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 …

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.

MoDo and Barack Hussein Odumbo  —  RUSH: Here we go with Barack Obama.  As you know, he was up in New Hampshire — do you know, by the way, TV ads for Barack Obama are going to start airing this weekend?  Presidential ads for Barack Obama in New Hampshire start airing this weekend.

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.

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 …

Tony Snow Apologizes to David Gregory  —  During today's press briefing Tony Snow apologized to David Gregory for characterizing one his questions last week about the ISG report as "partisan."  Snowjob may not know a lot of things, but at least he acknowledges — for whatever reason — that he's in the wrong on this one.

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.

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)

Obama: Not 'the un-Hillary'  —  On the cusp of a historic decision over whether to run for the White House, Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday that he believed he would be a "viable candidate" for president who could move the nation beyond the generational politics that have defined the last 40 years.

'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).

'National interest' halts arms corruption inquiry  —  A major criminal investigation into alleged corruption by the arms company BAE Systems and its executives was stopped in its tracks yesterday when the prime minister claimed it would endanger Britain's security if the inquiry was allowed to continue.

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 …

MR. PRESIDENT, IF I MAY BE SO BOLD...  Most of our readers know the story of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain at Gettysburg.  Ordered to hold Little Round Top at all costs, Chamberlain's 20th Maine fended off one attack after another.  Finally, Chamberlain's men were nearly out of ammunition …

U.S. Is Dropping Effort to Track if Visitors Leave  —  In a major blow to the Bush administration's efforts to secure borders, domestic security officials have for now given up on plans to develop a facial or fingerprint recognition system to determine whether a vast majority of foreign visitors leave the country, officials say.

Stories  —  At some point over the last couple of years I actually gained a bit of grudging respect for the conservative Christian critique that the media didn't reflect their views.  It's certainly the case that the media is overly deferential to religious views generally and conservative religious views specifically.