Wave of retaliation sweeps Iraq  —  Shiite bloc's threatened walkout could lead to the government's collapse.  —  BAGHDAD — Iraq's civil war worsened Friday as Shiite and Sunni Arabs engaged in retaliatory attacks after coordinated car bombings that killed more than 200 people in a Shiite neighborhood the day before.

Leaving Iraq, Honorably  —  There will be no victory or defeat for the United States in Iraq.  These terms do not reflect the reality of what is going to happen there.  The future of Iraq was always going to be determined by the Iraqis — not the Americans.  —  Iraq is not a prize to be won or lost.

Democrats Won.  We Won.  Get It?  —  I know some friends of mine really respect Tom Edsall's work, and maybe he was good once.  I don't see it.  I read some of his book 'Building Red America', and it was an analytically useless description of why the Republicans will always maintain a narrow majority.

How many more were poisoned?  —  As the deadliest poison known to man was revealed to have killed Russian exile Alexander Litvinenko, the question last night was: How many more lives could it claim?  —  The 43-year-old former KGB officer was the victim of polonium 210, a radioactive element used as a trigger in nuclear weapons.

Waxman has Bush administration in sights  —  LOS ANGELES - The lawmaker poised to cause the Bush administration's biggest headaches when Democrats take control of Congress may just be a grocer's son from Watts who's hardly a household name off Capitol Hill.  —  Rep. Henry Waxman (news …

Blue America Welcomes Tim Tagaris  —  (Please welcome Tim Tagaris, veteran of the Ned Lamont, Paul Hackett and Sherrod Brown campaings who is joining us today in the comments.  He is currently in Louisiana covering the Karen Carter race for MyDD and lighting up Bourbon Street — JH)

Energy Firms Come to Terms With Climate Change  —  While the political debate over global warming continues, top executives at many of the nation's largest energy companies have accepted the scientific consensus about climate change and see federal regulation to cut greenhouse gas emissions as inevitable.

Rumsfeld okayed abuses says former U.S. general  —Text+MADRID (Reuters) - Outgoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld authorized the mistreatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, the prison's former U.S. commander said in an interview on Saturday.

Pelosi's Ascendancy in House Puts a Close Liberal Ally in the Spotlight  —  In a friendship stretching over 30 years and many plane trips to Washington from their neighboring California districts, Representatives Nancy Pelosi and George Miller have become so close that, as colleagues say, they finish each others' sentences.

Iran and Syria Helping Hizballah Rearm  —  As Lebanon's government tries to maintain its shaky grip on power, sources tell TIME that Tehran and Damascus are shipping weapons to the militant Shi'ite group  —  Iran is smuggling weapons through Syria to re-arm Lebanese allies Hizballah …

Intelligence agencies to face 'cleanup agenda'  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — The incoming chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee says he will have a "cleanup agenda" ready when Democrats take power in January.  —  Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia said the agenda will include reviews …