CIA boss Goss is cooked  —  Tied to contractor's poker parties - hints of bribes & women  —  WASHINGTON - CIA Director Porter Goss abruptly resigned yesterday amid allegations that he and a top aide may have attended Watergate poker parties where bribes and prostitutes were provided to a corrupt congressman.

Confident Democrats Lay Out Agenda  —  Party Plans Probes Of Administration If It Wins the House  —  Democratic leaders, increasingly confident they will seize control of the House in November, are laying plans for a legislative blitz during their first week in power that would raise the minimum wage …

HILLARY CLINTON: TOO MUCH OF A CLINTON DEMOCRAT?  —  Hillary Clinton has a few problems if she wants to secure the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.  She is a leader who fails to lead.  She does not appear "electable."  But most of all, Hillary has a Bill Clinton problem.

Israel foils plot to kill Palestinian president  —  A HAMAS plot to assassinate Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has been thwarted after he was tipped off by Israeli intelligence.  —  Hamas's military wing, the Izza Din Al-Qassem, had planned to kill Abbas at his office in Gaza, intelligence sources said.

Iraqis, British Troops Spar After Crash  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq — A British military helicopter apparently was hit by a missile Saturday and crashed in Basra, triggering a confrontation in which jubilant Iraqis pelted British troops with stones, hurled firebombs and shouted slogans in support of a radical Shiite Muslim cleric.

What Can We Do About Iraq and Iran?  —  President Bush's job approval ratings continue to plummet, as increasing numbers of Americans recognize that the Administration lacks the clear thinking required to deal with the critical issues that confront America, such as Iraq and Iran.

You Just Flunked Out Of Feminism 101.  Wait, Stupid Also Just Failed Out Of Moron.  —  Now, I post this with a heavy heart, because the truth is, that despite any previous complaints about puppies, I actually regard Eugene Volokh as an intelligent, thoughtful person with whom I would love to have a beer or two.

Rummy "lied"  —  Andrew Sullivan says the man who heckled Rummy was … No not some crazed lefty.  The man was Ray McGovern, who Sweetness and Light noticed was part of Daniel Ellsberg's Truth Telling Project.  Here's the relevant blog entry from the Belmont archives: … Commentary

MI3 Box Office Disappoints.  Cruise's Fault?  —  I'm told that, according to rival studio estimates, Paramount's MI3 will gross in the mid-$40 millions — $45 mil-to-$46 mil — for this opening weekend, much lower than the pre-Friday estimates of $63 mil from 4,054 theaters.

Three ACI guards charged with assaulting inmates  —  ACI Director A.T. Wall says he will move to have the correctional officers fired if they are convicted.  —  PROVIDENCE — Three state correctional officers, including a captain who allegedly forced an inmate to taste his own feces on Valentine's Day …

'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for Jan. 24th  —  KEITH OLBERMANN, HOST: Which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow?  —  The CIA leak indictment.  It not only says Libby on the label, it also says top secret.  Why Scooter wants to keep part of the trial out of the public eye.

At the Movies  —  So has anyone in my newsroom been to see "United 93"?  You've got to be kidding.  The people who lined up two and three times for "Fahrenheit 9/11" are made visibly uncomfortable by this film.  They seem to just wish it would go away.  —  Actually, one person has seen it — the new guy.

Chavez Wants Vote on Governing Until '31  —  CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez said Saturday that Venezuelan voters should have the chance to decide whether he should govern the country for the next 25 years.  —  Speaking at a stadium packed with supporters in central Lara state …

With Smear Scandal, France Near Paralysis  —  PARIS — When French criminal investigators finish their probe of the smear, who was smeared and who did the smearing may be little more than a footnote.  —  A burgeoning political scandal of alleged dirty tricks involving the cabinet's …

Desperation Sets In  —  Bloomberg has a nice summary up of today's Libby hearing.  It looks like Libby's got nothing but smoke and mirrors, and the judge is getting tired of the sideshow: … If Walton thinks the whole thing sounds like bulls**t now, wait 'til he sees the witness list.