Democrats in disarray as Bush basks in glow of Iraq trip  —  US President George W. Bush's triumphant return from his unannounced visit in Iraq found opposition Democrats more divided than ever on US policy in the wartorn country, and how best to capitalize on administration missteps there.

EXCLUSIVE: Pentagon Orders U.S. Reporters to Exit Guantanamo  —  NEW YORK In the aftermath of the three suicides at the notorious Guantanamo prison facility in Cuba last Saturday, reporters with the Los Angeles Times and the Miami Herald were ordered by the office of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to leave the island today.

'New Direction' is new theme for Democratic plan  —  WASHINGTON — Democratic House and Senate leaders are planning to reduce the cost of student loans and prescription drugs, raise the minimum wage and launch an effort to develop alternative fuels if they win back control of Congress.

It's 'Putdown With Keith Olbermann'  —  Now that Dan Abrams has given up his MSNBC show to run the third-place cable news outlet, he might want to focus on the rising tensions between two of his prime-time personalities: Keith Olbermann and Rita Cosby.  —  Olbermann, whose …

THE CAMP PENDLETON 8  —  ***update: We've captured and posted the video of Hillary getting booed as she asks progressives to support the troops.  Guess they won't be helping out the Camp Pendleton 8...LGF asks: What's wrong with Marine brass?  My column this week calls attention to the Camp Pendleton 8 …

Robert Luskin Sends Bush's Brain Message on Plane: 'Case Over'; Attacks Blogosphere  —  The message reached Karl Rove on his BlackBerry: "FITZGERALD CALLED.  CASE OVER."  —  Strapped into his seat, his cell phone darkened in preparation for takeoff on a flight to New Hampshire …

In Connecticut, Lamont Closes the Gap  —  Want to know why supporters of Sen. Joe Lieberman are planning an independent bid?  A new Rasmussen Reports poll shows Lieberman leading primary challenger Ned Lamont (D) by just six percentage points, 46% to 40%.  —  There are some issues with the poll …

Schumer: Dems Have Their 8th  —  At a briefing for the Washington, D.C. political press corps today, DSCC chair Chuck Schumer was in a mood to marvel and brag.  Last night, with the victory of Jim Webb, Democrats finally found their eighth competitive Senate contest.

Press Conference of the President  —  THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.  Thank you.  I've just returned from Baghdad, and I was inspired to be able to visit the capital of a free and democratic Iraq.  —  It was a pleasure to meet face-to-face with the Prime Minister.

FEMA Funds Spent on Divorce, Sex Change  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Houston divorce lawyer Mark Lipkin says he can't recall anyone paying for his services with a FEMA debit card, but congressional investigators say one of his clients did just that.  —  The $1,000 payment was just one example cited …

Time's massacre  —  With Marines being accused of war crimes, the blogosphere is doing what it does best: scrutinizing the reporting.  In this case, the site Sweetness & Light has been on Time magazine's case for what appears to be justifiable concerns over its reporting of the Nov. 19 Haditha incident …

Boehner On The Contrasts GOPers Will Try To Draw With Dems  —  House Maj. Leader John Boehner (R-OH), in a "confidential" memo to his caucus, previews the distinctions GOPers will draw with Dems as the debate over Iraq gets underway.  The House will consider a resolution equating the war in Iraq with the broader war on terror.

RWN's Ann Coulter Interview #3  —  John Hawkins: Do you think teachers are underpaid?  —  Ann Coulter: The good ones are, that's why they deserve merit pay.  The bad ones are  —  overpaid.  Too bad their unions don't let us distinguish between the two.  —  John Hawkins: Is global warming occurring and caused by mankind?

An English-Only Beef in a Cheesesteak Joint?  Comin' Right Up  —  PHILADELPHIA — The sign contains just eight words and is hardly big enough to wrap around a cheesesteak.  But here in South Philadelphia, home of the cheesesteak, the sign that Joey Vento posted at Geno's Steaks speaks volumes.

Top Bush Adviser to Step Down  —  Michael J. Gerson, one of President Bush's most trusted advisers and author of nearly all of his most famous public words during the past seven years, plans to step down in the next couple weeks in a decision that colleagues believe will leave a huge hole in the White House at a critical period.

Scientists respond to Gore's warnings of climate catastrophe  —  "The Inconvenient Truth" is indeed inconvenient to alarmists  —  "Scientists have an independent obligation to respect and present the truth as they see it," Al Gore sensibly asserts in his film "An Inconvenient Truth" …

A Prison We Need to Escape  —  When I hear U.S. officials describe the suicides of three Muslim prisoners at Guantanamo Bay last Saturday as "asymmetric warfare" and "a good PR move," I know it's time to close that camp — not just because of what it's doing to the prisoners but because of how it is dehumanizing the American captors.