Thompson Declares His Candidacy for President  —  After months of false starts, staff shake-ups, and questions about the seriousness of his intention to run for president, Fred Thompson rolled out his presidential candidacy this evening with a two-pronged, guerrilla-style entry into the race …

Breaking: GOP Senate Leader McConnell Says Craig Won't Resign If Cleared  —  Crazier and crazier.  Now GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell has gone and said at a press conference and said that Larry Craig won't be resigning if he's ultimately exonerated of the charges against him.

Staging Nukes for Iran?  —  Why the hubbub over a B-52 taking off from a B-52 base in Minot, North Dakota and subsequently landing at a B-52 base in Barksdale, Louisiana?  That's like getting excited if you see a postal worker in uniform walking out of a post office.

Bush 'Still Believed Saddam Possessed WMD' In April 2006  —  In Oct. 2004, President Bush finally admitted that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction: "Iraq did not have the weapons that our intelligence believed were there."  —  Yet according to former White House chief of staff Andy Card …

Dems Dirty Donor Norman Hsu Fails to Show for Bail Reduction Hearing Leading to Speculation He's On the Run  —  DEVELOPING STORY: California businessman Norman Hsu, a former New York apparel executive and major contributor to Democratic candidates and causes, failed to appear …

Rep. Gillmor dies  —  Rep. Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio) passed away suddenly Tuesday night, according to his office.  He was 68.  —  According to an inter-conference email obtained by The Hill, Gillmor did not show up to the office this morning causing his staff to become concerned.

GAO Criticizes Homeland Security's Efforts to Fulfill Its Mission  —  Hobbled by inadequate funding, unclear priorities, continuing reorganizations and the absence of an overarching strategy, the U.S. Homeland Security Department is failing to achieve its mission of preventing and responding …

Baghdad Burning  —  ... I'll meet you 'round the bend my friend, where hearts can heal and souls can mend...  Leaving Home...  Two months ago, the suitcases were packed.  My lone, large suitcase sat in my bedroom for nearly six weeks, so full of clothes and personal items, that it took me …

Megachurch Leader D. James Kennedy Dies  —  MIAMI — The Rev. D. James Kennedy, a pioneering Christian broadcaster and megachurch pastor whose fiercely conservative worldview helped fuel the rise of the religious right in American politics, died Wednesday.  He was 76.

Richardson to bloggers: 'I make no apologies'  —  FLORENCE, South Carolina (CNN) — At a campaign stop Wednesday at Horne's Country Buffet, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson struck back at prominent liberal blogs that yesterday called Richardson a "buffoon" …

Outsourcing All My Work To Big Media Matt  —  TEH BLOGGURZ ARE TEH STUPIDDDDDZZZZ!!!!!!  —  The idea that beltway journalists are uniquely experienced or informed about anything other than what it's like to be a beltway journalist is absurd, and of course says quite a bit about what beltway journalists actually know about the world.

Democrats Newly Willing to Compromise on Iraq  —  With a mixed picture emerging about progress in Iraq, Senate Democratic leaders are showing a new openness to compromise as they try to attract Republican support for forcing at least modest troop withdrawals in the coming months.

Jones Report: Iraqi Security Forces Not Ready  —  Logistical Self-Sufficiency Is at Least Two Years Away  —  Iraq's Interior Ministry is "dysfunctional," filled with sectarianism and corruption, according to an independent assessment of the Iraqi security forces to be published tomorrow.

Jennifer Dunn, 1941-2007: Tireless advocate for state's interests  —  Former congresswoman blazed trails in top ranks of Republican Party  —  Jennifer Dunn was the face of the Washington state Republican Party for more than two decades, first as its chairwoman and then as a member of Congress …