1) The Huffington Post
URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

The Huffington Post is a liberal news blog founded by socialite Arianna Huffington in 2005 that covers everything from politics to business and more. Since its launch, it has become the most linked-to, as well as the most visited blog online. It was also ranked the most influential blog in the world by The Guardian. Its roster of influential columnists alone makes this blog worth checking out.

2) Daily Kos
URL: http://www.dailykos.com

Markos Moulitsas - a.k.a. "kos" - created Daily Kos on May 26, 2002. As a veteran, Moulitsas was worried that the freedoms he fought for were not being upheld in his own country, and created Daily Kos as a result. The blog has since grown into the premier political community in the United States, with traffic of about 600,000 daily visits. Even the likes of President Jimmy Carter, have used Daily Kos to lend their voice to the online political world.

3) Think Progress
URL: http://thinkprogress.org

Think Progress is a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, a nonpartisan organization. With its blog, CAPAF seeks to provide a forum that advances progressive ideas and policies. Think Progress was voted “Best Liberal Blog” in the 2006 Weblog Awards. It was also named "Best Blog of 2008" by The Sidney Hillman Foundation, receiving an award for journalism excellence.

4) Talking Points Memo
URL: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com

Josh Marshall began publishing Talking Points Memo in November 2000, during the infamous Florida electoral recount. TPM launched its second site, TPMCafe.com, in 2005 and TPMuckraker.com and TPM Election Central in 2006. Headquartered in New York City, TPM also has two staff bloggers based in Washington, DC, making sure all their political bases are covered.

5) Crooks and Liars
URL: http://www.crooksandliars.com

Founded by John Amato, Crooks and Liars is a politically left-wing blog that focuses on political events and the news coverage of them. It was first launched in August 2004, and is known especially for its video archive of political events, television, and radio shows. In 2008, it won "Best Weblog About Politics" at the Weblog Awards.

6) Wonkette
URL: http://wonkette.com/

Ana Marie Cox is known as the writer who has made Washington politics irresistibly naughty. In Wonkette, she combines a mix of gossip and satire and self-described "things the author makes up." Get the inside scoop on the going-on's of Washington with Wonkette.

7) Eschaton
URL: http://www.eschatonblog.com

Promising to provide political commentary from a liberal perspective, Eschaton is a busy blog that sees a range of comments from across the political spectrum. For the latest on what's making people talk, visit Eschaton.

8) Matthew Yglesias
URL: http://matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com/

Matthew Yglesias is an Associate Editor of The Atlantic Monthly. His blog was begun in January 2002, since which time he has also written for The Guardian, Slate, The New Republic, and The Washington Monthly. His first book, Heads in the Sand, takes a critical look at the Democratic Party's failure to produce a coherent alternative to the Bush foreign policy. Check out his blog for more.

9) OpEdNews
URL: http://www.opednews.com

OpEdNews is a tough progressive website that claims to be not only a blog, but "an activism and empowerment site." It receives over 600,000 unique visitors and some 40 million hits each month. Founded by Rob Kall in 2003, OpEdNews now also has more than 17,000 registered members.

10) Crooked Timber
URL: http://www.crookedtimber.org/

Crooked Timber is a widely-read leftist political blog that is run by a team of fifteen academics from across the world. Founded in July 2003, Crooked Timber has since been ranked as one of the world's 50 most important blogs by The Guardian.

11) Making Light
URL: http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/

Making Light is a blog written by husband and wife team Teresa and Patrick Nielsen Hayden. Known outside of the blogosphere for their writings and teachings on science fiction, online the duo are known for their political analysis and spirited discussions.

12) Oliver Willis
URL: http://www.oliverwillis.com/

Oliver Willis does not match the old-school profile of political influence. He’s not a rich man or a player in Democratic circles; in the 2000 presidential campaign, the most he did was purchase a Gore/Lieberman hat. But he has a political platform of his own in this blog, which he runs from his sparsely furnished apartment in Dedham. And when he posted an essay there, promoting former Vermont governor Howard Dean for Democratic nominee, he drew a flood of comments from people he had never met. When Oliver Willis talks, the blogosphere cares.

13) The Reality-Based Community
URL: http://www.samefacts.com/

The Reality-Based Community provides expert opinions on current issues in the press. Based on the idea that "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts," this blog strives to get to the truth of the issues.

1) The Daily Dish
URL: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/

With The Daily Dish, The Atlantic writer Andrew Sullivan became one of the first mainstream journalists to experiment with blogging. His unique profile (gay, Roman Catholic, HIV-positive, and anti-tax) lends itself to a blog that is as interesting and enlightening as it is controversial.

2) Hot Air
URL: http://hotair.com/

Hot Air's mission is to expose new viewers to the revolutionary world of videoblogging, animation, and Internet broadcasting, largely as it relates to politics. In their own words, the team behind Hot Air strives to "Laugh. Report. Laugh. Entertain. Laugh. Inform. Laugh. Make money. Did we say laugh?"

3) Power Line
URL: http://powerlineblog.com/

Run by three American attorneys, John Hinderaker, Scott Johnson, and Paul Mirengoff, Power Line is a popular blog that presents an in-depth and right-of-centre take on some of today's most pressing issues in the political game.

4) Hit and Run
URL: http://www.reason.com/blog/

Hit and Run is the blog offshoot of Reason, a monthly print magazine of “free minds and free markets.” It covers politics, culture, and ideas through a provocative mix of news, analysis, commentary, and reviews. It is updated daily with articles and columns on current developments in politics and culture. It also contains the full text of past issues of the print edition of Reason.

5) Instapundit
URL: http://instapundit.com

The Instapundit is Glenn Reynolds, a law professor at the University of Tennessee. Although his blog covers a vast array of political issues, Reynolds' self-proclaimed chief interest is in "the intersection between advanced technologies and individual liberty." Check out his blog for a unique perspective on the issues.

6) Redstate
URL: http://www.redstate.com/

RedState is a leading blog for right of center online activists. Established in May of 2004 by Ben Domenech, Mike Krempasky, and Josh Trevino, RedState has played an integral role in the right's fight online against the left. RedState continues to be one of the most widely read right of center blogs on Capitol Hill and is the most cited right of center blog in the media, with a community of tens of thousands of readers.

7) Little Green Footballs
URL: http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog

Little Green Footballs is a right-wing political blog started by Charles Johnson, a California-based web designer, in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks. With its active discussions relating to Islam and the Arab-Israeli conflict, LGF won the Washington Post's reader poll for Best International Blog in 2004.

8) Right Wing News
URL: http://rightwingnews.com

Created in early 2001, John Hawkins started this blog as a response to the Florida recount dilemma during the 2000 American election. Since then, his site has grown into a premier online forum for political conservative discussion and views.

9) Townhall
URL: http://www.townhall.com/blog

Townhall was launched in 1995 as the first conservative web community. Its mission is to "inform, empower, and mobilize citizens for political change." Its blog is helping to amplify conservative voices in America's political debate as the 2008 election race heats up.

10) Just One Minute
URL: http://justoneminute.typepad.com/

Tom Maguire is known as Mr. Minute Man. In his blog, whose tagline is "You know, this conversation doesn't help my kids," Maguire covers everything from the 2008 American presidential election, to alternative energy. His link directory is also a good source of more information.

11) Michael Barone
URL: http://www.usnews.com/blogs/barone/

Michael Barone is a senior writer for U.S.News & World Report and principal co-author of The Almanac of American Politics. He has written for many publications - including the Economist and the New York Times. His blog offers experience and critical analysis of the issues.