Rumsfeld Resigns; Bush Vows to 'Find Common Ground'  —  Faced with the collapse of his Republican majority in Congress, President Bush responded swiftly on Wednesday by announcing the departure of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and vowing to work with Democrats "to find common ground" on the war in Iraq and domestic issues.

"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 …

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.

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.

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.

Republicans' Angry Factions Point Fingers At Each Other  —  After minutes upon minutes of soul-searching, Republicans are now in recrimination mode.  And the GOP's various factions all agree: This wouldn't have happened if the party had listened to us.  —  In the aftermath of the historic …

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 …

A Loss's Silver Lining  —  At least Republicans now know where the "Bridge to Nowhere" leads: to the political wilderness.  But there are three reasons for conservatives to temper their despondency.  —  First, they were punished not for pursuing but for forgetting conservatism.

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.

The impeachment drumbeat begins  —  I know what Nancy Pelosi's lips say.  She says she thinks impeachment is "off the table."  She says she thinks it would be a "waste of time."  —  But the groundwork is being laid.  Former Brooklyn Rep. Liz Holtzman is hawking a book outlining how to impeach President Bush:

A Come-to-Daddy Moment  —  Poppy Bush and James Baker gave Sonny the presidency to play with and he broke it.  So now they're taking it back.  —  They are dragging W. away from those reckless older guys who have been such a bad influence and getting him some new minders who are a lot more practical.

Meet the Blue Dogs: pro-gun, anti-abortion - and Democrat  —  Our correspondent examines how the party masterminded its move to the centre and reined in liberals to seize hostile territories  —  They wear cowboy boots, chew tobacco, love hunting, hate abortion, want less government spending — and some voted for Ronald Reagan.

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.

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.

End of the Revolution  —  Advice to Republicans: Don't go back and check on a dead skunk.  —  If there was still any doubt, the Republican Revolution of 1994 officially ended Tuesday night with the loss of at least 28 seats and majority control of the House of Representatives.

PENCE ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR REPUBLICAN LEADER  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) today formally announced his campaign for Republican Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives.  In a letter to his colleagues, Pence explained his platform and sought their guidance, advice and counsel.

Meeting at The Middle  —  It's over.  —  American voters, in their wisdom, ended an era on Tuesday.  They rejected a poorly conceived war policy in Iraq that has weakened the United States.  They rejected a harshly ideological approach to politics that cast opponents as enemies of the country's survival.

Post-election Washington  —  And so the inter-party struggle pauses, if briefly, and the intra-party struggles begin.  After such a profound shift of political power as resulted from this week's election, both the winning and losing parties will inevitably enter a prolonged period (months …