by Frank James

A quick quided tour of some of the morning's most important, most interesting, or both Washington-related stories.

The previous frontrunners in New Hampshire, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. Hillary Clinton, are asking voters there to decide with their heads, not their hearts, in the hopes of stemming the surges of Senators Barack Obama and John McCain.

Former President Bill Clinton remains popular in New Hampshire and is campaigning hard on his wife's behalf there but the state has changed since his legendary second-place showing in the Granite State.

Romney and McCain heatedly disagreed during a Sunday debate in which McCain essentially called Romney a liar for describing as amnesty the senator's immigration position.

Sen. Barack Obama's decisive win in Iowa has intensified the pressure on black politicians who have tried to remain uncommitted or who have supported Sen. Hillary Clinton and other presidential candidates, but now see their constituents moving towards Obama as doubts about his ability to win the nomination and presidency were reduced by the Iowa results.

The Bush Administration's plan to downsize the prison holding suspected terrorist detainees at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan has hit a snag, as a new Afghan facility is unable to take many of the detainees, leading to overcrowded conditions and an International Red Cross complaint about conditions at the Bagram location.

Iranian boats harassed U.S. Naval vessels in what the Pentagon called a serious provocation in the Straits of Hormuz but broke off their activities just as the American vessels, in self-defense, were about to attack the Iranians.

Washington Republicans are looking at Obama with wariness that his bipartisan appeal could prove successful and skepticism that he could actually effect the sweeping changes he promises because bipartsanship tends towards incrementalism.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday that the three-drug mix used in some states to execute convicted prisoners constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

With bankruptcies soaring and people losing their homes in bankruptcy proceedings, there's growing momentum in Congress to revisit the bankruptcy law passed in 2005 which made it more difficult for financially stressed Americans to get protection from their creditors.

Katrina victims have overwhelmed the Army Corps of Engineers with more than 489,000 in claims, asking the agency that built New Orleans' levees for so much money that their requests top the $12 trillion size of the economy.