Hilariousness part 1: A new New York Times/CBS poll finds voters credit the presidential candidates “with spending more time explaining what they would do as president rather than attacking their opponents.” Hilariousness part 2: “Hillary Clinton was viewed as running the most positive campaign of the leading Democratic candidates.” [The Caucus]

Yesterday in New York Supreme Court, CBS filed a 30-page motion to dismiss former reporter Dan Rather’s $70 million civil lawsuit, reports The New York Observer. CBS executives released a statement saying network execs are “mystified” by Rather’s “bizarre allegations” and will “vigorously” defend themselves in court. “Dan Rather is one of the most important figures in the history of broadcast journalism, and for more than 40 years was one of our most valued colleagues,” CBS said in the statement. “That is why we at CBS are mystified and saddened by the baseless and self-serving allegations and distortions of fact raised in his lawsuit.” Details after the jump. MORE »

Dennis Kucinich, who’s on a weird streak even by his standards, appeared on CBS’ Early Show this morning with UFO mail-order bride Elizabeth to discuss politics or scenic Lake Erie or something. CBS Interviewer Hannah Storm had different talking points prepared, however, mostly involving Elizabeth’s tongue stud, clothes, jewelry, maybe how fucking hot she is, et cetera and so forth. MORE »

On the confusing CBS show Kid Nation — the one where children run their own little leper colony and say silly kid things (i.e. Larry Craig’s #1 weekly TiVo choice) — the kids’ city-state held council elections last night and winners were determined by which team could properly arrange the order of recent U.S. presidents. After her team won, Kelsey, 11, compared the Kid Nation political scene to that of the U.S. with this deft analysis: “Look at George W. Bush — he’s not smart at all but he won the U.S. presidency two times in a row.” The latent subtext, of course, being that Al Gore and John Kerry have failed America’s youth.

Kid Nation [CBS]

* Mooves, Rather bicker over who is better at fabricating news. [Huff Po]
* Breaking! Must read! Candidates are supported by the voters they appeal to the most! [Political Wire]
* Have you ever noticed that President Bush can be a little frustrating? [Redstate]
* Bush confuses his war policy with something else. [The Swamp]

* That he thinks announcing his candidacy on Letterman is edgy doesn’t even make a top-ten list of things that suck about John McCain. [WP, NYT]
* Fired US Attorney invents conspiracy theory to help him cope with failure. [WP, NYT]
* Barry Hussein biographer writes 20,000 words in two weeks while political journalists doodle in their notebooks. [WSJ]
* FEC now dropping fines like it was the FCC. [NYT]
* Ken Mehlman charges corporate clients hefty sums to make sure they can keep making shit-tons. [WSJ]
* Congressional Republicans continue their long tradition of trying to hold down people of color by getting petty with William Jefferson’s committee appointment. What’s he ever done? [WP]
* Democrats find a nerd-king in their ranks, let him budget things to his heart’s content. [WP]
* Fill yourself with nostalgia for the age of the classic American liberal dandy. [WP, NYT, LAT]

In a mildly funny open mic gaffe today, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice admitted to having a crush on Brit Hume and kindly old Mr. Smith down at the corner five-and-dime. MORE »

CBS calls two races before any data is in. How do they do it? Two one word: neckwear.

GOD BLESS AMERICA. The candidates with leis always win. Charlie Cook said that. Also, gold chains. And big oversized clocks. MORE »

On the CBS news homepage, right now:

Thank God she’s on the case. For future Notebook segments, may we suggest: MORE »

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Serious journalists like to mock Katie Couric because … she’s better looking than Jim Lehrer? We don’t really know. But the media watchdogs are keeping a close on her, lest she squander the crazy-guy legacy of Dan Rather. MORE »