Senate Republicans Block Floor Vote on Iraq Resolution  —  Senate Republicans today blocked a floor vote on a House-passed resolution that expresses disapproval of President Bush's plan to send thousands of additional U.S. troops to Iraq, as a procedural motion to cut off debate on the measure fell short of the 60 votes needed.

Soldiers Face Neglect, Frustration At Army's Top Medical Facility  —  Behind the door of Army Spec.  Jeremy Duncan's room, part of the wall is torn and hangs in the air, weighted down with black mold.  When the wounded combat engineer stands in his shower and looks up, he can see the bathtub on the floor above through a rotted hole.

Planning Seen in Iraqi Attacks on U.S. Copters  —  Documents captured from Iraqi insurgents indicate that some of the recent fatal attacks against American helicopters are a result of a carefully planned strategy to focus on downing coalition aircraft, one that American officials say has been carried …

Asteroid threat demands response, experts warn  —  Kamchatkans and Venezuelans beware.  A 20-million-tonne asteroid could be heading your way.  Californians have even more reason to worry - the asteroid is more likely to hit the Pacific Ocean, triggering a tsunami that could devastate the west coast of North America.

Rudy Giuliani: No Free Speech  —  Lucrative contract depicts GOP hopeful as image-conscious diva  —  We've previously posted the tour riders of Dick Cheney and John Kerry, but those two pols look like pikers compared to the high-rolling, diva-like Rudolph Giuliani, wannabe Republican presidential candidate.

Obama's South Carolina Debut  —  FEELING THE LOVE IN COLUMBIA.  —  Columbia, S.C.—"Are you here for the wedding or Obama?" the security guard asked me Friday night at the Metropolitan Convention Center in Columbia, S.C. A traditional Indian wedding was being performed down the hall from the Obama rally.

Trial in Error  —  Could someone please explain to me why Scooter Libby is the only person on trial in the Valerie Plame leak investigation?  —  Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald charged Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff with perjury on the theory that Libby had a nefarious reason …

With One Word, Children's Book Sets Off Uproar  —  The word "scrotum" does not often appear in polite conversation.  Or children's literature, for that matter.  —  Yet there it is on the first page of "The Higher Power of Lucky," by Susan Patron, this year's winner of the Newbery Medal …

Sure, Barack, you voted 'no' to war in Iraq.  That was the easy part  —  If politics were a fairy tale, Barack Obama would surely be the next president of the United States.  With his melting pot roots (father Kenyan, mother Kansan, born in Hawaii) and his molten hot rhetoric …

Hillary: I'm not apologizing, vote for somebody else  —  fark it!  UPDATE: Markos on Hillary.  It isn't pretty.  He's written her off, which is exactly what she told him to do.  I fail to see how this helps her campaign, especially in the Democratic primary.

GOP candidate Romney defends religion in Villages  —  THE VILLAGES — Before former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney could tout his conservative credentials Friday in this tri-county hotbed of Republicanism, he first had to defend his religious background as he begins the long road toward the 2008 GOP presidential nomination.

CONGRESSMAN JOHNSON PLEADS FOR THE TROOPS  —  The last Republican to speak against the Democrats' anti-surge, pro-defeat resolution yesterday was Sam Johnson of Texas.  Johnson was a pilot who flew something like 90 combat missions in Korea and Vietnam.  He was shot down over North Vietnam …

A VC Post - Pork is for Terrorists  —  The following is a post of mine at the Victory Caucus, re-iterating some ideas I have hit upon over time.  All spelling and syntax left as-is to show the deficiencies of the writer:  —  Pork is for Terrorists  —  That heading was a title to a piece …

Clinton urges start of Iraq pullout in 90 days  —  U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the early front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, has called for a 90-day deadline to start pulling American troops from Iraq.  —  Clinton, the wife of former President Bill Clinton …

Father of Salt Lake Mall Killer Believes Son Was Trained (Video)  —  The father and aunt of Salt Lake City mall killer, Sulejman Talovic, spoke with News Channel 5 KSL.com in Salt Lake.  —  They are concerned that someone they do not know was influencing the young man to commit the horrible crimes.