“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.

Abbas: IDF action worse than Holocaust  —  Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas labeled Israel's actions to counter the constant firing of rockets into the Gaza Strip “worse than the Holocaust.”  —  Abbas said that Israel's response to the continuous bombardment of western Negev towns …

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 …

Obama Calls for Help from NATO Allies in Afghanistan  —  US presidential candidate Barack Obama began sketching his position toward Europe on the campaign trail this week.  He said the US needs more support from its NATO allies in Afghanistan and implied Germany should lift its ban on combat operations in the dangerous south.

Ahmadinejad on historic Iraq trip  —  BAGHDAD - President Bush's last trip to Iraq was kept secret until he arrived at a U.S. military base.  Eight hours later he left, after Iraq's leaders traveled to meet him there.  —  In sharp contrast, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit …

Feminist Infighting  —  There is a lot of discussion about “feminist in-fighting” of late, spurred by the election.  Jessica Valenti of Feministing.com is doing a piece on the subject for The Nation.  Here is my response to her query:  —  1. The fact is there have always been many …

Mondale's Red Phone Ad  —  Clinton always plagiarizes, doesn't she?

'72 McGovern Team Rallies for One of Its Own: Clinton  —  AUSTIN, Tex. — Frank Herrera, a prominent lawyer in Texas, was sitting at home two Saturdays ago when he received a telephone call.  —  The voice at the end of the line was that of an old friend from Senator George McGovern's 1972 …

As Developer Heads to Trial, Questions Linger Over a Deal With Obama  —  Tony Rezko was obviously in trouble.  He was a defendant in at least a dozen lawsuits, federal investigators in Chicago were poking around and his name was in newspaper stories about corruption and fraud.

Obama Ad In Texas: Are We Rounding Up Arab-American Families?  —  Update: Seems official - Out of many, One.  —  I haven't had time to look into this stuff from John Batchelor implying even more links between Obama and some dubious figures in, or with links to the Middle East.

Throw Out the Maps in 2008  —  It's time to throw out that old map with the red states and blue states.  The map that implies that all but a handful of states will definitely vote Republican or Democratic and that the real contest will be decided in Florida or Ohio or whatever.

Day of Reckoning  —  A visitor to Clinton HQ sees signs of serious trouble.  —  The day of reckoning for Hillary Clinton is almost here.  The voters in Ohio will either deal a final blow to her campaign or provide a much needed victory that at best will give her a reprieve in the long march to the nomination.

Ship built with WTC steel christened  —  AVONDALE, La. - The USS New York, an amphibious assault ship built with scrap steel from the ruins of the World Trade Center, was christened Saturday as a source of strength and inspiration for the nation.  —  Thousands of people …

Judge Reverses His Order Disabling Web Site  —  SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge on Friday withdrew his earlier order disabling a Web site that allows the anonymous posting of documents to discourage unethical behavior in governments and corporations.  —  On Feb. 15, the judge …