House Democrat Wants Draft Reinstated  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Americans would have to sign up for a new military draft after turning 18 under a bill the incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee says he will introduce next year.  —  Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. …

Envisioning U.S. Talks With Iran and Syria  —  IN Washington these days, an idea the White House once treated as anathema is suddenly gaining currency: to sit down and talk directly to Iran and Syria.  —  Tony Blair is recommending it.  The Iraq Study Group headed by James Baker and Lee Hamilton may do so, too.

"Kramer's" Racist Tirade — Caught on Tape  —  WARNING: WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS PROFANE AND RACIAL  —  Michael Richards exploded in anger as he performed at a famous L.A. comedy club last Friday, hurling racial epithets that left the crowd gasping, and TMZ has obtained exclusive video of the ugly incident.

Fox News Channel preps right-leaning satire  —  Fox News Channel might air two episodes of a "Daily Show"-like program with a decidedly nonliberal bent on Saturday nights in late January, with the possibility that it could become a weekly show for the channel.

Anti-War Activists Plan 'Global Orgasm For Peace'  —  (CBS/AP) SAN FRANCISCO Two peace activists have planned a massive anti-war demonstration for the first day of winter.  —  But they don't want you marching in the streets.  They'd much rather you just stay home.

McCain literally sticks to the script on Iraq  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) stuck to the script yesterday during an appearance on ABC's This Week, repeating his desire to see more troops sent to Iraq.  What's interesting, however, is that McCain seemed to need his notes quite a bit to get through the discussion.

A brisk rise in American wages  —  Pay rose faster than the cost of living for the first time in years.  —  American paychecks are rising again at a pace not seen since the 1990s.  —  The pay increase amounts to 4 percent on average over the past 12 months, and it comes at a very helpful time for millions of households.

Iran Urges Summit With Iraq and Syria  —  Iran has invited the Iraqi and Syrian presidents to Tehran for a weekend summit with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to hash out ways to cooperate in curbing the runaway violence that has taken Iraq to the verge of civil war and threatens to spread through the region …

Pentagon Review Sees Three Options in Iraq  —  More Training of Iraqi Troops a Likely Focus  —  The Pentagon's closely guarded review of how to improve the situation in Iraq has outlined three basic options: Send in more troops, shrink the force but stay longer, or pull out, according to senior defense officials.

Ohio fundraiser gets 18 years in prison  —  TOLEDO, Ohio - A former GOP fundraiser at the center of a scandal-plagued state investment in rare coins that helped Democrats seize power in the midterm elections was sentenced Monday to 18 years in prison.  —  Tom Noe, a prominent coin dealer accused …

Want world peace?  Support free trade.  —  FAIRFAX, VA. - Everyone knows that a key to the Democrats' big electoral win was their opposition to the Iraq war.  But also, as the Wall Street Journal reported recently, "Democrats' stances against free trade helped build the party's success …

Schwarzenegger searches for a role in '08  —  Barred from running for president, he hopes his centrist, cooperative style could carry some influence in the GOP presidential campaign.  —  He can't run for president — the Constitution forbids it.  —  He won't camp out in Iowa or New Hampshire …

Schools Slow in Closing Gaps Between Races  —  When President Bush signed his sweeping education law a year into his presidency, it set 2014 as the deadline by which schools were to close the test-score gaps between minority and white students that have persisted since standardized testing began.

Germans Probe 6 in Alleged Airline Plot  —  BERLIN (AP) — Six people are under investigation in Germany in an alleged plot to blow up an Israeli airliner by bribing an airport worker to smuggle a bag packed with explosives on board the craft, officials said Monday.

Why Does the Non-Southern Strategy Drive People Batty?  —  It is increasingly clear to me that either my non-southern strategy argument causes people to take leave of their senses (particularly their mathematical abilities), or they simply refuse to accept compelling and mounting evidence as fact.