Hezbollah Said to Help Shiite Army in Iraq  —  A senior American intelligence official said Monday that the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah had been training members of the Mahdi Army, the Iraqi Shiite militia led by Moktada al-Sadr.  —  The official said that 1,000 to 2,000 fighters …

How the imams terrorized an airliner  —  According to witnesses, police reports and aviation security officials, the imams displayed other suspicious behavior.  —  Three of the men asked for seat-belt extenders, although two flight attendants told police the men were not oversized.

Anbar Picture Grows Clearer, and Bleaker  —  The U.S. military is no longer able to defeat a bloody insurgency in western Iraq or counter al-Qaeda's rising popularity there, according to newly disclosed details from a classified Marine Corps intelligence report that set off debate in recent months …

STATES, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ARGUE FOR PRIMACY IN GLOBAL WARMING FIGHT  —  WASHINGTON — The debate over whether humans are to blame for Earth's rising temperatures isn't decided yet, but it is quickly being eclipsed by a new argument over who should manage global warming policy in the United States.

Civil War in Iraq Near, Annan Says  —  The Iraq Study Group began two days of intensive behind-closed-doors deliberations yesterday as the White House conceded that Iraq has moved into a dangerous new phase of warfare requiring changes in strategy.  In a sign of the growing global concern about Iraq's fate …

Drugs are Bad...  Apparently, even nominal quantities of over-the-counter cold medications can cause you to see the most interesting things.  —  I know this, because this Reuters picture has all the earmarks of a crudely-edited PhotoShop, from the rather odd smudges and apparent artifacts around …

Likability poll bad news for Kerry  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic Sen. John Kerry, mulling a second bid for the U.S. presidency, finished dead last in a poll released on Monday on the likability of 20 top American political figures.  —  Among those placing ahead of Kerry …

'Nativity' Booted From Ill. Holiday Fair  —  CHICAGO (AP) - A public Christmas festival is no place for the Christmas story, the city says.  Officials have asked organizers of a downtown Christmas festival, the German Christkindlmarket, to reconsider using a movie studio as a sponsor …

Informant in shooting says he never bought drugs at house  —  Says he was asked to lie  —  The confidential informant on whose word Atlanta police raided the house of an 88-year-old woman is now saying he never purchased drugs from her house and was told by police to lie and say he did.

Justice Dept. to Examine Its Use of NSA Wiretaps  —  Review Won't Address Program's Legality  —  The Justice Department's inspector general yesterday announced an investigation into the department's connections to the government's controversial warrantless surveillance program …

Does AP Iraqi writer Qais al-Bashir have super powers?  —  It's looking like AP Baghdad correspondent Qais al-Bashir is the only one who can see this mysterious, non-existent "Captain Jamil Hussein".  Well, it's not for certain yet, but al Bashir is the common element in four stories involving Captain Snuffleupagus.

CENTRISM....Yes, centrism can be a tic.  Yes, it's often favored by DC pundits who automatically assume that bipartisanship is an inherent good regardless of its outcome.  Yes, it can sometimes be a substitute for real thought.  —  That said, I hope the liberal blogosphere doesn't get into the habit …

CQ Analyst Suggests 'Rumsfeld's Leaving Is Just The Beginning,' Cheney Might Be Next  —  Appearing on MSNBC this afternoon, Congressional Quarterly political analyst Craig Crawford speculated that, as "neocons are heading for the hills," Dick Cheney may be the next to leave the administration.

Rough days...  The past four days during which we were under siege were long and rough for Baghdadis.  Anxiety and fear haunted us at our homes and a flow of horrible news made the prison feel even tighter...it was a material and psychological siege that will not be easy to forget.

Attack Sparks Fire at Iraq Oil Facility  —  A mortar attack ignited a huge fire Monday night at an oil facility in northern Iraq, shutting the flow of crude oil to a major refinery, and a U.S. Air Force jet with one pilot aboard crashed in Anbar province, a hotbed of the Sunni-Arab insurgency, officials said.

American Legion to Congressman Rangel: Apologize Now  —  The National Commander of The American Legion called on Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) to apologize for suggesting that American troops would not choose to fight in Iraq if they had other employment options.

KILLING HABEAS CORPUS  —  President Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus in Maryland on April 27, 1861, two weeks after the Confederate attack on the Union garrison at Fort Sumter.  "Lincoln could look out his window at the White House and see Robert E. Lee's plantation in Virginia," …