Ron Paul: Trouble back home  —  While Texan Ron Paul's stock is soaring nationally, there is trouble on the home front.  In September, Paul finished third in a straw poll of 1,300 Texas Republican activists who had been delegates to recent Republican conventions.

Anti-Bush Sign Has Bridge World in an Uproar  —  In the genteel world of bridge, disputes are usually handled quietly and rarely involve issues of national policy.  But in a fight reminiscent of the brouhaha over an anti-Bush statement by Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks in 2003 …

The Insanity of Bush Hatred  —  Our politics suffer when passions overcome reason and vitriol becomes virtue.  —  Hating the president is almost as old as the republic itself.  The people, or various factions among them, have indulged in Clinton hatred, Reagan hatred, Nixon hatred …

Krongard Recuses Himself from Blackwater Investigations  —  Howard "Cookie" Krongard said he's just learned that his brother is on Blackwater's advisory board and has formally recused himself from investigating the company.  —  Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) asked when Krongard learned his brother …

VOTER ID....The State of Indiana has the most stringent voter ID laws in the country.  Democrats are always griping about this, and have even gone so far as to challenge Indiana's law in the Supreme Court.  But this is just silly.  In this day and age everyone has a photo ID anyway, so what's the problem?

Senate Dem leaders float plan for forced filibuster  —  Senate Democrats might force Republicans to wage a filibuster if the GOP wants to block the latest Iraq withdrawal bill, aides and senators said Tuesday.  —  That could set the stage for a dramatic end-of-the-year partisan showdown …

Trouble for Hillary in Ohio  —  Hillary is getting some bad news about the key state of Ohio.  The most recent Quinnipiac poll is full of bad news for the former first lady.  Let's run down the bullet points:  — Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and New York …

Sensitive Guantánamo Bay Manual Leaked Through Wiki Site  —  A never-before-seen military manual detailing the day-to-day operations of the U.S. military's Guantánamo Bay detention facility has been leaked to the web, affording a rare inside glimpse into the institution …

Bush strategist looks back in sadness  —  AT HIS TEXAS RANCH: Matthew Dowd, political strategist and former Bush advisor, says of the president: "I don't think he's evil or bad.  I think he's a good person that didn't accomplish what he set out to do."  —  Matthew Dowd helped win the White House.

The Kathleen Willey Interview  —  Yesterday, I did a phone interview with Kathleen Willey, who has a new book out: Target: Caught in the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton.  —  What follows is a transcript of our conversation, edited slightly for readability's sake.

4Barack  —  "DON'T DO THIS!" a friend wrote, a friend who never uses allcaps, a friend who cares genuinely about what's good for me, and who believes that what's good for me depends in part upon how easily I can talk to the next administration.  "He is NOT going to win.  She has it sewed up.

Should Hillary Pretend to Be a Flight Attendant?  —  In 2005, a year after Ellie Grossman, a doctor, met Ray Fisman, a professor, on a blind date, she was talking to her grandmother about her guy.  —  "Never let a man think you're smarter," her grandmother advised.  "Men don't like that."

Spitzer's Christmas Tax Surprise  —  Aims To Collect Levies on Sales Over Internet  —  New Yorkers going Christmas shopping online at Amazon.com will find an 8.375% surprise at the virtual cash register, courtesy of Governor Spitzer, who is moving aggressively to collect Internet sales taxes that have gone widely unenforced.

Giuliani's House of Mirrors  —  The Giuliani campaign is playing a beautiful game of three card monte with the national media regarding the expectations game in Iowa and New Hampshire - not that I've ventured out of the Cathedral to actually witness such a sinful game of tricks and deceit. ...

Friendly Fire in the White House  —  Criticisms of the White House press corps come fast and furious in MediaLand and Blogistan.  (From accusations like they're 'an extension of the Clinton spin machine' to its 'meekness' in covering the Bush presidency.)  But very rarely do they come from the White House press corps itself.

F.B.I. Says Guards Killed 14 Iraqis Without Cause  —  Federal agents investigating the Sept. 16 episode in which Blackwater security personnel shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians have found that at least 14 of the shootings were unjustified and violated deadly-force rules in effect …