President Bush faces widespread opposition to the troop buildup in Iraq, though he has gained support over the past month, an AP-Ipsos poll found.

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MSNBCThe Democratic-controlled House issued a symbolic rejection of President Bush's plan to deploy more troops to Iraq on Friday, opening an epic confrontation between Congress and commander in chief over an unpopular war that has taken the lives of more than 3,100 U.S. troops.

Getty Images fileIn the congressional maneuvering with President Bush over Iraq, both Bush and his adversaries agree that the vote next month on his request for $100 billion in emergency funding is the crucial moment.

MSNBC

APJeb Bush, who hasn't publicly picked a favorite in the Republican presidential race, privately is talking up the candidacy of Mitt Romney and steering some of his closest advisers to the campaign.

AP fileRepublican presidential hopeful John McCain, a staunch supporter of sending more troops to Iraq, will skip a Senate vote on the war Saturday to campaign in Iowa while other candidates rearrange their schedules.

APRicky Martin stuck up his middle finger when he sang the president's name in his song "Asignatura Pendiente," which includes the words, "a photo with Bush." The gesture last Friday prompted cheers from thousands of fans in the San Juan stadium.

Today ShowFeb 16: Congress is set to vote on a non-binding resolution opposing President Bush's troop build-up in Iraq, one of several factors leaving many to wonder if the president is a lame duck. NBC's David Gregory reports. (Today Show)

APMany Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, match Rep. John Murtha’s fiery opposition to Bush’s policies. But the Marine combat veteran’s prowess on military matters, strong relationships with Republicans and — most important — control of the Pentagon’s spending bills has put him at the forefront of the debate.

MSNBCPresident Bush on Thursday chided NATO nations that have hesitated to send additional troops to Afghanistan or allow their soldiers already there to fight in the violent south and under other dangerous circumstances.

Three women who say they endured rape and torture at the hands of Japanese soldiers during World War II and a lifetime of mental and physical scars are asking that U.S. lawmakers urge the Japanese to apologize.

The presidential fund-raising season is already well underway. The top five moneybags in both parties--and who hopes to get their checks.

The testimony phase of the long-anticipated trial of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby ended with a whimper rather than the bang of testimony from high-profile defense witnesses like Vice President Dick Cheney and Libby himself.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that President Bush lacks the authority to invade Iran without specific approval from Congress, a fresh challenge to the commander in chief on the eve of a symbolic vote critical of his troop buildup in Iraq.

APBarack Obama may find that for black voters in South Carolina, being black isn't everything.

The U.S. government is at risk of squandering significantly more money in an Iraq war and reconstruction effort that has already wasted or otherwise overcharged taxpayers billions of dollars, federal investigators said Thursday.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers Thursday renewed an effort to empower the government to regulate cigarettes as a drug, winning praise from anti-smoking advocates.

Senate Republicans blocked a bill Thursday that would curb the Justice Department’s power to fire and replace federal prosecutors. Democrats had sought to give the courts a role in the appointments of U.S. attorneys, to GOP opposition.

The White House on Thursday sought to ease concern among conservatives, including one key aide to President Bush, that a nuclear disarmament deal with North Korea goes too easy on the reclusive regime.

Federal authorities confirmed Thursday that Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons is under investigation for failing to properly report gifts or payments from a software company that was awarded secret military contracts when he was in Congress.

The U.S. Senate gave final passage to a stripped-down spending measure Feb. 14 that denies NASA and many other federal agencies a budget increase for 2007.

As expected, Barack Obama’s announcement was covered big by the media, about as big as Hillary Clinton’s announcement. The test for Obama, though, is whether he can sustain momentum in the same vein as Hillary.    Here are the latest ratings from The National Journal.

MSNBCFeb. 15: President Bush delivers a speech on the war on terrorism Thursday in Washington. (MSNBC)

APBarack Obama's two years in the Senate have taken him around the world, from Russia to Iraq to Kenya - an itinerary more costly to taxpayers than any other senator who took office with him.

There is more bad news for the GOP arising from 2006: a swing in party ID toward Democrats and independents.  By Charlie Cook, National Journal.

Beltway observers may not know who Billy Harper is yet, but chances are that any given Kentucky voter has seen one of his ads. As part of a campaign exceeding $2 million, the businessman and drag racer has blanketed the Bluegrass State with TV and radio spots .  By Patrick Ottenhoff, National Journal

Today ShowThe specter of the war in Iraq -- a war the Bush administration denied it was planning, supported by evidence that turned out to be false -- looms large over administration policy toward Iran .

ReutersFormer New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a moderate Republican best known for his post-Sept. 11 leadership over his city, confirmed Wednesday that he will be running for president in the 2008 elections.

Today ShowFeb. 15: President Bush says he is certain the Iranian government is supplying deadly weapons used by fighters in Iraq against U.S. troops. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports. (Today Show)