Rumsfeld Memo Proposed 'Major Adjustment' in Iraq  —  Two days before he resigned as defense secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld submitted a classified memo to the White House that acknowledged that the Bush administration's strategy in Iraq was not working and called for a major course correction.

He's The Worst Ever  —  Ever since 1948, when Harvard professor Arthur Schlesinger Sr. asked 55 historians to rank U.S. presidents on a scale from "great" to "failure," such polls have been a favorite pastime for those of us who study the American past.  —  Changes in presidential rankings reflect shifts in how we view history.

ABOUT THOSE IMAMS  —  WHY U.S. AIRWAYS KICKED 'EM OFF FLIGHT  —  THE notorious case of U.S. Airways Flight 300 gets stranger by the minute, as more facts emerge about why six traveling Muslim clerics were asked to deplane.  —  A passenger on that flight - I'll call her "Pauline" …

Bush to Meet With Head of Iraq Shiite Party  —  The White House said Friday that President Bush would meet next week with Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the head of one of the most powerful Shiite parties in Iraq, the latest step in a burst of new administration attempts to try different approaches to bolstering the fragile Iraqi government.

Kerry to postpone decision on '08 run  —  Associates say 'joke' fallout stunned him  —  WASHINGTON — Senator John F. Kerry's election-eve "botched joke" about the war in Iraq — and the fierce denunciations his comments drew from fellow Democrats — has led him to reevaluate whether to mount …

Next Chairman for Intelligence Opposed War  —  Representative Nancy Pelosi, the incoming House speaker, sent a strong new signal on Friday that Democrats intend to confront the White House by naming a Texas congressman who opposed the war in Iraq as the next chairman of the House intelligence committee.

WITLESS 'WISDOM'  —  BAKER'S WORTHLESS IRAQ ADVICE  —  YES, it's been quite a week for the 10 members of the Iraq Study Group, the committee formed last spring to offer recommendations on a path forward in Iraq.  —  They had a wonderfully invigorating leak session the other day with The New York Times …

Congressman faulted for Quran at oath  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Keith Ellison, who will become the first Muslim member of Congress next month, has offended some conservatives with his plan to use the Quran during his ceremonial swearing-in.  The decision by Ellison, D-Minn. …

Afghanistan Opium Crop Sets Record  —  U.S.-Backed Efforts At Eradication Fail  —  Opium production in Afghanistan, which provides more than 90 percent of the world's heroin, broke all records in 2006, reaching a historic high despite ongoing U.S.-sponsored eradication efforts, the Bush administration reported yesterday.

Castro Absent From Cuban Military Parade  —  Fidel Castro Remains Absent From Military Parade Marking 50th Anniversary of Cuban Revolution  —  HAVANA Dec 2, 2006 (AP)— A military parade marking the 50th anniversary of the date Fidel Castro and fellow rebels landed in Cuba to launch …

GSA Chief Seeks to Cut Budget For Audits  —  The new chief of the U.S. General Services Administration is trying to limit the ability of the agency's inspector general to audit contracts for fraud or waste and has said oversight efforts are intimidating the workforce, according to government documents and interviews.

Supporting Boys or Girls When the Line Isn't Clear  —  Until recently, many children who did not conform to gender norms in their clothing or behavior and identified intensely with the opposite sex were steered to psychoanalysis or behavior modification.  —  But as advocates gain ground …