Democrats and Iraq  —  The Democrats will not be able to savor their victory for long.  Americans are waiting to hear if they have any good ideas for how to get out of Iraq without creating even wider chaos and terrorism.  —  Criticizing President Bush's gross mismanagement of the war was a winning electoral strategy.

Feingold rules out 2008 run for president  —  cgilbert@journalsentinel.com  —  Washington - Sen. Russ Feingold will not seek his party's presidential nomination in 2008, the Wisconsin Democrat told the Journal Sentinel on Saturday.  —  "I never got to that point where I'd rather …

U.S. vetoes condemnation of Gaza strikes  —  UNITED NATIONS - The United States vetoed a U.N. Security Council draft resolution Saturday that sought to condemn an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip and demand Israeli troops pull out of the territory.

Sectarian Rifts Foretell Pitfalls of Iraqi Troops' Taking Control  —  BAQUBA, Iraq — It did not take long for Col. Brian D. Jones to begin to have doubts about the new Iraqi commander.  —  The commander, Brig. Gen. Shakir Hulail Hussein al-Kaabi, was chosen this summer by the Shiite-led government …

Webb May Be Senate Maverick  —  Newest Member Expected to Take Antiwar Lead  —  James Webb walked into the Fish Market restaurant in Alexandria in December and wanted longtime Democratic strategist Steve Jarding to answer just one question: What were his chances of defeating Sen. George Allen …

Democratic Lobbyists Relish Return to Washington's Power Elite  —  Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) — Thomas Boggs, dean of the Democratic lobbyists in Washington, boasts of a tie to incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that no one in his profession can match: He has known her since they were both 4 years old.

New Democratic Majority Throws Bush's Judicial Nominations Into Uncertainty  —  The impending Democratic takeover of the Senate, lawmakers and administration officials agree, will produce a vast change in an area that has produced some of the sharpest partisan battles in recent years …

New Clicks in the Arab World  —  Bloggers Challenge Longtime Cultural, Political Restrictions  —  JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia — When he was a college student in Washington state, Saudi Arabia's most popular blogger, Fouad al-Farhan, donned a T-shirt emblazoned with "Animal Rights Equals Human Rights" …

Sunday Talking Head Thread  —  (Geese in an enclosure in Germany.  AFP/DDP/Michael Urban.)  —  Here's the Sunday Talking Head line-up.  Read it and weep:  —  C-Span's Washington Journal: 8:30am - Naftali Bendavid, Chicago Tribune, Deputy Washington Bureau Chief; 9am - Phoner From Baghdad …

Veteran's Day Message To Karl Rove: Take Your Terror Scares and Shove Them Up Your Ass!  —  I was honored to spend most of Veteran's Day at the Vietnam Memorial with a rally and ceremony honoring heroes of America from every branch of the service, and their families, immediate and extended.

TAPS  —  FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT'S ARMISTICE DAY ADDRESS  —  [White House news release.]  —  Among the great days of national remembrance, none is more deeply moving to Americans of our generation than the Eleventh of November, the Anniversary of the Armistice of 1918 …

Claim: Cat Stevens Financed Terrorists, Tied to Radical Clerics  —  The Jawa Report has obtained evidence that Yusuf Islam, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, was once connected to radical clerics Omar Bakri Mohammed & Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman.  According to at least one credible source …

Return To First Principles  —  In the aftermath of the midterm election loss, which stripped power from Republicans in both chambers of Congress, supporters wondered what went wrong and how to recover from the blow.  Why did voters reject the GOP after twelve years in power …