In Theater of War, It's Iraq Study Group's Turn to Take the Stage  —  Minutes after the Iraq Study Group placed an improvised explosive device beneath the Bush administration's Iraq policy yesterday, panel member Lawrence Eagleburger was asked how President Bush reacted to the recommendations.

NEW MEXICO GOV. BILL RICHARDSON: 'I AM RUNNING' IN 2008  —  New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is expected to formally file papers to form a presidential exploratory committee in January.  But today he told FOX News "I am running," as he described the professional and personal experiences that he believes have prepared him for the job.

Groups Mixed on Mary Cheney's Pregnancy  —  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" for serving in an administration that has opposed recognition of same-sex couples.

Report: Ex-Spy Contact Falls Into Coma  —  A key figure in the poisoning case of former spy Alexander Litvinenko fell into a coma after being questioned by Russian and British investigators, the Interfax news agency reported Thursday.  —  Dmitry Kovtun, a businessman and former Russian agent …

President Bush Meets with British Prime Minister Tony Blair  —  Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building  —  PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you all.  Please be seated.  I just had a good visit with Prime Minister Tony Blair.  I appreciate you coming back, Mr. Prime Minister.

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.

McCain Continues to Win Over Bush Insiders  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) continues to recruit top GOP political operatives in expectation of a presidential run.  According to a source close to the McCain operation, the candidate has lined up Terry Nelson to serve as campaign manager …

Dean: Dems should keep out Buchanan  —  WASHINGTON - Republican Vern Buchanan might be the official winner in a messy Sarasota-area congressional race, but Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean says the Democratic-controlled Congress should not seat Buchanan without another election.

Saudis reportedly funding Iraqi Sunnis  —  CAIRO, Egypt - Private Saudi citizens are giving millions of dollars to Sunni insurgents in Iraq and much of the money is used to buy weapons, including shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles, according to key Iraqi officials and others familiar with the flow of cash.

Specter gets the chance to set things right  —  When the Military Commissions Act, which among other things suspended habeas corpus for suspected terrorists, went to the Senate floor in September, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) voiced some relatively passive concerns.

Meet the new boss...  Now that the Baker-Hamilton Commission is ending this country's long national acid trip, I am struck by the fact that, save possibly Donald Rumsfeld and Christopher Hitchens, no one's intellect, analysis, and honesty have been more profoundly undermined by the results …

Lean Left?  Lean Right?  News Media May Take Their Cues From Customers  —  When Matt Lauer declared on the "Today" show last week that NBC would start referring to the conflict in Iraq as a "civil war," he inadvertently started his own civil war within the news media.