in the wind wondering if any stars will show up — as we writers wait - the WGA has just inexplicably granted a waiver to the NAACP Image Awards which not only allows actors to arrive free …

Nicholas Burns and the Clinton Legacy at State  —  Reports indicate R. Nicholas Burns, the State Department's Number 3 official, will be stepping down.  A career foreign service officer, Burns will best be remembered for his most visible post: the Clinton administration's top State Department spokesman during the mid-1990s.

Military: 75% of Baghdad areas now secure  —  About 75% of Baghdad's neighborhoods are now secure, a dramatic increase from 8% a year ago when President Bush ordered more troops to the capital, U.S. military figures show.  —  The military classifies 356 of Baghdad's 474 neighborhoods in the …