Iraq Panel Calls Conditions 'Grave and Deteriorating'  —  Conditions in Iraq are "grave and deteriorating," with the prospect that a "slide toward chaos" could topple the U.S.-backed government and trigger a regional war unless the United States changes course and seeks a broader diplomatic …

Culture Shock on Capitol Hill: House to Work 5 Days a Week  —  Forget the minimum wage.  Or outsourcing jobs overseas.  The labor issue most on the minds of members of Congress yesterday was their own: They will have to work five days a week starting in January.  —  The horror.

On a Wing and a Prayer  —  Grievance theater at Minneapolis International Airport. … Those are the words that started it all.  Six bearded imams are said to have shouted them out while offering evening prayers as they and 141 other passengers waited at the gate for their flight out of Minneapolis International Airport.

Mary Cheney and Partner Are About to Be Moms  —  Mary Cheney, the vice president's openly gay daughter, is pregnant.  She and her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, are "ecstatic" about the baby, due in late spring, said a source close to the couple.  —  It's a baby boom for grandparents Dick …

ERRORS, OMISSIONS, INVENTIONS AND FALSEHOODS  —  A reader writes that he received the email message below sent by Professor Kenneth Stein of Emory University and the Carter Center.  Professor Stein's expertise lies in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

U.S. Offers North Korea Aid for Dropping Nuclear Plans  —  The United States has offered a detailed package of economic and energy assistance in exchange for North Korea's giving up nuclear weapons and technology, American officials said Tuesday.  —  But the offer, made last week during …

Does water STILL flow on Mars?  —  Dramatic new photographs of Mars have revealed the possible existence of water on its surface.  —  The images - released for the first time on Wednesday by the US space agency NASA - were taken earlier this year in an attempt to unlock the secrets of the Red Planet.

Some Republicans Take a Scorched-Hill Tack  —  Leaving Budget Decisions  —  To Democrats Could Disrupt  —  New Leadership's Agenda  —  WASHINGTON — Like a retreating army, Republicans are tearing up railroad track and planting legislative land mines to make it harder for Democrats …

Recreating 'A Christmas Story' for Tourists in Cleveland  —  If Denny Renz were a boy again, he said, he would love nothing more than to re-enact Ralphie Parker's childhood.  —  He would crawl under the kitchen sink the way Ralphie's brother, Randy, did to hide from Mr. Parker, their father in the 1983 movie "A Christmas Story."

Cavuto to Krugman: 'You Are Lying To People'  —  Princeton economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman went on Fox News this afternoon to talk about his new article in Rolling Stone Magazine, "How the Super-Rich Are Screwing America."  —  Krugman's article is about how income inequality …

A Reponse to My Many Critics — And a Solution  —  To understate the case, my last column, "America, Not Keith Ellison, Decides What Book a Congressman Takes His Oath on," seems to have touched a national nerve.  —  It has caused a national discussion — actually, more hate-filled attacks …

Breaking Bread: Horowitz vs. Bérubé  —  Michael Bérubé and David Horowitz have said some not-very-nice things about each other over the years.  There was, for example, the time that Mr. Bérubé referred to Mr. Horowitz as a "sorry old fraud" and a "right-wing lackey."

The 2006 Weblog Awards Finalists Announced  —  Below are the finalists in The 2006 Weblog Awards, presented in both category and alphabetical order.  Finalist badges are available now and voting is scheduled to begin Thursday. … Cateogory Listing of The 2006 Weblog Awards Finalists:  —  Best Blog