Pregnant Pause  —  It was, in this reporter's opinion, the most interesting moment in today's Clinton campaign phoner with reporters.  Responding to the release of HRC's new TX TV ad, which asserts in no subtle terms that only she has the experience to deal with a major world crisis, and …

“Why are the letters ‘NIG’ on the child's pajamas?”  —  Asks a commenter — “Tom” — on my post about the new Hillary Clinton commercial, the one that shows several children sleeping and then Clinton taking a national security phone call in the middle of the night.

On the Press Bus, Some Questions Over Favoritism  —  On the bus ferrying a group of reporters to an appearance by Senator Barack Obama at Ohio State University on Wednesday, Lee Cowan, the NBC reporter assigned to the campaign, was asked the media question of the week: Had journalists …

Potential Deal Could Assure Retroactive Immunity  —  This is from last night's Congress Daily PM dispatch by Chris Strohm and Christian Bourge: … This is not a good sign.  If Title I and Title II of the Senate-passed Intelligence Committee bill are voted on separately in the House …

Reuters/C-SPAN/Houston Chronicle Poll - Democrats Locked in Tight Races: Clinton Closes on Obama in Texas; Pair Deadlocked in Ohio  —  Republican John McCain retains wide leads in Ohio and Texas in advance of Tuesday's primaries  —  UTICA, New York - Democrat Hillary Clinton stemmed her losses …

Guns, anarchy text found in room with ricin  —  LV police say terrorism not motive despite discovery  —  The Las Vegas hotel suite where vials of ricin were found Thursday also contained guns and literature about anarchy with information on the deadly toxin, police said Friday.

William F. Buckley Jr., 1925-2008  —  What he fought for.  —  Here's one measure of the man and the scope of his achievement: No serious historian will be able to write about 20th-century America without discussing Bill Buckley.  Before Buckley, there was no conservative movement.

A LETTER TO 60 MINUTES  —  I'm a latecomer to the controversy over the 60 Minutes story on the supposed machinations of Karl Rove to take down former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman.  CBS has posted the story here.  —  On its face, the segment is a remarkably thin piece of work …

Bush Aide Resigns After Admitting Plagiarism  —  WASHINGTON — A longtime aide to President Bush who wrote occasional guest columns for his hometown newspaper resigned on Friday evening after admitting that he had repeatedly plagiarized from other writers.  —  The White House called his actions unacceptable.

Dutch public broadcaster gives up idea of “violent Bible” film to counter Wilders' violent Qur'an film  —  This is rich: Dutch public broadcaster KRO was planning a film on the violent passages of the Bible, which get trotted out on a routine basis, as if they prove something about the violent passages …

U.S. Military Arrests Man in Training Iraq Women for Bombing Missions  —  BAGHDAD — The U.S. military announced the capture Saturday of an insurgent leader who was recruiting and training women, including his wife, to wrap themselves in explosives and blow themselves up …

Five Myths, Direct From Pyongyang  —  What Not to Think About the Philharmonic Concert  —  Now that the New York Philharmonic has paid its long-awaited visit to North Korea, the floodtide of justificatory gush has begun.  Lorin Maazel, the orchestra's music director, intoned that …

Mukasey: No contempt inquiry for Bush aides  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey Friday said he will not ask a federal grand jury to investigate whether two top Bush administration officials should be prosecuted for contempt of Congress.

Dogs and Fleas  —  Glenn Greenwald has done yeoman work in exposing anti-Catholic bigot Pastor John Hagee's endorsement of John McCain and the latter's refusal to disavow the endorsement.  I agree that McCain should reject Hagee's endorsement.  You lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.