Bill Clinton: 'Screw It, I'm Running For President'  —  CHARLESTON, SC—After spending two months accompanying his wife, Hillary, on the campaign trail, former president Bill Clinton announced Monday that he is joining the 2008 presidential race, saying he “could no longer resist the urge.”

Obama's Rezko problem; it's about judgment  —  In Monday night's Democratic presidential slugfest, er, debate in South Carolina, Sen. Hillary Clinton hit Sen. Barack Obama with the charge that as a young lawyer he represented a now infamous Chicago “slumlord” named “Rezko.”

Exclusive: Hamas ‘spent months cutting through Gaza wall in secret operation’  —  James Hider of The Times at the Rafah border crossing  —  As tens of thousands of Palestinians clambered back and forth between the Gaza strip and Egypt today, details emerged of the audacious operation …

Your Harry Reid-led Senate in action  —  (updated below - Update II)  —  Harry Reid — who has (a) done more than any other individual to ensure that Bush's demands for telecom immunity and warrantless eavesdropping powers will be met in full and (b) allowed the Republicans all year …

George Soros Funded Study Says Bush Lied  —  The AP reports, and the New York Times expands, on a new study by a supposedly “independent” organization that claims to have assembled hundred of “false statements” by the Bush administration in the course of the Iraq war.

ABC News Badly Mischaracterizes Obama's Alleged “Testy Exchange” With Reporter  —  Okay, this is really a bad one.  Late yesterday, ABC News posted a story called: “Is Bill Clinton getting in Obama's head?"  —  The piece reported that Obama had had a “testy exchange” with New York Times reporter Jeff Zeleny …

Worries That the Good Times Were Mostly a Mirage  —  So, how bad could this get?  —  Until a few months ago, it was accepted wisdom that the American economy functioned far more smoothly than in the past.  Economic expansions lasted longer, and recessions were both shorter and milder.

Longtime patron may be a problem for Obama  —  Alleged slumlord and indicted businessman Antoin ‘Tony’ Rezko has long supported the Democratic presidential hopeful, who has returned related donations.  —  CHICAGO — Hillary Rodham Clinton dropped the name of Barack Obama's Chicago patron …

NOT FOR DEBATE  —  I was a little surprised when one of the questioners at last night's Democratic debate — I think Joe Johns, but I'm not certain — referenced the new and long-awaited Iraqi ‘de-Baathification’ law as an undisputed sign of political progress.

UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE....Ezra Klein has a very good piece in the American Prospect this month about why Bill Clinton's 1994 healthcare bill failed and why a repeat performance next year might not.  I'm not usually very optimistic about the chances of getting a good healthcare bill passed in the near term …

FLASHBACK: Economists Predicted That A Prolonged U.S. Presence In Iraq Could Lead To A Recession  —  In yesterday's press briefing, a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Dana Perino about the tie between the current U.S. economy and the Iraq war.  Perino quickly dismissed the reporter's question …

Consequences for ignoring congressional subpoenas: None  —  (updated below)  —  Back in July of last year — more than six months ago — the Senate and House Judiciary Committees were investigating the U.S. attorneys scandal and, as part of that investigation, they issued subpoenas …

Six Big Lies About John McCain  —  LIE #1: John McCain isn't a loyal Republican.  —  TRUTH: McCain has been a stalwart Reagan Republican since he first entered politics in 1981.  —  He has never backed Democratic candidates for president or lesser posts - other than supporting …