A national party no more?  —  The Republicans are in danger of being confined to the South  —  THREE years ago Zell Miller, then a Democratic senator for Georgia, published an anguished book entitled "A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat".

Idea of Rapid Withdrawal From Iraq Seems to Fade  —  In the cacophony of competing plans about how to deal with Iraq, one reality now appears clear: despite the Democrats' victory this month in an election viewed as a referendum on the war, the idea of a rapid American troop withdrawal is fast receding as a viable option.

This Is Realism?  —  Iran and Syria Won't Be Riding to Our Rescue  —  Now that the "realists" have ridden into town gleefully consigning the Bush doctrine to the ash heap of history, everyone has discovered the notion of interests, as if it were some new idea thought up by James Baker and the Iraq Study Group.

Report: Italian tests positive for deadly toxin  —  Academic had lunch with ex-spy on day he fell ill; autopsy under way … LONDON - An Italian security expert who met with a former KGB agent the day the ex-spy fell fatally ill with radiation poisoning has also tested positive for the substance, British media reported Friday.

Aides: Pelosi taps Reyes to head intelligence committee … WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi has chosen a Border-Patrol-agent-turned-congressman to lead the House intelligence committee, according to congressional aides.  —  Democratic leaders are contacting congressional …

Arabs may one day miss George W. Bush  —  The Middle East cheered the Republican defeat in the recent American congressional elections.  The official Syrian daily Al-Baath labeled the elections a "painful blow," while the Saudi daily Al-Watan called for a "wise" policy from Washington …

Has Obama become the front-runner for '08?  —  Ian blogged this yesterday but I got a solid e-mail from a friend about this this morning so I'm going to post on it again.  My politically savvy pal advises us to prepare for full-blown Obamamania: … He's hip, he's hot, he's not Hillary.  (Or is he?)

The Tom Friedman disease consumes Establishment Washington  —  (updated below)  —  Someone e-mailed me several days ago to say that while it is fruitful and necessary to chronicle the dishonest historical record of pundits and political figures when it comes to Iraq, I deserve to be chastised …

MSM Finishing School  —  [Scroll for updates]  —  A long-time feeder to the mainstream media, Columbia's journalism school is currently training a new crop of grad students that are already cutting corners and flouting the rules just like the pros do it.

Tancredo protesters turn violent  —  Violence erupted at a Michigan law school Thursday when protestors tried to block a speech by Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo.  —  Police were called after protestors pulled a fire alarm prior to the speech on immigration policies.

Report on Corporate Rules Is Assailed  —  Investor groups sounded alarms yesterday after it emerged that a foundation with ties to a pair of well-heeled business donors and an executive battling civil charges had funded a controversial new report seeking to slash corporate regulation.

But deliver us from evil  —  Westhawk goes directly to one of the key drivers of instability in Iraq.  America's military success against the former rulers of Iraq has disrupted the very basis of its former stability.  Sunni dominance.  Westhawk quotes a Washington Post article which describes …

The Daily Troika: Obama's Secret Meet.  / Popma Endorses McCain  —  Sen. John McCain has signed up an important evangelical activist in Iowa.  Marlys Popma, a two time former exec. dir of the Iowa GOP and former presiden tof Iowa Right to Life, will join McCain's presidential exploratory committee.

Dollar slides as US business slows  —  The dollar suffered sharp falls on Thursday, hit by reports of weak US business activity and a benign inflation picture.  —  The euro rose .7 per cent against the dollar to $1.3247 by late afternoon in New York after data from Chicago purchasing managers indicated …

What Cataclysm?  —  I feel ya, Antonin.  Because I don't want to deal with global warming, either, to tell you the truth.  (Maybe you shoulda thought of that before you dealt with Bush v Gore?)  Yet here we are, on December 1st in our nation's capital, where today's expected high is a toasty 74 degrees.