Another Assassination in Beirut - Continuously Updated  —  The only thing that surprises me even slightly about today's political assassination in Beirut is that the victim was Pierre Gemayel, a Christian, rather than Fouad Seniora, a Sunni.  —  All the assassination victims after Rafik Hariri, a Sunni, have been Christians.

Putting Homeland Security First  —  "I never felt bad in my life like that.  I never.  Six imams.  Six leaders in this country.  Six scholars in handcuffs.  It's terrible."  —  So spoke Imam Omar Shahin, director of the Islamic Center of Tucson, after he and five other imams were removed …

An Ideologue for Hire Gets New Alliance  —  Senator Joseph I. Lieberman announced Tuesday that he had hired a new spokesman, which is not in itself that noteworthy, except that the said spokesman, Marshall Wittmann, is one of the great career vagabonds, ideological contortionists …

New Survey: Iraqis Want a Speedy U.S. Exit — and Back Attacks on Our Forces  —  NEW YORK Past surveys have hinted at this result, but a new poll in Iraq makes it more stark than ever: the Iraqi people want the U.S. to exit their country.  And most Iraqis now approve of attacks on U.S. forces …

Ed. secretary places 2nd on 'Jeopardy'  —  WASHINGTON — Education Secretary Margaret Spellings says she studied hard to prepare for Tuesday night's airing of "Celebrity Jeopardy!"  —  "I didn't want to be the education secretary who didn't know how to spell potato," Spellings joked …

First Daughter Barbara Robbed in Argentina  —  From Our Sources:  —  First Daughter Barbara Bush had her purse and cell phone stolen as she had dinner in a restaurant in Buenos Aires, Argentina, even though she was being guarded by a detail of Secret Service agents, according to law enforcement reports made available to ABC News.

Pass a Drumstick, and an Olive Branch  —  COOKS can control the Thanksgiving menu, but when the dishes leave the kitchen, things can unravel fast.  —  Family grudges buried by time and distance resurface.  New girlfriends meet ex-husbands.  Prius drivers make small talk with S.U.V. owners.

The Family Un-Planner  —  THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S CRAZY NEW HHS APPOINTMENT.  —  On Monday, the federal office that oversees the nation's family-planning program got a new boss who doesn't believe in birth control.  Eric Keroack is a Massachusetts obstetrician-gynecologist who argues …

Bomb Blasts Speaker's Car in Green Zone  —  A bomb exploded in an armored car among those belonging to the speaker of Parliament, wounding the American security guard who was driving it out of a parking area in the government Green Zone and disrupting a meeting of lawmakers nearby, a parliamentary aide said.

Elderly Woman Killed; 3 APD Officers Wounded  —  ATLANTA — Three Atlanta police officers were shot and wounded and an elderly woman killed at a house in northwest Atlanta Tuesday night.  —  The woman, who relatives say was 92-years-old, opened fire on the officers from the narcotics division …

Hardball: Michael Richards  —  Welcome back to Hardball, I'm Chris Matthews.  Where do we draw the line between free speech and offensive speech?  Joining me via satellite is Michael Richards, who played Kramer on the old Seinfeld show.  Mr. Richards, welcome to the show.  —  Thanks for having me, Chris.

GOP leaving spending bills to Democrats  —  WASHINGTON - Republicans vacating the Capitol are dumping a big spring cleaning job on Democrats moving in.  GOP leaders have opted to leave behind almost a half-trillion-dollar clutter of unfinished spending bills,

Some Curbs on Sex Offenders Called Ineffective, Inhumane  —  As convicted sex offenders go, they seem to pose little danger.  —  One is 100 years old.  Another can barely walk and is in the late stages of Alzheimer's disease.  Another is dying of heart disease in a nursing home.