crap. here's what happens when a blogger takes a vacation

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL: Was Romney behind his own smear campaign? A Utah polling firm denies ties to the campaign, Thomas Burr reports in the Salt Lake Tribune; a Pennsylvania congressman is working against Mike Huckabee, Josh Drobnyk reports in the Allentown Morning Call; A panel finds New Orleans hasn't recovered sufficiently to host a presidential debate, Bruce Alpert reports in the Times-Picayune; women could put Clinton in the White House, Jerry Zremski reports in the Buffalo News; and Fred Thompson keeps trying to convince people he's not lazy, by Bill Theobold in the Tennessean.

PRIMARY POLITICS: Howard Dean claims Wisconsin's primary matters, Craig Gilbert reports in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel; meanwhile, people in Utah think their state will also matter in the primary, Thomas Burr reports in the Salt Lake Tribune.

LOCAL RACES: Ed Felker in the Rochester Post-Bulletin looks at who blogs and who doesn't in a Minnesota congressional race; Rep. Mike Ferguson won't seek reelection, Raju Chebium reports for Gannett; and New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg's son is getting into politics, Herb Jackson reports in the Bergen Record.

>IRAQ: Lisa Mascaro in the Las Vegas Sun reports on Nevada Sen. John Porter, who is holding fast in his support of the war.

SCHIP: States are running out of money for children's health insurance, Faith Bremner reports in the Argus Leader.

APPROPS: Congress and the President fight over spending, report Ellyn Ferguson for Gannett, Sean Reilly in the Mobile Press-Register, Jake Thompson in the Omaha World Herald and Lisa Friedman in the Los Angeles Daily News; meanwhile, Brian Tumulty looks at the presidential candidates' earmarking ability in the Hudson Journal News.

MINE DISASTER: The owner of a Utah mine in which six workers were trapped in August was subpoenaed to appear before a Senate investigative committee, Suzanne Struglinski reports in the Deseret News.

DRUNK DRIVING: Noelle Straub reports in the Billings Gazette on Montana's drunk driving ranking from MADD.

CODELS: Rep. Zach Space is paying for a CODEL to Greece out of his own pocket after the trip raised questions at home, Ellyn Ferguson reports for Gannett; Ferguson also reports on a border trip that lawmakers said showed a need for more agents.

GAMBLING POLITICS: Lawmakers are pushing the Bush administration to relax laws against Internet gambling, Steve Tetreault reports in the Casino City Times.

FDA: Alicia Mundy in the Seattle Times reports on the FDA's relationship with the pharmaceutical industry.

LEAD TOYS: Lead tops the reasons for toy recalls, Deborah Barfield Berry reports for Gannett.

DANGEROUS CITY REPORT: Dana Wilkie in the San Diego Union Tribune examines the PC tensions behind a controversial study that found Detroit to be the most dangerous city in the country.

ASTEROID POLITICS: Lisa Friedman in the Los Angeles Daily News reports on lawmakers' attempt to get funding to study plummeting asteroids.