While fantastic, the breakthroughs in stem cell research announced last week should not change everything overnight. And the news media needs to stop heralding every new stem cell discovery as a way past the political controversy.

Something that gives me a great deal of hope that we can turn the tide of our national media's watered down pablum political reporting back to something substantive is the yeoman's work that Glenn Greenwald does on his Salon blog and that Media Matters does as an organization.

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has just publicly conceded today's constitutional referendum, which among other things would have ended term limits for president and allowed him to run for re-election in 2012.

At the beginning of last week, we told you about a new tactic Karl Rove has embraced in which he blames the Iraq War on Congress circa 2002. This morning he was challenged on those assertions by DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen.

Keith Hennessey was named the new National Economic Council director for the Bush administration after former director Allan Hubbard resigned to spend more time with family.

As Lott resigns his position in the Senate, he also resigns his position as minority whip. The open position will rearrange some current Republican leadership spots. Among the contenders for opening positions, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison hunts for a new title.

As Iowa caucuses get closer and early voting nears, the top contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination are calling on friends and family to be in places they can’t and secure women’s votes.

As the Republican candidates prepare for tonight YouTube debates, the media attention is shifting away from them and turning towards CNN senior vice president David Bohrman and his method for selecting the questions.

President Abbas, Prime Minister Olmert, and President Bush met in Annapolis this morning to begin a summit. The goal is peace between Israelis and Palestinians. My first instinct is to roll my eyes and laugh this off. After all, this is clearly an attempt by a lame duck president to find his place in history. President Bush is building his legacy, hoping to have something other than a failed war in Iraq and 9/11 to go into his library.

Republicans have counted on the religious right and fiscal conservatives to win the nominations of elections for many years. Huckabee has found enemies among the latter during his race for the presidency.