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.

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.

Iraq Study Group: Pull most troops from combat by '08 … WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Iraq Study Group will urge President Bush to move most U.S. troops out of combat roles by early 2008, according to two sources who have seen the executive summary of the group's report.

'We Can't Afford to Leave'  —  As the debate over Iraq intensifies, leading Democrat Silvestre Reyes is calling for the deployment of more U.S. troops.  —  Dec. 5.  2006 - In a surprise twist in the debate over Iraq, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, the soon-to-be chairman of the House Intelligence Committee …

The Nomination Hearing for Robert M. Gates  —  Following is the transcript of the session of nomination hearing for Robert M. Gates as provided by Federal News Service.  —  SEN. WARNER: Good morning, everyone.  —  Dr. Gates, I think I can safely say on behalf of the citizens of our country …

First President Bush Sobs While Talking of Son  —  Former President George H.W. Bush came here Monday to talk about leadership and opened his remarks with advice on working with rivals, being patient and building personal relationships.  —  He then broke down in tears mentioning his son …

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 …

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

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 …

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.

American Among Terror Plotters in Egypt  —  *Bumped* because I don't think this is getting enough press.  An American.  Arrested in Egypt.  Part of an international cell of jihadis.  For, at the very least, encouraging people to go to Iraq and fight Americans.  That.  Is.  TREASON.

The Trippy Dream Factory of David Lynch  —  There are, in the movies, few places creepier to spend time than in David Lynch's head.  It is a head where the wild things grow, twisting and spreading like vines, like fingers, and taking us in their captive embrace.

"Pick Your Poison" Politics  —  Have voters traded one dose of political poison for another?  There is good reason to wonder if that's what they inadvertently accomplished last month.  —  Just days after Democrats won majorities in the House and Senate, James Carville was demeaning Howard Dean …

Build It Up  —  "[We have] leaks and even the occasional icicle from my computer lab ceiling, asbestos coming up off the floor, the exterior walls are crumbling.  We feel forgotten ...." —a Minnesota technology coordinator  —  "Our school has been built on a former landfill. …

Spam Doubles, Finding New Ways to Deliver Itself  —  Hearing from a lot of new friends lately?  You know, the ones that write "It's me, Esmeralda," and tip you off to an obscure stock that is "poised to explode" or a great deal on prescription drugs.  —  You're not the only one.

Muslim woman cites gym after interrupted prayer  —  Dearborn resident says her complaint to Fitness USA manager about patron went unheeded.  —  DEARBORN — Fitness USA, a gym chain, is investigating an alleged civil rights violation involving a local Muslim woman who says her afternoon prayer …

At Least 5 Marines Are Expected to Be Charged in Haditha Deaths  —  At least five marines are expected to be charged, possibly as early as Wednesday, with the killing of 24 Iraqis, many of them unarmed women and children, in the village of Haditha in November 2005, according to a Marine official and a lawyer involved in the case.