The headline at the top states: 'Three things you'll need if you're running for president in America.' The items shown beneath are a campaign bus, a campaign plane and a campaign bulldozer. The bulldozer is pushing a large pile of campaign money. Editorial cartoon by Bruce Beattie. [full story]

Like any diligent politician, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., was tending his political fence lines last fall when he dropped in on the manager of a television station in a small southern Illinois county. "I say, 'Howya doin'?'" Durbin recalled. "And the guy says, 'Great. I really am doing great.'" "And I say, 'Why?' " "He says, 'My signal plays over in Missouri. McCaskill and Talent have bought every minute of time. I've got nothing to ... [full story]

A man and woman stand by their SUV. A bumper sticker says: 'Global warming = myth.' Bird poop falls onto the car's windshield. The man yells: 'Yeech! Why can't birds do their business at home and not on my SUV?' The woman responds: 'Oh, please. What animal's dumb enough to soil its own nest?' Editorial cartoon by Mike Thompson. [full story]

At some point, Americans are going to have to get tough on companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants in blatant violation of the law. We're going to have do so to show we're serious about combatting illegal immigration, and that we realize the way to do that is by attacking the root of the problem with stiff fines and real jail time for repeat offenders. But we're not there yet. In fact, whom are we ... [full story]

A man wearing a jacket labeled as 'FEMA' approaches a trailer. A man in a white tank top comes out of the trailer holding a cup. He says: 'Now he says we got too much ice and he wants it back, too.' Editorial cartoon by Marshall Ramsey. [full story]

More college freshmen say they need to take remedial college classes to make up for what they didn't learn before they reached the campus. And an increasing number also face problems in paying for college. Too many just can't afford it. Those are among the key findings released this week by "American Freshman: Forty-Year Trends, 1966-2006," the latest installment of a report which has documented freshmen attitudes and behaviors over four decades by using data ... [full story]

An invitation to a lecture got a predictable response. On Tuesday, Democratic congressional leaders indicated they would decline a meeting with President Bush at the White House next week to discuss Iraq and a spending bill containing a troop withdrawal date. Any hope that this was an invitation to genuine negotiation was instantly dashed when the president added caveats. He wouldn't compromise on his threatened veto. He wouldn't negotiate. Instead, he essentially said that he ... [full story]

Two men are riding in a speed boat. The caption says: 'Great news! Manatees have been reclassified from 'endangered' to 'speed bump!'' Editorial cartoon by Bruce Beattie. [full story]

Besides greed, what could have led college officials who advise students on college loans to accept cash, company stock and trips abroad from the top lenders of federally backed student loans? College loan officers are already paid by their schools to find the best deals for students. Which of course raises the question of whether they steer students to lenders who offer the best deals for students or lenders who supplement officials' compensation. The lenders' ... [full story]

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is depicted as a caveman. He holds Justice by the hair. A man from the 'Senate Committee Hearings' pokes his head out and says: 'C'mon, Gonzales, simply agree to testify and just admit you axed those prosecutors over politics.' The caption says: 'So easy, a caveman could do it.' Editorial cartoon by Mike Thompson. [full story]

Around the country, animal advocates are giddy. Three food empires: Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer, Wolfgang Puck, the world-famous chef/restaurateur/food-products creator, and Burger King, the world’s second-largest hamburger chain, have vowed to alter their practices to reflect more humane standards of care for animals used for food.  The veil is being lifted. Agribusiness has a hideous face.Smithfield’s decision to phase out the “gestation crate” is certainly a step towards more responsible stewardship over ... [full story]

President George W. Bush sits with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in a jet. The jet has several attached bombs and is labeled as 'Military solutions.' Blair says: 'The enemy's kidnapping of my country's sailors was a crisis so grave that I was forced to take drastic measures and resort to the use of dialogue.' The caption says: 'War is hell.' Editorial cartoon by Mike Thompson. [full story]

The income gap ballooned in 2005, new tax data shows, with the richest 1 percent of Americans receiving their largest share of national income since 1928. Clearly, this yawning chasm is cause for concern. But before rushing to judgment, consider this: Median household income for those in their prime working years was more than $61,000 in 2005, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. Married couples did even better. So it's not like the middle class ... [full story]