War Criminal  —  After reading the full investigative piece in the NYT today on how this administration decided on breaking America's historic ban on torture and then pursued a long, corrupting policy of ensuring that the interpretation of the law was politicized to keep torture alive, it is hard to disagree with Marty Lederman:

A liberal's lament: The NRA might be right after all  —  This term, the Supreme Court may finally take up the Voldemort Amendment, the part of the Bill of Rights that shall not be named by liberals.  For more than 200 years, progressives and polite people have avoided acknowledging that following …

Judge rejects Craig's bid to withdraw guilty plea  —  (CNN) — A Minnesota judge has denied Sen. Larry Craig's request to withdraw his guilty plea to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge stemming from his arrest in a sex sting at an airport men's room.  —  Hennepin County District Judge …

27% of Republicans Would Vote for Pro-Life Third Party Instead of Giuliani  —  If Rudy Giuliani wins the Republican nomination and a third party campaign is backed by Christian conservative leaders, 27% of Republican voters say they'd vote for the third party option rather than Giuliani.

COULTER COMES OUT AGAINST WOMEN VOTING.  —  Most of the time I ignore aging would-be pin-up Ann Coulter, but this week she came out with a whopper that could be as much of a gift to the Democratic Party as MoveOn.org's advertisement on Gen. Petraeus was for the G.O.P. More of a gift, even.

Obama Dropped Flag Pin in War Statement  —  Obama Stops Wearing Flag Pin, Says He'll Show Patriotism Through Ideas  —  An eagle-eyed reporter for the ABC affiliate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, noticed something missing from Democratic presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama's, D-Ill., lapels.

The New L-Word: Neocon  —  A few years back, at the height of the jingoistic post-9/11 wave, the dirtiest word in the American political lexicon was "liberal."  Everyone from President Bush to Ann Coulter was using it to denote wimplike, Volvo-driving softies too spineless for dangerous times and too given to speaking French.

Republicans Grow Skeptical On Free Trade  —  WASHINGTON — By a nearly two-to-one margin, Republican voters believe free trade is bad for the U.S. economy, a shift in opinion that mirrors Democratic views and suggests trade deals could face high hurdles under a new president.

FOX News Poll: Nearly 1 in 5 Democrats Say World Will Be Better Off if U.S. Loses War  —  NEW YORK — Nearly one out of every five Democrats thinks the world will be better off if America loses the war in Iraq, according to the FOX News Opinion Dynamics Poll released Thursday.

Iraqis to Pay China $100 Million for Weapons for Police  —  Experts Fear More Will Go to Insurgents  —  Iraq has ordered $100 million worth of light military equipment from China for its police force, contending that the United States was unable to provide the materiel and is too slow …

Selective Justice in Alabama?  —  On may 8, 2002, Clayton Lamar (Lanny) Young Jr., a lobbyist and landfill developer described by acquaintances as a hard-drinking "good ole boy," was in an expansive mood.  In the downtown offices of the U.S. Attorney in Montgomery, Ala., Young settled into his chair …

Questionable Contracts  —  In April last year, Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson traveled to Dallas to deliver a speech to a group of minority real estate executives.  The event should have been pretty routine stuff.  But Jackson — and these are his words — shot off his mouth by describing …

'We Are Making Fools of Ourselves in the Eyes of the World'  —  Fear of fanatical Islamists prompted Ayaan Hirsi Ali to leave the Netherlands, her adopted home, and now she has been forced to return.  Paying for her bodyguards in the United States is too expensive for the Dutch government — what a disgrace.