Candidates Lacking A Real-World Clue  —  GOFFSTOWN, N.H. — The 18 presidential candidates — eight Democrats and 10 Republicans — who came to Saint Anselm College here for a pair of debates this week displayed a remarkable ability to ignore the real-world consequences of many of the policies they were advocating.

Obama To Beat Clinton In Second Quarter Fundraising  —  The Huffington Post has learned from sources close to both candidates that the Obama campaign will surpass the Clinton campaign in second quarter fundraising.  "It's a matter of pure mathematics," an Obama fundraiser told HuffPost.

Sen. Stevens Told to Keep Records for Graft Probe  —  Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, disclosed in an interview that the FBI asked him to preserve records as part of a widening investigation into Alaskan political corruption that has touched his son and ensnared …

Immigrant Measure Survives Challenges  —  The plan to overhaul the nation's immigration system survived its most serious challenges yesterday, when the Senate defeated amendments to disqualify hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from legalization and to extend visas to hundreds …

They Know How to Caucus  —  Teresa Vilmain and Other Experts in an Arcane Presidential Art  —  DES MOINES — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton had a decision to make.  After someone in her campaign leaked a memo late last month suggesting that she skip the Iowa caucuses, the New York Democrat needed …

Joe Klein's Big Lie  —  17 of 17 people recommend this blog entry.  —  Joe Klein has made one of his periodic attacks on the liberal blogosphere.  As usual in order to make himself look good, and make his critics look ridiculous, he lies about what actually happened.  —  Here's Klein's version:

Rights Groups Call for End to Secret Detentions  —  Six human rights groups on Wednesday released a list of 39 people they believe have been secretly imprisoned by the United States and whose whereabouts are unknown, calling on the Bush administration to abandon such detentions.

I'm a McCain Man, Through and Through—Unless the Democrats Nominate Obama.  Then, Forget the McCain Thing  —  Barack Obama cultivates an image as a politician whose appeal reaches across party lines.  But even he might be surprised to learn that one of his biggest admirers works for GOP Sen. John McCain …

To Be an American  —  For many, illegal workers are a rebuke to dutiful citizenship.  —  People tend to regard the idea of "democratic" politics with high reverence, when in practice it consists most of the time of the right of any citizen to describe one's opponent as an idiot, or worse.

Dirty snow may warm Arctic as much as greenhouse gases  —  The global warming debate has focused on carbon dioxide emissions, but scientists at UC Irvine have determined that a lesser-known mechanism - dirty snow - can explain one-third or more of the Arctic warming primarily attributed to greenhouse gases.

Neither Prison Nor Pardon  —  Justice in the Libby Case Lies With Bush's Third Option  —  Scooter Libby should not be pardoned.  But his punishment — 30 months in prison, two years' probation and a $250,000 fine — is excessive.  President Bush should commute the sentence by eliminating the jail term while preserving the fine.

Lieberman 'Really Upset' At Troops Who Didn't 'Speak To Me From Their Heart'  —  During Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-CT) trip to Iraq two weeks ago, McClatchy published an article highlighting how several soldiers who met with Lieberman had wanted to ask him, "When are we going to get out of here?"

Paris Hilton Bawls Her Way Out of Jail  —  Paris Hilton has finally done it to me.  She has so outraged my sensibilities that here I am blogging on this sack of celebrity excrement instead of analyzing every jot and tittle of the presidential race.  —  As everyone but those hundreds …

AP Poll: Bush Approval Hits Low Point  —  Bush Approval Hits All-Time Low in AP-Ipsos Poll, With Discontent Over Iraq, Terror War  —  Public approval of the job President Bush is doing now matches its all-time low, with widespread discontent over how he is handling the war in Iraq …

Official: Cheney Urged Wiretaps  —  Stand-In for Ashcroft Alleges Interference  —  Vice President Cheney told Justice Department officials that he disagreed with their objections to a secret surveillance program during a high-level White House meeting in March 2004, a former senior Justice official told senators yesterday.

Trandahl breaks silence on Foley scandal  —  Says he had 'dozens' of confrontations with congressman  —  Jeff Trandahl, the gay former clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, broke his public silence on the Mark Foley scandal last week in brief remarks.

Amnesty Will Cost U.S. Taxpayers at Least $2.6 Trillion  —  The Senate is currently considering a massive immigration reform bill, the "Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Reform Act of 2007" (S. 1348).  This bill would grant amnesty to nearly all illegal immigrants currently in the United States.