Politics: Borough President Markowitz got feisty during his annual end-of-year sitdown with Brooklyn Paper Editor Gersh Kuntzman — but he saved his venom for “czar” Mayor Bloomberg’s quest to “gut” and “starve” his office of funding. With audio … Comments (2).

Politicrasher: Disgraced and retired — but apparently still beloved — Rep. Vito Fossella may have been fresh from his sentencing last week in Virginia to five days in jail for drunk driving, but he was hailed on Staten Island on Sunday in what looked a lot more like a political comeback than a send-off. Comment.

Politics: ’Tis the season to be campaigning. Comments (2).

Brooklyn Angle: It is no small thing to say that a Park Slope lawyer named David Goldberg is one of the most important figures in American history. Comment.

Bay Ridge: Rep. Vito Fossella was sentenced to five days in jail — but yes, Virginia, there is a Santa clause: the congressman’s appeal means that he’ll get a new trial before he gets packed off to jail. Comment.

Williamsburg: Dozens of hipsters — and the old-timers who resent them — stormed a community meeting on Monday night, showing the ongoing clash of cultures that collided when people flooded the streets after Barack Obama’s election win on Nov. 4. Comments (12).

Editorial: Our editorial board supports cuts to the borough president’s office — but opposes recent calls to eliminate the office altogether. Comments (2).

Politics: Brooklyn helped hand Barack Obama a historic win on Tuesday night — and then revelers spilled out into the streets in a cathartic victory party in several neighborhoods. Comments (2).

Greenpoint: Barack Obama handily won the national race, but students at St. Stanislaus Kostka School in Greenpoint made a maverick decision when they elected Sen. John McCain on Tuesday. Comment.

Politicrasher: On the eve of Election Day, Obama supporters strategize on how to keep voters at the polls. Comment.

Politicrasher: A wife stands by her man — and against Obama — because her husband’s job depends on the war in Iraq. Man, this is one messed-up country sometimes. Comments (4).

Politicrasher: Our political columnist is in Ohio — yes, the real Ohio in the Midwest — to bring you on-the-ground coverage of the war for this ultimate swing state. Obama fans: be afraid. Be very afraid. Comments (2).

Brooklyn Heights: Add Ken Baer to the list of people angry about Councilman David Yassky’s vote to let elected officials run for a third term — but unlike everyone else, Baer is actually doing something about it. Comments (2).

Editorial: The way Councilman David Yassky handled his vote on term limits stands out — for all the wrong reasons. Comments (10).

Politics: Councilman Bill DeBlasio has abandoned his bid to become the next borough president and will run for public advocate instead — an indication that incumbent Beep, Marty Markowitz, will likely cruise to a third term. Comments (5).

Bay Ridge: Exclusive! The Democratic and Republican rivals for the Bay Ridge congressional seat being vacated by scandal-scarred Rep. Vito Fossella battle it out in our DUMBO newsroom. With video … Comment.

Williamsburg Waterfront: Some Williamsburg residents aren’t shy about voicing their political leanings. Comment.

Bay Ridge: Bay Ridge is represented in Congress by a convict, now that Rep. Vito Fossella was found guilty last Friday of drunk driving, stemming from a May 1 arrest in Virginia as the seven-term congressman was on his way to a night-time rendezvous with his mistress. Comments (5).

Politics: The city is being torn to shreds in the debate over term limits, and Councilman David Yassky is nowhere to be found on the issue. Comments (4).

Bloomy in the ’Hood: Mayor Bloomberg offered only lukewarm support on Tuesday for his embattled ally Borough President Markowitz, who’s come under intense ethical scrutiny since The Brooklyn Paper reported last month that his private charity has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Bruce Ratner, the Atlantic Yards developer who has enjoyed strong support from Markowitz. Comments (3).

Politics: On Tuesday night, tens of millions of Americans watched the second presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain. With that many people engaged in something so big, you can be sure that The Brooklyn Paper’s “Best Community Newspaper Political Team in the Whole Darn Business” was out on the beat, watching the debate, too. Here is our exclusive full-team coverage. Comment.

Park Slope: Brooklyn backed Barack by baking brownies. Comments (1).

Politics: Brownstone Brooklyn pols in city and state government are on the front lines of the battle to stop Mayor Bloomberg from getting a third term — but their motives might have as much to do with their own political ambition as it does with civic virtue. Comments (5).

Politics: Mayor Bloomberg’s bid to end term limits is setting up an epic race for borough president, pitting incumbent Beep Marty Markowitz against powerhouse Councilman Bill DeBlasio. Comments (9).

