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.

Commercial insurer to pull out of area  —  Businesses fear Travelers' move will put the brakes on recovery  —  St. Paul Travelers Cos.  Inc., Louisiana's largest commercial insurance provider, plans to cancel all its commercial property policies in the New Orleans area next year …

Poloniumania: British cops eye shadowy group of former Russian agents; Update: Killer ID'd?  —  Loose cannons or Putin puppets with just enough independence to give him plausible deniability? … That article's five days old but the Telegraph has new info on Dignity and Honor in today's issue …

Move Over, Hoover  —  Shortly after Thanksgiving I had dinner in California with Ronald Reagan's best biographer, Lou Cannon.  Like many historians these days, we discussed whether George W. Bush is, conceivably, the worst U.S. president ever.  Cannon bristled at the idea.

Gaza women warned of immodesty  —  A hitherto unknown group calling itself the Just Swords of Islam issued a warning to Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip over the weekend that they must wear the hijab or face being targeted by the group's members.  —  In pamphlets distributed in various parts …

Saudis lead Israel peace bid  —  THE Saudi Arabian government is emerging as a key player in talks to broker a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace agreement.  —  According to senior Israeli sources, Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister, will soon meet high-ranking Saudi officials to explore …

AIDS fight needs churches, Obama says  —  Senator disagrees on condom issue, but tells evangelicals that moral guidance is needed.  —  U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois told more than 2,000 evangelical leaders in Orange County on Friday that he "respectfully but unequivocally" …

Sears, Valentino, and "Symbolic Racism"  —  Dave Noon writes more about race and southern politics following up on the discussion launched by Rick Perlstein's article on the subject: … I read the Valentino and Sears paper yesterday, and I think it's plausibly true that the authors are biased against Republicans.

Lame-Duck Congress May Run Out the Clock  —  Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) wants legislation on President Bush's warrantless wiretapping program.  Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.) is sure the time has come for Congress to declare that aborted fetuses feel pain.

Living Memories of Bound Feet, War and Chaos in China  —  WANG ZAIBAN, CENTER, WITH WU XIUZHEN, LEFT  —  AT ages 84 and 83, Wang Zaiban and Wu Xiuzhen are old women, and their feet are historical artifacts.  They are among the dwindling number of women in China from the era when bound feet …

Workers a thorny issue for Romney  —  The Massachusetts governor's lawn crew included illegal immigrants, a newspaper reports.  —  BOSTON — Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a 2008 GOP presidential aspirant and an outspoken critic of illegal immigration, apparently employed undocumented landscape workers at his home near Boston.

Jowell hints at tax rises as Olympics bill soars  —  Tessa Jowell raised the prospect of tax rises to fund the Olympics yesterday as a senior insider gave a warning that the final bill would be £12 billion, more than four times the original estimate.  —  The Culture Secretary …

In U.S., fear and distrust of Muslims runs deep  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters)- When radio host Jerry Klein suggested that all Muslims in the United States should be identified with a crescent-shape tattoo or a distinctive arm band, the phone lines jammed instantly.

Officials Expect No Big Changes, No Matter What Panel Advises  —  With the Iraq Study Group report due on Wednesday, the Bush administration has notified allies that it will not budge on certain aspects of Iraq policy, whatever recommendations are put forth by the independent panel of 10 prominent Republicans and Democrats.