'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 …

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.

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.

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

Bush Denies Reaching Out to Dad  —  Even as Washington's punditocracy relishes the storyline of the elder-statesman father riding to the hapless son's rescue, President Bush insisted yesterday that he doesn't talk shop with his dad — and certainly doesn't ask for his advice.

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 …

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 …

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. …

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 …