Pentagon's plan: More U.S. troops in Iraq  —  Boosting presence and aid, and an anti-Sadr offensive, carry risks but offer the best path to victory, military officials say.  —  WASHINGTON — As President Bush weighs new policy options for Iraq, strong support has coalesced in the Pentagon behind …

Rodriguez's Upset Win in Texas 23 Yields Another Seat for Dems  —  Democratic former Rep. Ciro D. Rodriguez upset Republican Rep. Henry Bonilla in a House runoff election Tuesday in southwestern Texas' 23rd District, pushing the Democrats' net gain to 30 House seats and concluding Campaign 2006 …

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.

Oregon senator prepares universal health coverage plan  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A dozen years after Congress rejected a Clinton administration plan for universal health care, Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden is readying a proposal to provide health care coverage to all Americans through a pool of private insurance plans.

Immigration raid linked to ID theft, Chertoff says  —  WASHINGTON — More than 1,200 people were arrested for alleged immigration violations in Tuesday's six-state raid on meat processing plants and about 65 of them face criminal charges, including identity theft, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said today.

Move to bring genocide case against Ahmadinejad as Iran president repeats call to wipe out Israel  —  Robert Tait in Tehran, Ed Pilkington in New York  —  The outgoing US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, is backing a call for the president of Iran to be charged with inciting genocide …

Point of personal privilege  —  (CNN) — "Humor is the nitroglycerin of politics," a political analyst wrote long ago.  "Very powerful, but if it's not handled carefully, it can explode in your face."  —  Actually, I wrote those words in a widely un-read book.

How Academe Shortchanges Conservative Thinking  —  Notwithstanding the outcome of the recent election, in one respect, the last few decades mark a breakthrough era for conservative intellectuals.  Their visibility has soared.  Thirty years ago, the only place to find conservatives on television …

Byrd to give up W.Va. projects  —  Byrd, incoming chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and his House counterpart Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin outlined their plan late Monday to pass a yearlong stopgap spending bill to keep government programs and agencies functioning until Sept. 30, 2007.

Majority say history won't be kind to Bush  —  WASHINGTON — History's view of George W. Bush will be harsh, Americans predict.  —  In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday, a 54% majority says Bush will be judged as a below-average or poor president, more than double …

Muslim pilgrims urged to complain  —  American Muslims making a religious pilgrimage to Mecca are being encouraged to file civil rights complaints if they feel discriminated against by airlines.  —  The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), citing what it called the "airport profiling" …

Lobbying the Jury  —  We are disappointed that the Supreme Court has upheld a defendant's conviction even though spectators at his trial put prejudicial material in sight of the jury.  Fortunately, the court made clear that its ruling this week was based only on the unusual way the issue was raised …

Military Meets, Exceeds Recruiting Goals  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Though Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the war in Iraq, the Pentagon said Tuesday it is having success enlisting new troops.  The Navy and Air Force met their recruiting goals last month while the Army …