REPORT: Karl Rove May Be Leaving The White House In 'Weeks, Not Months'  —  The White House Bulletin, a service of Bulletin News, reports that White House senior political adviser Karl Rove — aka "Bush's Brain" — may soon be on his way out: … Early this year, Rove gave up his role …

Turning A Corner On Iraq  —  Avoiding defeat in Iraq is an unavoidably critical national interest — for the United States as for Britain.  If potentially lethal enemies are strengthened and re-motivated, the consequences will haunt us long after the headlines about withdrawal have faded.

DOUBT CAST OVER CLAIM OF FREED HOSTAGES IN IRAQ  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq — An Iraqi provincial governor said Friday that police located and freed two of five foreign security contractors taken hostage in a convoy hijacking near the Kuwait border, but a senior police official disputed that claim.

Santorum: No oval office run  —  Some backers sought an '08 campaign, but he said: "Absolutely, positively not."  —  Don't expect to see Sen. Rick Santorum's name on the 2008 presidential ballot.  —  "Absolutely, positively not.  Absolutely not," Santorum said yesterday on The Michael Smerconish Show on WPHT-AM (1210).

Philanthropy Expert: Conservatives Are More Generous  —  SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University professor Arthur C. Brooks is about to become the darling of the religious right in America — and it's making him nervous.  —  The child of academics, raised in a liberal household and educated …

Bringing the War to an End is my Highest Priority as Speaker  —  This morning, I visited our brave men and women at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center.  It is a place of prayers, of honor, of respect, and reflection.  And I left there more committed than ever to bringing the war to an end.

A Second Pour of Good News About Substance in Red Wine  —  A component of red wine recently shown to help lab mice live longer also protects animals from obesity and diabetes and boosts their physical endurance, researchers reported yesterday.  —  The new research helps confirm and extend …

Pat Leahy wants to investigate Laura Ingraham  —  Now this would be just a little justice. via email: Pat Leahy at a hearing on voter fraud all but demanded that the Justice Department investigate and even prosecute Laura Ingraham for her election-day call to her listeners to jam …

Gay penguin book shakes up Ill. school  —  SHILOH, Ill. - A picture book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin is getting a chilly reception among some parents who worry about the book's availability to children — and the reluctance of school administrators to restrict access to it.

Who'll Claim the Center?  —  Republicans and Democrats adjust to last week's power shift.  —  WASHINGTON—A postelection stay in the cool, cloudy capital reveals a sober Republican Party attempting every day in conversations throughout Capitol Hill a rancor-free analysis of why the party lost …

Huckabee says campaign laws aid McCain  —  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Friday said potential 2008 presidential rival John McCain's campaign finance reforms gives the Republican senator an advantage over other candidates by allowing him to transfer money easily.

The Friday Line: A Way Early Look at the '08 Senate Races  —  The Fix is nothing if not forward-looking.  With the 2006 election now 10 days past, it's time to begin handicapping the races to come in 2008.  —  We'll begin today by looking at the 10 most competitive Senate races, with a post next week on the 10 biggest House targets.

Issues Front and Center  —  Big Ideas for Democrats: Health Care, Energy and Economic Inequality  —  The Democrats now have the opportunity the Republicans spurned, which is to build a broad coalition in the center and become once again the nation's governing party.

Justice Recalls Treats Laced With Poison  —  A discussion of recent threats to judges' safety, at a bar association conference in suburban Dallas last week, became startlingly specific when Sandra Day O'Connor, the retired Supreme Court justice, recounted that each justice had received in the mail …

Ban on Silicone Breast Implants Lifted  —  WASHINGTON — The government ended a 14-year virtual ban on silicone-gel breast implants Friday despite lingering safety questions, making the devices available to tens of thousands of women who have clamored for them.

Man Acquitted in 9/11 Perjury Case  —  A jury in Federal District Court in Manhattan returned a verdict of not guilty in the second trial of a Jordanian immigrant who was accused of trying to mislead a grand jury investigating the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.  —  The jury of 9 women and 3 men found …

Houston Police Run Over Striking Janitors with Horses  —  Houston police trampled on striking janitors with horses last night.  The janitors make on average $20 a day with no health insurance.  The companies responsible?  Chevron.  And Hines Interest, the city's largest hometown building owner.