Iraqi PM backs Obama troop exit plan: report  —  BERLIN (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told a German magazine he supported prospective U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposal that U.S. troops should leave Iraq within 16 months.

BARACK OBAMA ON IRAQ.— The McCain campaign has a long, nearly 8-minute ad up on its website, which is mostly just video clips of Barack Obama's statements on Iraq, interspersed with derogatory slides expressing negative conclusions about Obama.  Personally, I could do without the ominous music …

Gramm stands down  —  Former Sen. Phil Gramm is stepping down from his post as national co-chair for John McCain a week after creating headaches for the campaign by calling Americans “whiners” and saying the country was only experiencing a “mental recession.”

Democratic Party Unity Proves Elusive at Netroots Gathering  —  Susan Davis reports from Austin, Texas, on Netroots Nation.  —  Can Democrats bridge the ideological divides within the party?  A lunch keynote session at the Netroots Nation annual convention here in Austin tried to address …

‘Stunningly Shameful’  —  The Bush administration flip-flops on Iran.  —  On January 23, 2008, during her keynote speech at the glitzy World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Condoleezza Rice made a surprisingly friendly gesture to the Iranian regime.  She said, in this final year …

Acceptance of Gay People in Military Grows Dramatically  —  Public attitudes about gays in the military have shifted dramatically since President Bill Clinton unveiled what became his administration's “don't ask, don't tell” policy 15 years ago today.  —  Seventy-five percent of Americans …

Eyes Off the Price  —  Durham, N.C.  —  AS I stand at the gas station filling my tank, the meter tallies how much it's going to cost me.  At this station, a gallon is $4.26, and as the meter passes the $20 mark, then the $30, I realize that I am paying too much attention to the price of gasoline.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck in Tears After ‘View’ Discussion on N-Word  —  “View” co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck was in tears Thursday after a discussion about the use of the n-word, in which fellow co-host Whoopi Goldberg told her the two “don't live in the same world.”

Tax Rates For New Yorkers Would Top 50% Under Obama  —  ‘Significant Difference’ Is Seen For High-Income Areas Like the City  —  New York tax filers reporting more than $375,000 a year in earned income may end up paying nearly 60% of their wages in taxes to the government under a Barack Obama presidency …