Romney falls into McCain trap on Iraq  —  SIMI VALLEY, Calif. - In the final GOP debate before Super Tuesday, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain of Arizona bickered over a laundry list of past and present positions, most notably whether Romney backed a time-table for withdrawing troops for Iraq.

A Bush Rally  —  Can he close strong in 2008?  —  The Associated Press reported last week that a left-wing group, Americans United for Change, plans to spend $8.5 million to ensure that President Bush's public approval rating doesn't improve in his final year in office.

An Ex-President, a Mining Deal and a Big Donor  —  Late on Sept. 6, 2005, a private plane carrying the Canadian mining financier Frank Giustra touched down in Almaty, a ruggedly picturesque city in southeast Kazakhstan.  Several hundred miles to the west a fortune awaited …

Mukasey's radical worldview is now the norm  —  Yesterday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, featuring day-long testimony from Attorney General Michael Mukasey, was extraordinary for only one reason: for our country, what happened in the hearing is now completely ordinary.

What Will Rush, Hugh Say if McCain Wins?  —  Rush Limbaugh.  —  Certain conservative opinion makers are not pleased.  —  Rush Limbaugh, Hugh Hewitt, much of the roster at the National Review and many (but certainly not all) of their more conservative talk radio and blogger colleagues …

Transcript of GOP debate at Reagan Library  —  This is the transcript of the GOP debate at the Reagan Library Wednesday January 30.  —  (CNN) — ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: The first question is actually a question that will go to all of you, but I'll start with Governor Romney.

Is McCain a Conservative?  —  As John McCain neared his momentous primary election victory in Florida after a ferocious campaign questioning his conservative credentials, right-wingers buzzed over word that he had privately suggested that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was too conservative.

Sentenced to death: Afghan who dared to read about women's rights  —  A young man, a student of journalism, is sentenced to death by an Islamic court for downloading a report from the internet.  The sentence is then upheld by the country's rulers.  This is Afghanistan …

Republican Debate in Simi Valley, Calif.  —  The following is a transcript of the Republican presidential debate in Simi Valley, Calif., as provided by the Federal News Service and CNN.  —  PARTICIPANTS:  —  FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR MIKE HUCKABEE FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR MITT ROMNEY

Clinton Remained Silent As Wal-Mart Fought Unions  —  Tapes Reviewed by ABC News Show Clinton As a Loyal Company Woman  —  In six years as a member of the Wal-Mart board of directors, between 1986 and 1992, Hillary Clinton remained silent as the world's largest retailer waged a major campaign …

Soldier Suicides at Record Level  —  Increase Linked to Long Wars, Lack of Army Resources  —  Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside, a psychiatric outpatient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center who was waiting for the Army to decide whether to court-martial her for endangering another soldier and turning …

The Dynastic Question  —  In a presidential campaign that has involved battles over everything from Iraq to driver's licenses, one sweeping topic has gone curiously unexamined: Does it diminish American democracy if we keep the presidency in the same two families that have held it since 1989?