Stupid party decides  —  WASHINGTON — The depleted House Republican caucus, a minority in the next Congress, convenes at 8 a.m. in the Capitol Friday on the brink of committing an act of supreme irrationality.  The House members blame their leadership for tasting the bitter dregs of defeat.

For Democrats, How Long a Honeymoon?  —  The media kept saying the war was going badly.  The Bush administration said progress in Iraq was being obscured by relentlessly negative coverage.  —  The media kept saying the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina was badly botched.

California man arrested for mail threats to celebs  —Text+WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A California man suspected of mailing threatening letters containing a suspicious white powder to celebrities and U.S. politicians has been arrested and could face federal charges on Monday, the FBI said.

Speaker-to-be is no stranger to earmarking  —  Rep. Nancy Pelosi has promised to change the controversial practice, a process she's celebrated using for her district.  —  WASHINGTON — When the House passed a massive spending bill last November, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi made sure her constituents knew what they were getting.

The House that Rahm Built  —  Rahm Emanuel, Chicago's profane, ruthless, savvy operative, remade the Democrats in his image—and helped the party overcome 12 years of humiliation  —  Rahm Emanuel was seething.  —  He was hurtling down an asphalt road in upstate New York on the 47th trip …

China sub secretly stalked U.S. fleet  —  A Chinese submarine stalked a U.S. aircraft carrier battle group in the Pacific last month and surfaced within firing range of its torpedoes and missiles before being detected, The Washington Times has learned.  —  The surprise encounter highlights …

A True Blue Libertarian  —  Stan Jones, the Also-Ran Who Changed the Hue of Politics  —  BOZEMAN, Mont. — Stan Jones, a Montana libertarian widely known for his peculiar blue skin, can arguably be said to have recast the political complexion of the U.S. Senate, turning it from Republican red to the same color as his face.

Administration Opposes Democrats' Plan for Negotiating Medicare Drug Prices  —  The Bush administration said on Sunday that it would strenuously oppose one of the Democrats' top priorities for the new Congress: legislation authorizing the government to negotiate with drug companies to secure lower drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries.

True Blue Populists  —  Senator George Allen of Virginia is understandably shocked and despondent.  Just a year ago, a National Review cover story declared that his "down-home persona" made him "quite possibly the next president of the United States."  Instead, his political career seems over.

The rise of the Mommy Party  —  Pelosi's at the helm, Hillary's in the wings and - for now - Bush is in the doghouse  —  With Democrats seizing control of the House and Senate, a debate has started over how significant their victory was.  Does it potentially mark a generational power shift?

Democrats: Identify pork sponsors  —  WASHINGTON — Democrats aim to open the next Congress in January with a new rule that identifies lawmakers who use legislative "earmarks" to help special interests — a change Republicans promised but didn't implement.  —  House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi …

Borat spanked by angry Yank  —  BORAT star Sacha Baron Cohen was beaten up by a passer-by after he tried to play a prank as his alter ego.  —  He approached the man and said: "I like your clothings.  Are nice!  Please may I buying?  I want have sex with it."  —  But the bystander didn't see the joke.

Democrats Push for Troop Cuts Within Months  —  Democratic leaders in the Senate vowed on Sunday to use their new Congressional majority to press for troop reductions in Iraq within a matter of months, stepping up pressure on the administration just as President Bush is to be interviewed …

Rumsfeld and the Realists  —  Consistency is irrelevant to progressives.  —  On Dec. 20, 1983, Donald Rumsfeld, then Ronald Reagan's Middle East envoy, met Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.  According to declassified documents, the Reagan administration sought …

Rove Remains Steadfast in the Face of Criticism  —  For a man still climbing out of the rubble, Karl Rove seemed in his usual unflappable mood.  He roamed around his windowless West Wing office decorated with four Abraham Lincoln portraits, joking with his staff, stuffing copies of "The Iliad" …

Midterm Election Leaves Political Landscape Blurry  —  As Both Parties Face Unresolved Questions and Internal Disputes, the 2008 Campaign Looks to Be a Crucial One  —  Rarely has an election result been delivered with such force and clarity, and still left so many unanswered questions in its wake, as that of the 2006 midterm campaign.

Majority Fact of the Day  —  New UN Children's Book Promotes Global Warming Fears to Kids  —  Contact: Marc Morano (Marc_Morano@epw.senate.gov ), Matt Dempsey (Matthew_Dempsey@epw.senate.gov )  —  Nairobi, Kenya - A new United Nations children's book promoting fears of catastrophic manmade global warming …

Why Intellectuals Love Defeat  —  James Carroll, recently writing in the Boston Globe, wondered if America could finally accept defeat in Iraq, and be the better for it, comparing it to Vietnam:  —  "But what about the moral question?  For all of the anguish felt over the loss of American lives …