William F. Buckley Jr. Is Dead at 82  —  William F. Buckley Jr., who marshaled polysyllabic exuberance, famously arched eyebrows and a refined, perspicacious mind to elevate conservatism to the center of American political discourse, died Wednesday at his home in Stamford, Conn.

Rove: Don't “Hussein” Obama  —  No less an authority figure than Karl Rove has warned Republican operatives from demagoguing Barack Obama's middle name.  —  At a closed door meeting of GOP state executive directors in late January, Rove said the safest way to refer to Obama would be to use his honorific, “Sen. Obama.”

I'm Not Running for President, but ...  WATCHING the 2008 presidential campaign, you sometimes get the feeling that the candidates — smart, all of them — must know better.  They must know we can't fix our economy and create jobs by isolating America from global trade.

24% Have Favorable Opinion of New York Times  —  Just 24% of American voters have a favorable opinion of the New York Times.  Forty-four percent (44%) have an unfavorable opinion and 31% are not sure.  The paper's ratings are much like a candidate's and divide sharply along partisan and ideological lines.

Christmas!:  Barack Obama Cuts A Campaign Ad... For John McCain  —  I thought this was going to be a negative ad against Barack Hussein Obama.  —  It is.  It's just that he made it himself.  —  Big props to the Real Revo for this ad.  I hate swiping vids usually (except from Hot Air …

Air Force Blocks Access to Many Blogs  —  The Air Force is tightening restrictions on which blogs its troops can read, cutting off access to just about any independent site with the word “blog” in its web address.  It's the latest move in a larger struggle within the military over the value — and hazards — of the sites.

The Times Plagiarizes the Miami Herald  —  A PAGE ONE STORY LIFTS TWO LINES ABOUT AN ILLICIT DRUG.  —  The hell wrought on Argentina by the illicit drug “paco” has already become a journalistic staple.  The Christian Science Monitor visited the topic on April 5, 2006; the Miami Herald on Aug. 12 …

Obama Makes Gay Ad Buys in Ohio, Texas  —  The Obama campaign is lavishing some of its cash advantage on the LGBT community with targeted ad buys in Ohio and Texas leading up to the critical March 4 primaries in both states (Rhode Island and Vermont also vote that day).

Lewis says he's supporting Obama  —  WASHINGTON — Hoping to put an end to a month of confusion and dismay, Rep. John Lewis on Wednesday said he's switching his support from Sen. Hillary Clinton to Sen. Barack Obama in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

OBAMA'S SILENCE ON KADDAFI  —  Can we ignore Sen. Obama's silence about Muammar Kaddafi?  —  We know that Louis Farrakhan has said positive things about Barack Obama.  And he's not the only one.  This is the same Louis Farrakhan who has travelled to Libya to meet with and say positive things …

McCain's Canal Zone Birth Prompts Queries About Whether That Rules Him Out  —  WASHINGTON — The question has nagged at the parents of Americans born outside the continental United States for generations: Dare their children aspire to grow up and become president?

Micro Mark  —  Hillary Clinton's Svengali, Super Micro-Trend Pollster Mark Penn: ‘People Misunderstand,’ He Says Campaign ‘Never About the Small Things,’ And, ‘If We Lose, I Will Take My Share of the Responsibility’  —  ‘When you wake, you will have won!’  The Great  —  Penn-gali with Senator Hillary Clinton and

White House Blames Clintons for Document Delay  —  ABC News' Rick Klein Reports: The White House on Wednesday blamed the Clintons for a month-long delay in the release of some 11,000 pages of records relating to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's years as first lady, despite Sen. Clinton's contention …