Senators Challenge Feasibility of Iraq Plans  —  Study Group Concedes Some Risks But Calls Its Proposal 'Worth a Try'  —  Members of Congress yesterday questioned the practicability of recommendations from the Iraq Study Group about how to reverse the chaos in Iraq, but they praised the panel's stark assessment of conditions there.

AP Poll: Few expect victory in Iraq  —  WASHINGTON - Americans are overwhelmingly resigned to something less than clear-cut victory in Iraq and growing numbers doubt the country will achieve a stable, democratic government no matter how the U.S. gets out, according to an AP poll.

European Socialists eager to work with U.S. Democrats  —  OPORTO, Portugal (Reuters) - European Socialists promised on Thursday to work to rebuild Europe's strategic alliance with the United States now that the Democrats control Congress after last month's elections.

Romney's '94 remarks on same-sex marriage could haunt him  —  Comments Governor Mitt Romney made during his 1994 Senate bid, in which he said the gay and lesbian community "needs more support from the Republican Party," resurfaced yesterday, posing a potential hurdle as he appeals to conservatives for a probable presidential campaign.

Spymania: Everything you think you know is might be wrong  —  Well, not quite everything.  Just where, when, and how Litvinenko was poisoned.  —  First things first, though.  Did he really convert to Islam?  Sounds like it, but doubt lingers. … The service at the burial site was nondenominational.

Video: Steyn slams the AP and Iraq Study Group on O'Reilly  —  Our subject is bias: anti-Bush in the case of the American press and anti-American in the case of too many Iraqi stringers.  No mention of Jamilgate specifically, alas, but he does refer to Bilal Hussein, whose scandal is sexier anyway.

Long a Laggard, Wages Start to Outpace Prices  —  After four years in which pay failed to keep pace with price increases, wages for most American workers have begun rising significantly faster than inflation.  —  With energy prices now sharply lower than a few months ago …

Labor Presses for Measure to Ease Unionizing  —  Claiming a major role in the Democrats' victory last month, labor leaders are pressing Congressional Democrats to enact a measure to make it easier for workers to unionize.  —  Labor leaders see the measure as pivotal to stop a slide in union membership that has lasted decades.

KERRY PLAYS IT COOL FOR DEMS  —  SEN. JOHN Kerry didn't have nice things to say about Sen. Hillary Clinton or his former running mate, John Edwards, on Tuesday night.  But he didn't say anything bad about them either, according to witnesses.  —  Kerry, who desperately wants to run again for president …

For Now, an Unofficial Rivalry  —  Possible Clinton-Obama Presidential Clash Has Senate Abuzz  —  On Wednesday night, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy hosted the nine Democratic members of his health and education committee at an intimate dinner in his home in Washington's Kalorama neighborhood.

Changes Are Expected in Voting by 2008 Election  —  By the 2008 presidential election, voters around the country are likely to see sweeping changes in how they cast their ballots and how those ballots are counted, including an end to the use of most electronic voting machines without a paper trail …

On Impeachment  —  I'm not really sure why I am writing this piece, because I haven't seen much talk about it on MyDD.  Also, I can't imagine people on either side of this issue changing their minds even a little bit based upon what I write.  However, I would like to say a few things …

Mugabe joins massive diamond rush  —  A British-listed mining company, the first to invest in bankrupt Zimbabwe since the political crisis began, was ordered off its valuable diamond claim yesterday.  —  While President Robert Mugabe has seized thousands of white-owned farms since 2000 he has, up until now, left mining property alone.

Interview with David Card  —  David Card seems like a pretty mild-mannered guy.  True, he speaks with conviction, but it is confidence backed by meticulous research and tempered with open acknowledgment of the limits of that research.  Card, an economist  —  at the University of California, Berkeley, is the antithesis of a zealot.

Time to Party in the Capital.  Just Bring the Checkbook.  —  Lights glowed late in the Capitol dome on Wednesday night, indicating that the House and the Senate were in session.  But the real action was taking place elsewhere on Capitol Hill, in wine bars, restaurants and town houses …