Saudis Give a Grim What If Should U.S. Opt to Leave Iraq  —  Saudi Arabia has told the Bush administration that it might provide financial backing to Iraqi Sunnis in any war against Iraq's Shiites if the United States pulls its troops out of Iraq, according to American and Arab diplomats.

KKK'S DAVID DUKE TELLS IRAN HOLOCAUST CONFERENCE THAT GAS CHAMBERS NOT USED TO KILL JEWS  —  Dec. 12: David Duke, former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, and former state representative in Louisiana, attends a conference on the Holocaust in Tehran.  —  TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian President Mahmoud …

Bush Delays Speech on Iraq Until January  —  President Bush will wait until after the holidays to speak to the nation about a new strategy in Iraq, a strategy he said today will be designed to establish a free and self-sufficient country that will be an ally in the battle against extremists.

Rodriguez defeats Bonilla  —  U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla conceded defeat to former congressman Ciro Rodriguez in a stunning upset that completed the Democratic takeover of Congress.  —  The Republican incumbent lost Bexar County for the first time in his political career Tuesday night …

'Convert or die' game divides Christians  —  Some ask Wal-Mart to drop Left Behind  —  Liberal and progressive Christian groups say a new computer game in which players must either convert or kill non-Christians is the wrong gift to give this holiday season and that Wal-Mart …

Illegal Workers Arrested In Identity Theft Sweep  —  Federal agents targeting illegal immigrants raided meatpacking plants in six states yesterday, arresting hundreds of workers on the uncommon charge of identity theft and shutting down the world's second-largest meat processing company for much of the day.

DeLay: 'Hillary Will Be the Next President'  —  Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said today that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D.-N.Y.) would be elected president in 2008 and would probably tap Senate colleague Barack Obama (D.-Ill.) as her running mate.  —  DeLay met with conservative bloggers …

Rockin' Woolsey - the stylings of the former head of the Central Intelligence Agency  —  James Woolsey is a brainy fellow known for his strong stands in favor of energy independence and (lately) against the Iraq Study Group report.  But who knew the former DCI could get down and rock?

Insurgents kill AP cameraman in Mosul  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq — A cameraman working for The Associated Press was shot to death by insurgents while covering clashes Tuesday in Mosul, police said.  He was the second employee of the news cooperative killed in the northern city in less than two years.

Nigeria considers same-sex marriage ban  —  LAGOS, Nigeria — Lawmakers in Nigeria are debating a bill that would ban same-sex marriage and any form of association among gays, even sharing a meal at a restaurant.  —  Few in Nigeria's deeply closeted gay community have publicly opposed the legislation …

KOFI TALK  —  [ed. note - found in a remodeling dumpster at 48th and FDR Drive: first draft of Kofi Annan's valediction]  —  Nearly 50 years ago, when I arrived in Minnesota as a student fresh from Africa, I had much to learn.  For example, the concept of "connecting flights," …

fidel castro Is Dead?  (Updated)  —  Been getting quite a bit of traffic via searches with "castro death" and "is castro dead" and "castro death rumors" the past couple of days so I thought I'd go ahead and clear that whole mess up right now.  —  Barring any unforeseen actions such as …

Day By Day: Too Sexy For My Blog?  —  I have run the Day By Day cartoon by Chris Muir for around two years at Captain's Quarters, and I constantly receive e-mail on the strip.  It's about evenly split; I get equally passionate missives about its content in either direction.