Perspective: Our editorial board thinks Borough President Markowitz needs to provide answers. Comments (2).

Politics: Borough President Markowitz was in Israel this week promoting tourism between Brooklyn and the Jewish state, he told The Brooklyn Paper. Comment.

Downtown: The city comptroller said this week that he is “very concerned” about no-bid contracts that Borough President Markowitz made on behalf of his own charity, Best of Brooklyn. Comments (2).

Park Slope: The two faces of Park Slope were fully on display on Sunday, as hundreds of empty seats showed up for an anti-war rally, but hundreds of dollars were raised at a 14th Street bake sale for presidential hopeful Barack Obama. Comments (1).

Bay Ridge: How much does the Republican establishment on Staten Island hate former Assemblyman Robert Straniere? So much so that the Republican-Conservative borough president of that island paradise has endorsed Straniere’s Democratic rival for the long-GOP seat being vacated by Rep. Vito Fossella. Comment.

Bay Ridge: How much does the Republican establishment on Staten Island hate former Assemblyman Robert Straniere? So much so that the Republican-Conservative borough president of that island paradise will on Saturday endorse Straniere’s Democratic rival for the long-GOP seat being vacated by Rep. Vito Fossella. Comments (1).

Bay Ridge: Mike McMahon wins the Democratic nomination in the 13th congressional district and will face Robert Straniere for the seat being vacated by scandal-tarred Rep. Vito Fossella. Comment.

Politics: From an upset in a Brooklyn Heights state Senate seat to another win by longtime incumbent Rep. Ed Towns to a landslide by a Democratic Councilman who wants to replace scandal-tarred Rep. Vito Fossella and represent Bay Ridge in Congress, The Brooklyn Paper brings you all the election results. Click on the races below or read this round up. Comments (3).

Fort Greene: House hopeful Kevin Powell might have a plan, but he doesn’t have a clue, according to the incumbent Rep. Ed Towns. Comments (2).

Politics: Just five days before voters hit the booths, congressional upstart Kevin Powell finally gave them a reason to hit the books. Comments (8).

Brooklyn Heights: State Sen. Marty Connor — embroiled in the political fight of his life — used a debate Wednesday night to lash into his 28-year-old opponent as a “trust fund man” with little life and neighborhood experience. Comments (6).

Editorial: Our editorial board endorses newcomers to replace longtime incumbents in the state Senate and in the House of Representatives, plus a veteran city councilman to represent Bay Ridge in Washington. Comments (18).

Politics: Ed Towns and Kevin Powell; Marty Connor and Daniel Squadron; and Michael McMahon and Steve Harrison: All are running in three contested Democratic Primary contests on Sept. 9. Last week, The Brooklyn Paper met with all of them. Here’s what they had to say! Comment.

Bay Ridge: The drunk-driving trial against outgoing Rep. Vito Fossella has been postponed until October, due to requests from his lawyers to obtain more information about the sobriety test equipment used the night of his arrest in May, the New York Times reported this week. Comment.

Convention: In Denver for the Democratic National Convention, Chris Owens, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress two years ago, says he knows what will get Barack Obama elected. Comments (1).

Fort Greene: Rep. Ed Towns revealed a surprising lack of knowledge about foreign affairs, especially developments in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, and little enthusiasm for engagement anywhere in the world. When the discussion turned to domestic issues, he was on firmer ground, touting several bills for which he’s claimed credit over the years. With video … Comments (2).

Downtown: A hotly contested primary race for a local judgeship looks like it will hinge on which candidate is less tarnished by the Kings County Democratic machine’s legendary corruption. Comment.

Politicrasher: Take a good look at the usual suspects gathered in this handout photo and you’ll have a pretty good idea of which local pols will enjoy the support of the Satmar community in Williamsburg. Comments (6).

Brooklyn Heights: Mayor Bloomberg — a billionaire former Republican — has inserted himself into the Democratic race for a Brooklyn Heights state Senate seat, endorsing a well off newcomer against longtime incumbent Marty Connor as payback for votes against him in Albany. Comments (6).

Politicrasher: Our columnist gets a free meal off of mayoral wannabe, Rep. Anthony Weiner. Comments (2).

Politicrasher: Our political insider covers a councilman’s ribbon-cutting at a post office. Man, how the mighty have fallen. Comments (3).

Brooklyn Heights: A veteran state Senator is under fire during a heated re-election campaign for calling for massive raises for Albany lawmakers if they’re willing to do what most voters are already forced to do: work full time. Comment.

