Bush Backs Away From 2 Key Ideas of Panel on Iraq  —  President Bush moved quickly to distance himself on Thursday from the central recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, even as the panel's co-chairmen opened an intensive lobbying effort on Capitol Hill to press Mr. Bush to adopt their report wholesale.

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.

That Murder in London  —  The poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, renegade Russian spy and fierce critic of Vladimir Putin's government, is everywhere being called a mystery.  There is dark speculation about unnamed "rogue elements" either in the Russian secret services or among ultranationalists acting independently of the government.

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.

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 …

Jeane Kirkpatrick, RIP; 'But Then, They Always Blame America First'  —  We're told that Jeane Kirkpatrick died yesterday afternoon.  —  Update: Kirkpatrick served as a foreign policy adviser to Ronald Reagan and then as the American ambassador to the United Nations (1981-1985).

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.