Speaker Pelosi Tempts Disaster  —  Nancy Pelosi has managed to severely scar her leadership even before taking up the gavel as the new speaker of the House.  First, she played politics with the leadership of the House Intelligence Committee to settle an old score and a new debt.

Clinton Rules Redux  —  Man are these catty little MSNBC snots enjoying their full-on Demo bitch fest.  They are partying like it's 1999.  Norah O'Donnell, Lawrence O'Donnell, Mary Ann Akers and some other person I don't know have just spent half an hour discussing the fact that Nancy Pelosi ruined …

GOP Chooses Boehner as Minority Leader  —  House Republicans this morning voted to return two of their top officials to high-ranking leadership posts in the next Congress, despite challenges from representatives who said the party's defeat at the polls 10 days ago warranted putting new people at the helm.

OUR ENEMIES' GLEE  —  ISLAMISTS DREAM BIG AFTER U.S. ELEX  —  RADICAL elements across the Middle East see last Tuesday's defeat of President Bush's Republican Party as their victory.  —  Calling the election "the beginning of the end for Bush," Ayatollah Imami Kashani told a Friday congregation …

Hibernating Moose  —  For now, the Moose bids adieu to his Mooseketeers.  —  It's been a good run.  The Moose has tremendously enjoyed musing, observing and holding forth on the issues of the day.  But, for the time being, this cervine creature will not be seen in cyberspace.

Why Iraq Is Crumbling  —  "A republic, if you can keep it."  — Benjamin Franklin, upon leaving the Constitutional Convention, in answer to "What have we got?"  —  We have given the Iraqis a republic, and they do not appear able to keep it.  —  Americans flatter themselves that they are the root of all planetary evil.

Military may ask $127B for wars  —  WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is preparing its largest spending request yet for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a proposal that could make the conflict the most expensive since World War II.  —  The Pentagon is considering $127 billion to $160 billion …

Democrats and Withdrawal: Asking Too Much?  /Latest O.J. Madness and $$$$  —  From my "Capital Games" column at www.thenation.com....  For Democrats, here's the bad news: now that they have won control of Congress, they are expected to not only criticize President Bush's policies in Iraq …

Senate Approves Nuclear Cooperation With India  —  The Senate gave overwhelming approval late Thursday to President Bush's deal for nuclear cooperation with India, a vote that expressed that a goal of nurturing India as an ally outweighed concerns over the risks of spreading nuclear know-how and bomb-making materials.

McCain Tells Conservatives G.O.P.'s Defeat Was Payback for Losing 'Our Principles'  —  Senator John McCain said Thursday that Republicans had lost the midterm elections because "we abandoned our principles" on fiscal policy and government restraint, inviting a backlash from Americans over what they saw as widespread hypocrisy.

Details of the AP-Ipsos poll on President Bush and Iraq  —  Demographics and details from the AP-Ipsos poll on President George W. Bush, Iraq and the United States' direction.  The poll was conducted by Ipsos, an international polling firm:  —  OVERALL: Bush's approval on his handling …

Let Them Eat Bullets  —  Foreign Affairs: A nation that's defended Europe from aggression in the 60 years since World War II is asking why Iraq can't defend itself.  The fact is, Iraqis risk their lives for their country every day.  —  Clearly the days when Democrats warned of a long twilight struggle …