Threats Wrapped in Misunderstandings  —  The Iraq Study Group's prescriptions hinge on a fragile Iraqi government's ability to achieve national reconciliation and security at a time when the country is fractured along sectarian lines, its security forces are ineffective and competing visions threaten …

Our Pearl Harbor  —  On Dec. 7, 1941 — 65 years ago this week — pilots from a Japanese carrier force bombed Pearl Harbor.  They killed 2,403 Americans, most of them service personnel, while destroying much of the American fleet and air forces stationed in Hawaii.

Case of the Dwindling Docket Mystifies the Supreme Court  —  On the Supreme Court's color-coded master calendar, which was distributed months before the term began on the first Monday in October, Dec. 6 is marked in red to signify a day when the justices are scheduled to be on the bench, hearing arguments.

What we should and should not do: An Authoritative Voice...  After watching the Iraq Survey Group press conference today I am a firm believer that all politicians are idiots.  Okay well not all of them but they all have a problem understanding reality.  If any politician is reading …

Hamas Shoots Its Mouth Off  —  Earlier today, the Jerusalem Post ran a story on Hamas' smuggling efforts to avoid the sanctions placed on the Palestinian Authority since they came to power.  They have successfully imported $66 million, but that wasn't what caught the eye of The Anchoress when she read the article.

Trusts Busted  —  The seamy underside of asbestos litigation.  —  Harry Kananian died in the year 2000 of mesothelioma—a cancer almost always caused by asbestos.  But the legacy that may survive him is the role he is posthumously playing in exposing evidence of asbestos litigation fraud.

Postcampaign Lobbying Thrives  —  Democrats Are Fêted  —  Ahead of Push  —  For Stricter Ethics Rules  —  WASHINGTON — Democrats may be promising a clampdown on lobbyist freebies once they take control of Congress.  But ahead of that push, party leaders are collecting lobbyists' checks …

Former Aide Parts With Carter Over Book  —  An adviser to former President Jimmy Carter and onetime executive director of the Carter Center has publicly parted ways with his former boss, citing concerns with the accuracy and integrity of Mr. Carter's latest book, "Palestine Peace Not Apartheid."

Feingold Cuts Through The ISG Hype on Countdown  —  Keith Olbermann had Russ Feingold on to give his assessment of the now very famous Iraq Study Group report.  —  Video - WMV Video -QT  —  Feingold said what I have felt all day.  This report does not give us a clear path in Iraq and leaves the future of the war up in the air.

Mixed reaction to Cheney's daughter's pregnancy … WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservative leaders voiced dismay Wednesday at news that Mary Cheney, the lesbian daughter of Dick Cheney, is pregnant, while a gay-rights group said the vice president faces "a lifetime of sleepless nights" …

Alexander defectors were Collins, Warner  —  Sen. Trent Lott's (R-Miss.) stunning return to the Senate leadership was made possible by the last-minute defections of Sens. John Warner (R-Va.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) from Sen. Lamar Alexander's (R-Tenn.) rival campaign for Republican whip.