What Syria Would Say  —  DAMASCUS, Syria — What positions would Syria take if it entered a dialogue with the United States about Iraq and other Middle East issues?  I put that question Thursday to Walid Moallem, Syria's foreign minister, and he offered surprisingly strong support …

Military Considers Sending as Many as 35,000 More U.S. Troops to Iraq, McCain Says  —  Senator John McCain said Thursday that American military commanders were discussing the possibility of adding as many as 10 more combat brigades — a maximum of about 35,000 troops — to …

In the 83rd Congress, a Senate in Constant Turmoil  —  Sen. Tim Johnson's sudden illness has consumed the political class the past two days.  Everyone is talking about what happens if the South Dakota Democrat leaves the Senate and is replaced by a Republican to create a 50-50 split.

THE HAMMER FINDS HIS MÉTIER.  —  Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, whose various ethical missteps compelled him to resign this past June, was born to blog.  He's a bully and a blowhard and he's got access to interesting political gossip.  But I find TomDeLay.com, which debuted Dec. 10, disappointingly high-minded.

Castro Near Death, U.S. Intelligence Chief Says  —  Cuban President Fidel Castro is very ill and close to death, Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte said yesterday.  —  "Everything we see indicates it will not be much longer . . . months, not years," Negroponte told a meeting of Washington Post editors and reporters.

Diplomat's suppressed document lays bare the lies behind Iraq war  —  The Government's case for going to war in Iraq has been torn apart by the publication of previously suppressed evidence that Tony Blair lied over Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.

The Mendacity Of the Liberal Press  —  The first time I heard the word "mendacity" was in the film "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."  I loved the way Burl Ives's character spits out the word as something vile and unacceptable.  —  Unfortunately, we live in a society where untruthfulness …

Carter Nixes Debate With Outspoken Prof  —  Former President Carter turned down a request to debate Alan Dershowitz about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying the outspoken Harvard law professor "knows nothing about the situation."  —  Carter, author of a new book advocating …

The Chinese Economy: Progress and Challenges  —  The emergence of China as a global economic power is one of the most important developments of recent decades.  For the past twenty years, the Chinese economy has achieved a growth rate averaging nearly 10 percent per year, resulting in a quintupling of output per person.

Legislators Vote for Gay Unions in N.J.  —  The Legislature voted on Thursday to make New Jersey the third state in the nation to recognize civil unions for same-sex couples.  In doing so, it moved quickly to fulfill a court mandate to provide equal rights to gay couples but frustrated people on both sides of the emotional issue.

Getting Serious About Iran: A Military Option  —  By Arthur Herman From issue: November 2006  —  As the impasse over Iran's nuclear-weapons program grows inexorably into a crisis, a kind of consensus has taken root in the minds of America's foreign-policy elite.

Border Fence Firm Snared for Hiring Illegal Workers  —  · A fence-building company in Southern California agrees to pay nearly $5 million in fines for hiring illegal immigrants.  Two executives from the company may also serve jail time.  The Golden State Fence Company's work includes …

Today's Rationale?  —  Nine days until Christmas...and Mommy just got dragged away in handcuffs for a bunch of show arrests.  Nice.  —  The shifting rationale for the ICE raids on the Swift Meatpacking plants is making me very peeved.  What began as a "raid on illegal immigrants" …

Press Briefing by Tony Snow  —  White House Conference Center Briefing Room  —  MR. SNOW: Just a quick preliminary note, and then I'll be happy to take questions.  —  Prime Minister Maliki tomorrow is convening another national reconciliation conference for political leaders from across Iraq.

'Pursuit of Happyness': An Uphill Climb That's an Exhilarating Breath of Fresh Air  —  You can look up "The Pursuit of Happyness" on the Internet Movie Database and see that a guy named Gabriele Muccino made it.  Or you can pay attention during the credits and learn the same thing.  —  Except it's wrong.