Breaking: Anti-Syrian Lebanese cabinet member murdered in Beirut suburb  —  Via Snapped Shot.  They're not 100% sure yet that it was a political assassination but Fox just broke in to say the shooter was a sniper.  If the Syrians are behind it, it's both par for the course and incredibly stupid …

Romney: 'I'm a conservative Republican'  —  WASHINGTON - Eager to position himself as the most conservative GOP presidential hopeful, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney accused Sen. John McCain Monday of being "disingenuous" on gay marriage.  —  In an interview with The Examiner …

Baghdad Shias Believe Killings May Increase Once U.S.-led Forces Depart but Large Majorities Still Support Withdrawal Within a Year  —  Shias in the Capital—Unlike Those in the Rest of Iraq—Oppose Disarming Militias  —  Most Shia Arabs living in Baghdad have shifted in recent months …

Federal investigators questioning six Middle Eastern men removed from flight at MSP  —  5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has learned that federal investigators and airport police are questioning six Middle Eastern men who had to be escorted off of a plane Monday afternoon at Minneapolis/St. Paul International.

U.S. Considers Raising Troop Levels in Iraq  —  Pentagon officials conducting a review of Iraq strategy are considering a substantial but temporary increase in American troop levels and the addition of several thousand more trainers to work with Iraqi forces, a senior Defense Department official said Monday.

Film Director Robert Altman Dies  —  Robert Altman, the caustic and irreverent satirist behind "M-A-S-H," "Nashville" and "The Player" who made a career out of bucking Hollywood management and story conventions, died at a Los Angeles Hospital, his Sandcastle 5 Productions Company said Tuesday.

Clinton Won Easily, but Bankroll Shows the Toll  —  She had only token opposition, but Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton still spent more on her re-election — upward of $30 million — than any other candidate for Senate this year.  So where did all the money go?

The Lingo Of Vietnam  —  The way President Bush whisked through Vietnam — oh, if only we had done the same 40 years ago — it seemed as if he was feeling an obvious parallel with the war in Iraq.  His aides, who somehow lose IQ points by mere proximity to the commander in chief …

Intelligence Panel Staffer Reinstated  —  A Democratic staff member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has had his security clearances reinstated and yesterday resumed work for the panel, ending a pre-election drama during which senior House Republicans alleged …

Poll: More Americans prefer Bush's father  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Only one in four Americans believe President Bush is a better president than his father, George H. W. Bush, a new CNN poll has found.  —  Six in 10 said the elder Bush, who served one term from 1989-1993, did a better job in office …

Pelosi team tries to steer Democrats to the center  —  Wary of plans by House liberals  —  WASHINGTON — Anxious to chart a centrist course with Democrats' new majority in Congress, incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her top deputies are busily working in private and public to rein …

Jihadis and whores  —  Wars are won by destroying the enemy's will to fight.  A nation is never really beaten until it sells its women.  —  The French sold their women to the German occupiers in 1940, and the Germans and Japanese sold their women to the Americans after World War II.

Democrats Plan Series of Votes on Ethics Reforms  —  Despite divisions among Democrats over how far to go in revising ethics rules, House leaders plan a major rollout of an ethics reform bill early next year to demonstrate concern about an issue that helped defeat the Republicans in the midterm elections.

John McCain's Real Plan for Iraq  —  I talked with John McCain Sunday morning in the green room just before "This Week."  I asked him why he continued to call for more troops for Iraq when he must know it's a political non-starter.  He said he thought it important for the morale of the troops.

Sager BANNED at Heritage?  —  This is just totally f***ed-up.  Having led the way in declaring that young Ryan Sager is a satanic plot to destroy the Republican Party — I exaggerate only slightly — I am stunned to learn that the Heritage Foundation exiled the "Prosperity Caucus" after that group invited Sager to speak.

Reno Files Challenge to Terror Law  —  Former Attorney General Janet Reno and seven other former Justice Department officials filed court papers Monday arguing that the Bush administration is setting a dangerous precedent by trying a suspected terrorist outside the court system.