Thanks and Praise  —  Thanks and Praise: I photographed men and women, both Christians and Muslims, placing a cross atop the St. John's Church in Baghdad.  They had taken the cross from storage and a man washed it before carrying it up to the dome.  —  A Muslim man had invited the American soldiers from …

Good as Gold  —  Kevin Drum calls Ron Paul a "fruitcake" and demands that you—yes, you!—stop taking him so damn seriously. … Dean Barnett trods some of the same territory, arguing that Paul is a crazy candidate for crazy people who won't run on sensible ideas like doubling Gitmo and moving …

Gunmen open fire on Venezuelan protesters  —  CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Gunmen opened fire on students, killing at least one, as they were returning from a march Wednesday at which 80,000 people denounced President Hugo Chavez's attempts to expand his power.  —  At least one person was killed and six were wounded, officials said.

U.S. Aid to Musharraf is Largely Untraceable Cash Transfers  —  After Pervez Musharraf declared martial law this weekend, Condoleezza Rice vowed to review U.S. assistance to Pakistan, one of the largest foreign recipients of American aid.  Musharraf, of course, has been a crucial American ally since …

Clinton, Giuliani Locked in Dead Heat, Poll Shows  —  John Harwood reports on the presidential race.  —  Democrats enter the 2008 presidential race with powerful political advantages, but face a tough and unpredictable battle because of the vulnerabilities of front-runner Hillary Clinton.

ENDA passes the House.  —  The House passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) passed this evening with a 235-184 vote.  Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), on the verge of tears, one of two openly gay members of the House, delivered an emotional speech denouncing the efforts of conservatives …

Girl gets detention for hugging  —  Illinois middle school bans public displays of affection; parents urge change  —  MASCOUTAH, Ill. - Two hugs equals two days of detention for 13-year-old Megan Coulter.  —  The eighth-grader was punished for violating a school policy banning public displays …

Comments About Global Warming  —  I was privileged to work with John Coleman, the founder of The Weather Channel in the year before it became a reality and then for the first of the 6 years I was fortunate to be the Director of Meteorology.  No one worked harder than John to make The Weather Channel …

Ex-Navy Instructor Promises to Hit Back If Attacked on Torture  —  Malcolm Nance, good-spirited though he is, is a pugnacious guy.  Nearly 20 years' service in the Navy, including time instructing would-be Navy SEALs how to resist and survive torture if captured.  Intelligence and counterterrorism expert.

RUDY AND THE EVANGELICALS....Rich Lowry on Pat Robertson's endorsement of Rudy Giuliani: … This strikes me as right.  The real core issue of the Christian right has always been "moral decay."  Increased acceptance of abortion and gay rights are symptoms of this, and they get most of the attention …

Bush: If I Were Iraqi, I'd Be Saying, 'God, I Love Freedom'  —  This afternoon, President Bush held a joint press conference with French President Nicholas Sarkozy.  A reporter asked Bush where he stood "on Iraq and your domestic debate on Iraq," and whether he had a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops.

Dems push for majority caucus vote on Peru trade deal  —  Democratic leaders worked hard in advance of a vote Wednesday night in an effort to persuade a majority of their caucus to support a free trade agreement with Peru, the first test of a deal on trade between House Democratic leaders and the Bush administration.

Court strikes down Jan. 15 primary  —  Voter participation lists called unconstitutional  —  Michigan's star-crossed bid to leap to the head of the presidential primary nominating process appeared to go up in smoke Wednesday as an Ingham County Circuit Court judge ruled that a provision …

Countdown: Impeachment Impediment  —  Keith Olbermann brings my favorite talking head, Air America's Rachel Maddow, to discuss the fumbling and cowardly manner in which Dennis Kucinich's motion to impeach Dick Cheney was handled yesterday. … I know from the contents of my email inbox …

House Approves Ban on Anti-Gay Discrimination  —  The House approved a bill this evening granting broad protections against discrimination in the workplace for gay men, lesbians and bisexuals, a measure that supporters praised as the most important civil rights legislation since the adoption …