How 'What It Takes' Took Me Off Course  —  MORE than any other book, Richard Ben Cramer's "What It Takes," about the 1988 battle for the White House, influenced the way I cover campaigns.  —  I'm not alone.  The book's thesis — that prospective presidents are best evaluated by their ability …

Thompson charges Fox News is biased against his campaign  —  Former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) suggested on Sunday that Fox News is biased against his campaign, charging that the network highlights commentators who have been critical of his run for the presidency.

Hillary Clinton has only herself to blame  —  Way back in 1992, when Hillary and Hubba Bubba first burst onto the national scene, many Americans expressed doubts about their honesty and integrity.  Clintonesque, parsing, the definition of "is" - those and other phrases became polite shorthand ways of accusing a Clinton of lying.

The Times Editors On Health Care - Embrace the Fantasy  —  The Times offers a long editorial sharing their wisdom and insights on health care.  I found this to be unexpectedly honest and amusing: … The prospect for big savings is dubious indeed (the Times thumped Kerry on the drug re-importation issue …

Giuliani presses the flesh in N.H.  —  CONCORD, N.H. — Rudy Giuliani took the bus Saturday, pushing through this first-in-the-nation presidential primary state in a daylong, people-to-people tour.  —  Courting voters face-to-face at diners and holiday parades would normally be all in a day's work …

Why You Can Believe all Those Warnings About The Death of the West  —  I suggest that the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams read a little history about the British experience in India before he offers politically-correct but historically laughable sermons like the one he gave to a Muslim "lifestyle" magazine:

DE PALMA IRAQ FLICK BOMBS  —  November 25, 2007 — IT'S hard for Hollywood pacifists like Brian De Palma to capture the hearts and minds of America if  —  Americans won't see their movies.  While the public is staying away in droves from "Rendition," "Lions for Lambs" and "In the Valley of Elah …

Carson: I have terminal lung cancer  —  Her statement: Indianapolis Democrat, 69, is grateful to family, friends, constituents  —  U.S. Rep. Julia Carson revealed she has terminal lung cancer in a statement Saturday in which she expressed her "eternal gratitude" to family, friends and her constituents.

Memo To New York Post: The Bush Administration Was Warned About 9/11  —  New York Post reporter Andy Soltis writes of the latest Scripps Howard/Ohio University poll that finds a great majority of Americans believe the government failed to heed warnings about 9/11.

Ex-coalition leader says Bush failed to have plan  —  Sanchez: It's time to withdraw troops, let Iraq take responsibility  —  Retired Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who led coalition forces through the first critical year of Iraq's insurgency, said Saturday in a nationally broadcast radio address …

Joss Whedon on the WGA Strike  —  Joss Whedon answers the New York Times, who try to characterize striking writers as latte-sipping dandies: … Whedon 1, NYT 0.

Tax for 2 Cents Plain Is Anything but Simple  —  VOTERS in Upper Freehold Township passed a bond question this month that will raise an additional $264,000 annually to preserve farmland in their Monmouth County community.  —  Or did they?  —  It turns out the ballots were misprinted.

In Iowa, Clinton Is Pressed on Murdoch  —  FORT DODGE, Iowa - The curious relationship between Hillary Rodham Clinton, presidential candidate, and Rupert Murdoch, media baron, flashed briefly before the eyes of Iowans on Saturday night during a Clinton campaign event.

Investors fear new round of turmoil  —  By Gillian Tett and Jennifer Hughes in London and Krishna Guha in Washington  —  Investors fear the financial system is moving into new credit turmoil, which could create further losses for financial institutions - and potentially hurt sentiment in the "real" economy.

Bizarro World  —  If conservatives seized on a mirror image of the journalistic clusterf**kery of Joe Klein it wouldn't stop at Glennzilla beating up on him and the rest of us laughing at him.  Drudge would put up a big siren.  Limbaugh would spend a week turning Joe Klein into public enemy #1 for his dittoheads.