Exclusive: Charges Sought Against Rumsfeld Over Prison Abuse  —  A lawsuit in Germany will seek a criminal prosecution of the outgoing Defense Secretary and other U.S. officials for their alleged role in abuses at Abu Ghraib and Gitmo  —  Just days after his resignation …

A PUTSCH AT THE DNC?:  —  Some big name Democrats want to oust DNC Chairman Howard Dean, arguing that his stubborn commitment to the 50-state strategy and his stinginess with funds for House races cost the Democrats several pickup opportunities.  —  The candidate being floated to replace Dean?

EXCLUSIVE: McCain Begins Preliminary White House Run  —  Exploratory Committee to Be Set Up This Month, No Final Decision Has Been Made  —  His party may have taken "a thumpin'," in the words of President Bush, but ABC News has learned that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his political team …

Marine to receive Medal of Honor for Iraq heroism  —  (CNN) — President Bush announced on Friday that the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, will be awarded posthumously to Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham.  —  In April 2004, Dunham was leading a patrol in an Iraqi town near …

Bolton's Chances of Confirmation Are 'Nil,' Official Says  —  President Bush has pledged to be a bipartisan, consensus builder now that Democrats are to control Congress, and since Wednesday he has made conciliatory gestures.  The question now is whether Mr. Bush is ready to junk …

Jon Stewart: Democratic majority kingmaker  —  Forget left of center bloggers, Jon Stewart is this year's kingmaker.  Without him and The Daily Show, the Democrats would not have made such large inroads in the midterm elections.  Let me explain why.  —  In 1994 Republicans swept to victory …

Khamenei calls elections a victory for Iran  —  TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday called U.S. President George W. Bush's defeat in congressional elections a victory for Iran.  —  Bush has accused Iran of trying to make a nuclear bomb …

Waxman Set to Probe Areas of Bush Gov't  —  The Democratic congressman who will investigate the Bush administration's running of the government says there are so many areas of possible wrongdoing, his biggest problem will be deciding which ones to pursue.  —  There's the response to Hurricane Katrina …

Gain for Same-Sex Marriage in Massachusetts  —  Lawmakers in Massachusetts, the only state where same-sex marriage is legal, dealt what appeared to be a fatal blow Thursday to a proposed constitutional amendment to ban it.  —  In a flurry of strategic maneuvering, supporters …

MuckWatch: We Pick Our Favorite Dems  —  The Democrats swept into the majority in Congress vowing to fight the culture of corruption.  Bad news for the muckraking biz, right?  Thankfully, less-than-squeaky pasts don't appear to be a factor in the Dems' reasoning as they divvy up leadership posts and committee chairs.

CONFESSIONS OF AN ANGRY HUSTLER  —  Ted Haggard's bitter boy toy tells all  —  HEAVEN CAN WAIT Reverend Ted Haggard begs forgiveness  —  On November 3, all-American family man Ted Haggard resigned as head of the 30-million strong National Association of Evangelicals after a male prostitute …

Mehlman stepping down as Republican Committee Chair  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman announced he is going to step down at the end of the year.  —  The White House is already searching for a replacement or replacements to lead the party …

The Great Revulsion  —  I'm not feeling giddy as much as greatly relieved.  O.K., maybe a little giddy.  Give 'em hell, Harry and Nancy!  —  Here's what I wrote more than three years ago, in the introduction to my column collection "The Great Unraveling": "I have a vision — maybe just a hope …