Politicrasher: We met with Council Speaker Chris Quinn at Junior’s — and all we got was a cup of joe and praise for her work leading the Council. Comments (2).

Politics: City Councilman David Yassky dropped by our DUMBO offices to give us a proclamation and to give us his rendition of Starship’s immortal hit, “We Built this City (On Rock and Roll.” How did the “Singing Councilman” do? Let’s go to the videotape! With video … Comments (1).

Bay Ridge: In an early swipe at an opponent in the race to succeed scandal-ridden Rep. Vito Fossella, former Republican Assemblyman Robert Straniere assailed Councilman Mike McMahon as a tax-and-spend Democrat, one of the oldest curses in an old political book. Comment.

Politics: Congressional upstart Kevin Powell is already a vegan, but an endorsement tonight might make the House hopeful consider keeping Kosher. Comments (23).

Politicrasher: Is running for Congress the new therapy? Comments (8).

Politicrasher: Our columnist follows around congressional hopeful Kevin Powell as he courts that most-elusive of political prizes: the youth vote. Comments (1).

Politics: Could it be that political gadfly John O’Hara has clawed himself back to respectability? Comment.

Politics: In the clearest sign yet that Borough President Markowitz is not running for mayor in 2009, the Beep is barely raising any money. Comments (1).

Bay Ridge: A former Republican Assemblyman who was driven out of power by his GOP rivals four years ago has been ushered back into the fold as the party’s official choice to represent Bay Ridge and Staten Island in Congress. Comment.

Bay Ridge: Congressional hopeful Mike McMahon’s bid to replace retiring Rep. Vito Fossella got a boost on Sunday when Sen. Charles Schumer threw his weight behind the Staten Island councilman’s campaign, despite a longstanding practice of not endorsing during intra-party squabbles. With video … Comments (3).

Politics: Comedian Dave Chappelle disappointed voters and raised doubts about congressional upstart Kevin Powell’s campaign by blowing off the candidate’s highly promoted Wednesday night fundraiser. With video … Comments (6).

Politics: The death of would-be Republican congressman Frank Powers has split the Staten Island and Brooklyn wings of the so-called Grand Old Party. Comments (2).

Bay Ridge: Frank Powers, who had been selected by Republican power brokers to run for the congressional seat being vacated by disgraced Rep. Vito Fossella, died in his sleep on Sunday. He was 67. Comment.

Politics: Embattled Rep. Vito Fossella admitted today to fathering a daughter with the woman who bailed him out of an Alexandria, Virginia jail after his arrest last Thursday for drunk driving. Comment.

Politics: Disgraced Rep. Vito Fossella had more than two times the legal limit of alcohol in his bloodstream when he was arrested for drunk-driving on early Thursday morning in Virginia — and the six-term congressman is facing a mandatory sentence of five days in the slammer. With video … Comments (2).

Politics: Illinois Sen. Barack Obama received thousands of votes more than he had been credited with in the Board of Elections’ unofficial Primary Night vote count. Comments (5).

Fort Greene: Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries wants to help renters from being displaced. Comment.

Smartmom: Eliot Spitzer’s alleged prostitution habit has Smartmom wondering what it would take before she left Hepcat. Comments (1).

Politics: Another big gun — this time Rep. Vito Fossella — has come out against a city plan to build a garbage-transfer station along Gravesend Bay — and says the plan could literally blow up in the city’s face. Comments (1).

Cartoon: Our artist’s take on the issues of the day! Comment.

Bay Ridge: A Bay Ridge rail yard site that has become a haven for the homeless people will now be inspected weekly to clear out the area and increase safety. Comment.

Brooklyn, Iowa: BROOKLYN, IOWA — Former Sen. John Edwards emerged a narrow winner in this rural town of 1,300, fighting off a last-minute visit by former President Bill Clinton and a strong surge by younger voters for Barack Obama in a raucous, only-in-Iowa caucus. In a much-more subdued process, Brooklyn Republicans made Baptist preacher, weight-loss guru and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee the winner of their vote. Comments (1).

Politics: A court-appointed attorney who plundered the fortune of former Judge John Phillips has been temporarily stripped of her license to practice law — but District Attorney Charles Hynes won’t commit to opening a criminal investigation into her wrongdoings. Comments (2).

Bay Ridge: The Constitution can make you healthy. That’s the word over at Bay Ridge’s Appletree Natural Foods shop, which, in the spirit of the presidential primary season, has set aside an entire window for a gigantic display of our nation’s founding document. Comments (11).

