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.

MTP Transcript for Dec. 3  —  MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: The president digs in on Iraq.  —  (Videotape):  —  PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH: I know there's a lot of speculation that these reports in Washington mean there's going to be some kind of graceful exit out of Iraq.

Say no to AP's shoddy work  —  When a company defrauds its customers, or delivers shoddy goods, the customers sooner or later are going to take their business elsewhere.  But if that company has a virtual monopoly, and offers something its customers must have, they may have no choice but to keep taking it.

Russia: biggest spy threat to Britain  —  The Russian intelligence services, the prime suspects behind the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, have a network of more than 30 spies operating in Britain, it can be revealed.  —  The sophisticated ring represents the greatest espionage threat facing Britain …

New on the Web: Politics as Usual  —  THE Netroots.  " "People Power.  " "Crashing the Gate.  " The lingo of liberal Web bloggers bespeaks contempt for the political establishment.  The same disdain is apparent among many bloggers on the right, who argued passionately for a change …

Bypassing Internet censors  —  Check this out.  There is a new tool to circumvent government bans on Internet sites out now.  It's called "Psiphon:" … This is especially good news for readers in China, India, Pakistan, and the Middle East trying to access blogs and websites critical of their governments or critical of Islam.

Lieberman: Talking To Iran And Syria Is Like The 'Local Fire Dept Asking Arsonists To Help'  —  Today on CBS Face the Nation, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) argued that direct talks with Syria and Iran won't work and compared it to "your local fire department asking a couple of arsonists to help put out the fire.

Democrats Face a Tough Job, Leader Says  —  The Democratic National Committee chairman, Howard Dean, warned party leaders on Saturday not to revel too long in the victories from last month's midterm elections or treat their Congressional majorities as a permanent directive from voters.

Now Class Must Tackle Cheating at Columbia  —  As Columbia University continues to grapple with allegations of cheating on a final exam in a journalism ethics course, students have been assigned to write an essay on an issue that parallels the one faced by their own professors.

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.

Canada Liberals spurn Ignatieff  —  A former Canadian minister has beaten prominent writer Michael Ignatieff in a leadership election for the country's opposition Liberal party.  —  Mr Ignatieff had been favourite to win the race, but was defeated by ex-Environment Minister Stephane Dion.

Adviser: Clinton Actively Weighs '08 Bid  —  Sen. Clinton Actively Weighing White House Run; Sen. Evan Bayh Sets Up Exploratory Panel  —  Democratic jockeying for the White House in 2008 intensified on Sunday with Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh taking the first official step toward a run …