"He certainly was a reporter's reporter."  —  (CBS) Veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley died Thursday at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan of complications from leukemia.  —  Bradley joined the staff of the venerable news magazine 26 years ago.  His consummate skills as a broadcast journalist …

Rumsfeld Reaction: 4 Policy Battles That Could Shape Our Military  —  When President Bush appointed former CIA Director Robert Gates (right) to the Defense Secretary post today, several of Donald Rumsfeld's pet projects began to enter the political crossfire.

Allen to Concede Election This Afternoon  —  Virginia Sen. George Allen (R) will concede that he has lost the election to Democrat James Webb at a 3 p.m. news conference in Alexandria, according to a source close to the campaign with direct knowledge of the senator's intentions.

The Thumpees Try Their Luck at the Blame Game  —  President Bush had many explanations for what he called the "thumping" his party took on Tuesday, but the most creative was the notion that his chief strategist, Karl Rove, had spent too much time reading books.

LINCOLN CHAFEE OPPOSING JOHN BOLTON OFFICIALLY: BOLTON CONFIRMATION PROCESS DEAD, DEAD, DEAD  —  Word has just reached me from a well-placed source that the White House has continued to push John Bolton's confirmation prospects as US Ambassador to the United Nations despite the election outcome.

Iowa's Vilsack to Run for President  —  DES MOINES, Iowa — Gov. Tom Vilsack said he will officially launch his presidential campaign Thursday when he files documents with the Federal Election Commission.  —  The filing comes two days after his fellow Democrats scored overwhelming victories in state and national elections.

CENSORED BY CNN: BILL MAHER SUGGESTS RNC CHAIR MEHLMAN IS GAY....  From CNN: … Partial transcript of Bill Maher's Live appearance on Larry King Live:  —  BM: A lot of the chiefs of staff, the people who really run the underpinnings of the Republican Party, are gay.

Dist. 13 voting analysis shows broad problem  —  SARASOTA COUNTY — A review of Sarasota County voting results shows that in almost every precinct a high percentage of voters didn't cast ballots in the hotly contested 13th Congressional District, a trend that likely affected the outcome of the race.

Poll: Afghans express confidence in country's direction, security  —  Most of the 6,200 surveyed say they are satisfied with democracy, but corruption is a major problem  —  Despite a raging pro-Taliban insurgency, the people of Afghanistan say they are optimistic about the future …

RANGEL 'MEANS' TO IRK VP  —  NEW TOP-DOG NYER: I'LL GRAB THE S.O.B.'S OFFICE  —  Rep. Charles Rangel, the incoming chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, revealed yesterday that he's got his eye on Capitol Hill office space now held by the man he recently called a "son of a bitch" - Vice President Dick Cheney.

Speaker Pelosi's Impending Intelligence Failure  —  Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is in line to make history as the first female Speaker—and second in line of succession for the presidency—when the new Congress convenes in January.  As with any election, a wide variety of issues factored into the dynamics of this year's midterms.

Old Names, Old Scandals  —  Robert Gates was a controversial figure in the Iran-contra affair.  Will his Reagan-era activities hamper his confirmation as Rumsfeld's successor?  —  By choosing Robert Gates as his new Defense secretary, President George W. Bush is once again turning …

President Bush Meets with Cabinet  —  THE PRESIDENT: Earlier this week the American people went to the polls, and they cast their ballots for a new Congress.  The American people made their decision; I respect the results, and so does my Cabinet.  I want to congratulate the Democrat leaders …

Justices Hear Arguments on Late-Term Abortion  —  There were moments on Wednesday, during Supreme Court arguments on a federal law that bans a disputed method of abortion, that the proceedings seemed more like a medical school seminar than an appellate argument.