W library in record book  —  $500M center would be priciest for a Prez  —  DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF  —  WASHINGTON - He may be a certified lame duck now, but President Bush and his truest believers are about to launch their final campaign - an eye-popping, half-billion-dollar drive for the Bush presidential library.

The media's sudden intense interest in the House Intelligence Committee  —  The New Republic's Michael Crowley last night noticed something about Jane Harman that has evaded most Beltway commentators, including those who have suddenly developed such a bizarre and uncharacteristic interest …

U.S. Embassy Asks Bush Twins to Leave Country  —  Joe Goldman and Rhonda Schwartz Report:  —  Amid a growing barrage of front-page headlines, U.S. embassy officials "strongly suggested" President Bush's twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara Bush, cut short their trip to Buenos Aires because of security issues …

A Fix for Social Security?  —  How Personal Accounts Could Please Both Sides  —  The next six months could be a productive time for economic policy.  After a wasted 2005-06 cycle, in which the Bush administration approached entitlement reform too confidently and Democrats refused to talk, both sides may return to the table.

Can a Mormon be President?  —  Why Mitt Romney will have to explain a faith that remains mysterious to many  —  A mormon church official and a public relations executive shuttled recently from the Fox News Washington bureau to the Washington Post to the online political digest the Hotline.

Erekat: Despite violation, truce can and must hold  —  By Haaretz Service and News Agencies  —  Palestinian lawmaker Saeb Erekat on Monday condemned a Qassam rocket strike on Israel from Gaza earlier in the day, but said that the day-old cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians "can work, and I believe we have to make it work."

Willful Suspension of Disbelief, redux  —  From Curt at Flopping Aces comes the news many of us quietly expected: Centcom has confirmed that Capt. Jamil Hussein, the primary source for the recent kerosene mosque murder reports—and for a whole host of reports of Shia massacres recounted by the AP …

Barney Frank to Chris Wallace: "You have an odd view of balance"  —  Following President Clinton's lead, Barney Frank criticized Chris Wallace yesterday of having an "odd view of balance" after asking questions about pressure from liberal activists, tax increases on the rich, abortion …

Rangel Adopts the Logic of Kerry's 'Joke'  —  Rep. Charles Rangel has adopted Senator Kerry's "botched joke" about unsuccessful young people ending up in the military — only Mr. Rangel is not joking.  —  "If a young fellow has an option of having a decent career, or joining the Army to fight in Iraq …

Litvinenko: police probe claims he may have killed himself  —  Detectives investigating the death of Alexander Litvinenko were last night examining the possibility that the former spy killed himself to discredit Vladimir Putin.  —  Increasing concerns over the reliability …

Ahmadinejad Predicts Collapse of Israel, U.S., U.K. (Update1)  —  Nov. 26 (Bloomberg) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad predicted the collapse of Israel, the U.S. and Britain, attacking what he called their ``oppressive behavior.''  —  ``The Zionist regime is on a steep downhill towards collapse …

Sending a Grim Message  —  The Nobel Peace Prize Concert will be held in Oslo on December 11 and broadcast around the world.  The Norwegian Nobel Committee doesn't much care for Americans these days (except for 2002 laureate Jimmy Carter), but it knows who's an international draw and who isn't …

Lure of Great Wealth Affects Career Choices  —  A decade into the practice of medicine, still striving to become "a well regarded physician-scientist," Robert H. Glassman concluded that he was not making enough money.  So he answered an ad in the New England Journal of Medicine from a business consulting firm hiring doctors.

Hurricane Predictions Off Track As Tranquil Season Wafts Away  —  More from this channel:  —  This feature requires the Macromedia Flash Plugin.  Please visit http://www.macromedia.com/go/ getflashplayer to download this plugin.  —  It was not the hurricane season we expected, thank you.

MAD AS HELL  —  Regular viewers of "Lou Dobbs Tonight," on CNN, might be surprised at the venue that Dobbs chose for lunch not long ago: the Grill Room of the Four Seasons, a midtown bastion of the very same political and business "élites" that he denounces daily on his television program.

50 Shots Fired, and the Experts Offer a Theory  —  It is known in police parlance as "contagious shooting" — gunfire that spreads among officers who believe that they, or their colleagues, are facing a threat.  It spreads like germs, like laughter, or fear.  An officer fires, so his colleagues do, too.

In Class Warfare, Guess Which Class Is Winning  —  NOT long ago, I had the pleasure of a lengthy meeting with one of the smartest men on the planet, Warren E. Buffett, the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, in his unpretentious offices in Omaha.  We talked of many things that, I hope, will inspire me for years to come.

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES INTERNAL PROBE OF ROLE IN NSA'S DOMESTIC WIRETAP PROGRAM  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department's internal watchdog said Monday it has opened an investigation into the agency's use of information gathered in the government's warrantless surveillance program.

Better Late Than Never  —  Two Republicans take a stand against profligate spending.  —  It's been years since federal agencies have screamed this loudly about fiscal discipline being imposed on them.  GOP Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Jim DeMint of South Carolina have decided to take a stand …

Lawyer John J. Gallagher says their dealings go back 30 years, with a mutual interest in Russia.  —  When Center City lawyer and Russian trade expert John J. Gallagher lost a $2.5 million investment in a cognac distillery in a former Soviet republic, a family friend stepped up to help - in a big way.