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. must prove it's a staying power  —  On the radio a couple of weeks ago, Hugh Hewitt suggested to me the terrorists might try to pull a Spain on the U.S. elections.  You'll recall (though evidently many Americans don't) that in 2004 hundreds of commuters were slaughtered in multiple train bombings in Madrid.

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 …

The Architect's Faulty Specs  —  Rove believed in his metrics.  He miscalculated.  How did Bush's guru get the numbers so wrong?  —  President Bush knew he was in for a rough night.  As he settled down in front of the TV in the White House residence to watch the election results, the numbers were already grim.

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 …

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 …

Michael Dirda  —  Overlook.  409 pp.  $35  —  Nearly 30 years ago, the late Edward Said brought out his most famous book, Orientalism (1978).  Till then, Orientalism had been regarded as simply the branch of European scholarship focusing on the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.

Social Security at roots of shift  —  Democrats set groundwork in reform fight  —  WASHINGTON — Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid had a decision to make.  President Bush was starting his second term with a brash challenge to a sacred Democratic program — Social Security …

Dems put the 'big tent' back together  —  Democrats rebuild their historically popular left-center coalition.  —  THE OFFICIALLY ACCEPTED VERSION of the Democrats' victory last week, touted on television Tuesday night and repeated here and there in the following days, was that the party won by deftly running moderates in red states.