The latest news on Campaign-Democrats, Campaign-Republicans, Budget, Congress, School vouchers, Immigration, Environoment, Chad-Darfur, Iraq, Pakistan, Israel-Gaza, Arms control, Iran, Book reviews, and Opinion.

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Campaign-Democrats. Obama Defeats Clinton in Maine Caucuses "Barack Obama defeated Hillary Rodham Clinton in Maine presidential caucuses Sunday, grabbing a majority of delegates as the state's Democrats overlooked the snowy weather and turned out in heavy numbers for municipal gatherings." Clinton Replaces Top Aide Amid Losses "Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton shook up her presidential campaign yesterday, replacing campaign manager and longtime aide Patti Solis Doyle with Maggie Williams, her former White House chief of staff, in an acknowledgment of the unexpectedly difficult struggle in which she finds herself."

Campaign-Republicans. For McCain, Bush Has Both Praise, Advice "President Bush waded directly into the presidential campaign in an interview broadcast yesterday, defending Sen. John McCain as a "true conservative" but warning that his onetime rival needs to shore up relations with the Republican Party's base to take the fight into the general election this fall." If McCain is nominee, Bush will help campaign "President Bush pledged to assist Sen. John McCain's campaign for the presidency assuming he wins the Republican Party nomination -- but acknowledged that the Arizona senator has "got some convincing to do" among the party's conservatives."

Budget. No Funds in Bush Budget For Troop-Benefits Plan " President Bush drew great applause during his State of the Union address last month when he called on Congress to allow U.S. troops to transfer their unused education benefits to family members. … A week later, however, when Bush submitted his $3.1 trillion federal budget to Congress, he included no funding for such an initiative,"

Congress. House Republicans approach record departures "In the last week of January, five members of Congress joined the hottest demographic group on Capitol Hill: Republicans who are heading for the exits. "It's become an epidemic," said David Johnson, a Republican consultant"

School vouchers. School choice on the rise, but with setbacks "About 150,000 children in 13 states and the District of Columbia are attending private schools under publicly funded school-choice programs, … The school choice and voucher effort has had mixed success nationwide, however."

Immigration. Where have the immigrants gone? "Frustrated by the federal government's failure to stem the flow of illegal immigrants and to address the status of the estimated 12 million already here, state and local governments across the nation have been enacting immigration crackdowns." News Analysis In Reversal, Courts Uphold Local Immigration Laws "After groups challenging state and local laws cracking down on illegal immigration won a series of high-profile legal victories last year, the tide has shifted as federal judges recently handed down several equally significant decisions upholding those laws." Election-year politics: Why immigration reform will have to wait "In an election year, the prospects of straight talk by the presidential candidates on immigration reform are slim. The issue is too complex and highly contentious."

Environoment. Rising deforestation in Amazon undermines Brazil's environmental policies "As deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rain forest declined over the past three years, the country's leaders crowed that they'd found the recipe for stopping the destruction of the world's most diverse ecosystem." UN gathering to address climate change "The U.N. General Assembly is bringing together business leaders, activists and government officials for a debate on climate change starting Monday - an effort to keep up the momentum for a new treaty by 2009 to fight global warming."

Chad-Darfur. Attacks Pushing Darfur Refugees Into Chad "Thousands of refugees fleeing attacks by Arab militias and Sudanese Army bombs in the ravaged western region of Darfur have flooded into neighboring Chad, the United Nations said Sunday, and many more may be on their way as Sudan strikes back at a rebel offensive in the area." UN: 12,000 Flee Darfur for Chad "Up to 12,000 refugees fled Sudan's Darfur region to neighboring Chad over the weekend following air strikes by the Sudanese military and thousands more may be coming," Thousands flee Darfur after attacks"About 12,000 people from Sudan's western Darfur region have crossed the border into Chad after attacks by Sudanese forces and Janjawid militias over the weekend,"

Iraq . US spotlights Al Qaeda in Iraq weakness "Of the 39-page, typewritten Arabic report by an Al Qaeda chief, the US military released only four pages. It's enough, they say, to show that Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) is struggling to overcome major setbacks in Anbar Province, the Sunni stronghold where tribesmen rebelled against the organization," US to delay Iraq troops reductions "Under a plan set out by General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, Washington had planned to withdraw five of the 20 brigades in the country by July. More recently, however, Petraeus called for "period of evaluation" to assess the impact of such a move - a proposal that has now been backed by Gates." Army Buried Study Faulting Iraq Planning "The Army is accustomed to protecting classified information. But when it comes to the planning for the Iraq war, even an unclassified assessment can acquire the status of a state secret. That is what happened to a detailed study of the planning for postwar Iraq prepared for the Army by the RAND Corporation,"

Pakistan . Musharraf's Approval Rating Plummets "A week before Pakistanis vote in parliamentary elections, President Pervez Musharraf's popularity has hit an all-time low and opposition parties seem capable of a landslide victory that could jeopardize his efforts to cling to power," Suicide bomber kills 27 as Bhutto's husband opens campaign "A suspected suicide bomber killed at least 27 people and wounded 40 at an opposition rally Saturday in insurgency-wracked northwest Pakistan as police in Islamabad clashed with hundreds of lawyers and other protesters demanding the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf."

Israel-Gaza. Israeli minister warns of army offensive against Gaza"The Israeli defence minister warned that armed forces were preparing for a broad offensive against Gaza in response to rocket attacks on southern Israeli towns." Barak orders IDF to gird for large-scale offensive in Gaza "Barak told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Israel would not rule out any possible course of action to bring quiet back to the western Negev and security to the residents of Sderot and nearby communities." Israeli Officials Seek Tougher Military Action in Gaza After Rockets Wound 2 in Sderot "Israeli cabinet ministers urged sharper military action in Gaza after a rocket attack by Palestinian militants the night before seriously wounded two brothers, ages 8 and 19, in the town of Sderot on the Israeli border."

Arms control. Russia Wants Multinational Arms Control The United States and Russia should set aside Cold War arms control treaties and replace them with new, multilateral agreements to combat nuclear proliferation, a senior Russian official said Sunday. Face-off over weapons treaties The United States is headed for a showdown with Russia and China this week over competing international treaties, one banning the production of nuclear materials and the other trying to prevent an arms race in space.

Iran . Iran stands firm on nuclear row "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was speaking at a rally marking the 29th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. He said Western pressure over the nuclear issue was just "playing with pieces of paper"." Iran's Clerical Old Guard Being Pushed Aside "After Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's followers toppled a U.S.-backed autocracy in Iran, he brought to power a coterie of politically engaged clerics who sought to create the world's first Islamic republic. Nearly 30 years later, a new generation of politicians is sweeping aside those clerics,"

Book reviews. A Crash Course In God and Politics (Daniel Burke, Washington Post) "According to the saying, there are two things you should never discuss at a dinner party: religion and politics. There's nothing that says you can't read about them, though. And as the presidential campaign heats up, U.S. publishers are releasing books on faith and public life."

Opinion.

A gated community in the evangelical world (D. Michael Lindsay USA Today) "Many of the nation's most powerful believers - presidents, CEOs, entertainers and athletes - won't be found in the pews on Sundays, thus creating a growing gap between them and 'the people.' It's a trend that is having a profound effect on this faith movement."