Politics: Councilman Bill DeBlasio is running away with the race to succeed Borough President Markowitz — the money race, that is. Comment.

Bloomy in the ’Hood: Mayor Bloomberg joined Fort Hamilton HS Principal Jo Ann Chester last Thursday to celebrate the school’s arts education program — but not everyone found the mayor’s speech scintillating. Kenneth Lai, a Fort Hamilton HS junior, devoted as much attention as he could spare. Comments (2).

Politics: The city can now penalize business owners for leaving circulars and menus on the doorsteps of homeowners who’ve explicitly said they don’t want them, thanks to a bill signed by Gov. Spitzer on Tuesday. Comment.

Politics: State lawmakers are about to hand themselves a big pay raise. Here’s what they say about it. Comment.

Politics: Everyone’s getting in on the “state of” game these days, from Borough President Markowitz, who gave his sixth, final and raucous “State of the Borough” address on Feb. 7 at the Brooklyn Cruise Ship Terminal, to Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries (D–Fort Greene), who gave a more muted performance at Pratt Institute on Jan. 30. Of course, both were following in the vaunted tradition of presidents past and present, including President Bush, who gave his final State of the Union on Jan. 28 in Washington. Here’s how the three politicians’ speeches compared. Comment.

PS … I Love You: Tip O’Neill used to say that all politics is local. Who knew it extended to food? Comment.

Brooklyn Angle: Our columnist’s cast auction goes well — with two councilmen in a bidding war! Comments (1).

Politicrasher: Our political insider makes the scene. This week: Council candidate Jo Anne Simon’s mojito party! Comment.

Politics: The New York primary is settled, but the money war rages on between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Comments (2).

Politics: Two Brooklyn members of Congress say they’ll vote for Sen. Hillary Clinton at the Democratic convention in August, even though the majority of voters in their districts cast ballots for Sen. Barack Obama in the New York primary, The Brooklyn Paper has learned. Comments (3).

Bay Ridge: Steve Harrison, who came closer than any Democrat before him in defeating the city’s only Republican congressman two years ago, won the endorsement of the Staten Island Democratic Association by a landslide vote of 42-6 last week. Comments (3).

Politics: Last week’s stunning mayoral poll put Borough President Markowitz ahead of other pretenders to the City Hall throne, but the Beep’s dithering over whether he will run is allowing valuable fundraising opportunities to dissolve into the ether, experts said. Comment.

Brooklyn Heights: Is the end near for state Sen. Marty Connor? The Brooklyn Heights Democrat’s hopes for a 16th term are looking shakier than ever, thanks to a few good weeks for challenger Daniel Squadron. On Sunday, Sen. Charles Schumer came to Brooklyn Heights to endorse Squadron, calling his former staffer “one of the smartest, most able people I know.” Comment.

Bay Ridge: A staffer in embattled Rep. Vito Fossella’s Bay Ridge office says his boss’s tarnished reputation won’t hurt him in his just-announced run for the Assembly. Comments (1).

Politics: Brooklynites marked the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq with a damp protest rally on Wednesday. Comment.

Politics: The City Council approved the mayor’s plan to charge car drivers $8 and truck drivers $21 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street by a 30–20 vote on Monday. But here in Brooklyn, the vote went the opposite way. Comments (3).

Politics: Former Black Panther Angela Davis gave her much-anticipated lecture at Pratt Institute and said that racism is still as ingrained as ever in the U.S. Comment.

Fort Greene: It’s the MTV kid versus the golden oldie for Congress. Comments (2).

Politics: A group of ornery Brooklyn Democrats has effectively said it would rather have no one representing it in Congress than Rep. Yvette Clarke. Comments (2).

Bay Ridge: Rep. Vito Fossella called the press to a hotel in Staten Island to address his Thursday morning drunk-driving arrest in Virginia. Here is the six-term congressman’s opening statement, as captured by BrooklynPaper.com cameraman Ricky Barlin. With video … Comment.

Bay Ridge: Democratic party leaders from Brooklyn and Staten Island anointed Staten Island Councilman Mike McMahon as their chosen candidate for the congressional seat spanning the two boroughs that is being vacated by disgraced Rep. Vito Fossella. Comments (1).

Bay Ridge: Frank Powers, the presumptive Republican candidate for the Bay Ridge congressional seat being vacated by disgraced GOP lawmaker Vito Fossella, introduced himself to the public days after national De