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.

Rice Rejects Overture To Iran And Syria  —  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday rejected a bipartisan panel's recommendation that the United States seek the help of Syria and Iran in Iraq, saying the "compensation" required by any deal might be too high.

What the Fate of Johnson's Seat May Portend  —  If a Republican Succeeds Ill Senator,  —  Power Shift Would Bolster Bush,  —  Alter Tenor of Committees  —  WASHINGTON — "There isn't a thing that's changed," Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said yesterday after visiting his stricken colleague …

General Says Army Will Need To Grow  —  Iraq and Afghanistan Are Straining the Force, Chief of Staff Warns  —  Warning that the active-duty Army "will break" under the strain of today's war-zone rotations, the nation's top Army general yesterday called for expanding the force by 7,000 …

C-SPAN presses Pelosi on transparency  —  Noting that Democrats have pledged to increase transparency and accountability in government, C-SPAN Thursday called on House Speaker-in-waiting Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to give television viewers the same real-time access to views of the House floor as anyone sitting in the gallery would have.

New U.N. Leader Is Sworn in and Promises to Rebuild Trust  —  Ban Ki-moon of South Korea was sworn in Thursday as the next secretary general of the United Nations, and he pledged to rebuild faith in an organization that has been tarnished by scandal and riven by disputes between rich and poor nations.

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.

'The Man From Nowhere'  —  What does Barack Obama believe in?  —  We are getting very excited.  Barack Obama is brilliant, eloquent and fresh.  He is "exciting" (David Brooks), "charming" (Bob Schieffer), "my favorite guy" (Oprah Winfrey), has "charisma" (Donna Brazile), and should run now for president (George Will).

Death Sentences Decline, and Experts Offer Reasons  —  The number of death sentences in the United States has dropped to its lowest level in decades, according to recent studies, including one released Thursday that predicts the trend will continue because of publicity about cases in which people are wrongly accused of crimes.

Run Now, Obama  —  New Hampshire was recently brightened by the presence of Barack Obama, 45, who, calling the fuss about him "baffling," made his first trip in 45 years to that state, and not under duress.  Because he is young, is just two years distant from a brief career as a state legislator …

Bush's First Comments on Cheney Grandchild  —  ABC News' Karen Travers Reports: The President and First Lady sat down last week for their annual interview with People featured in their end-of-year issue now on newsstands.  (Note: The Bush's did not get the cover; that honor went …

10 Tech Concepts You Need to Know for 2007  —  From concrete that can flex to sensors that you swallow, here are the technologies you'll be talking about.  —  Bendable concrete is 40 percent lighter than regular concrete and 500 times more resistant to cracking under pressure.  (Photograph by ACE-MRL)

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.