Cheney: Rumsfeld 'Is the Finest Secretary of Defense This Nation Has Ever Had'  —  Today, Vice President Dick Cheney spoke at a ceremony honoring outoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.  Cheney, himself a former Defense Secretary under George H. W. Bush, said Rumsfeld was the "finest Secretary of Defense this nation has ever had."

Clinton to Tout Re-Release of 'Village'  —  NEW YORK — It will be a daytime gabfest with Barbara, Rosie _ and Hillary.  —  New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will be making the rounds of the morning shows next week, promoting the rerelease of her book, "It Takes a Village," …

Incoming Chairmen Ready to Investigate  —  Democratic-Led Panels to Probe Administration's Actions in War and Counterterrorism  —  Incoming Democratic committee chairmen say they will hold a series of hearings and investigations early next year to build the case for their call for a phased withdrawal …

Bredesen's Christmas card depicts Muslim girl  —  Picture and message leave church leaders scratching their heads  —  Gov. Phil Bredesen has given an unusual twist to his family's Christmas card: He is marking a Christian holiday with a card depicting a Muslim girl.

Head of DNA lab says he and Nifong agreed not to report results  —  The head of a private DNA laboratory said under oath today that he and District Attorney Mike Nifong agreed not to report DNA results favorable to Duke lacrosse players charged with rape.  —  Brian Meehan, director …

The Road to Tehran  —  Polite society helped pave the way for Iran's Holocaust conference.  —  "Not acceptable," says Ban Ki Moon, new Secretary-General of the United Nations.  "Repulsive," say the editors of Britain's Guardian newspaper.  "An insult . . . to the memory of millions of Jews," says Hillary Rodham Clinton.

EXCLUSIVE: White House Forbids Publication Of Op-Ed On Iran By Former Bush Official  —  Middle East analyst Flynt Leverett, who served under President Bush on the National Security Council and is now a fellow at the New America Foundation, revealed today that the White House has been blocking …

Official says Fla. execution was botched  —  OCALA, Fla. - Gov. Jeb Bush suspended all executions in Florida after a medical examiner said Friday that prison officials botched the insertion of the needles when a convicted killer was put to death earlier this week.

Ex-Rep. Barr Quits GOP for Libertarians  —  A former Georgia congressman who helped spark President Clinton's impeachment has quit the Republican Party to become a Libertarian, saying he is disillusioned with the GOP on issues such as spending and privacy.  —  Bob Barr, who served eight years …

Options Sought for Surge in U.S. Troops to Stabilize Iraq  —  Military planners and White House budget analysts have been asked to provide President Bush with options for increasing American forces in Iraq by 20,000 or more.  The request indicates that the option of a major "surge" …

"Media Matters"; by Jamison Foser  —  GOP media lemming alert: Is big-eared Barack Hussein Obama this year's John Francois Kerry?  —  The 2008 presidential campaign may well be decided by the way the news media cover the candidates over the next few months.

INDIANA SEN. EVAN BAYH DECIDES NOT TO SEEK DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION FOR PRESIDENT  —  WASHINGTON — Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh will not seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2008, FOX News has learned.  —  Bayh made the decision depsite having made several visits to test states like Iowa …

The Wall and the Wedge  —  At Pam's House Blend, Pam Spaulding published a post today on Sen. John McCain's proposal called "Stop the Online Exploitation of Children Act," which purports to "modernize and expand reporting requirements" for certain types of Websites including what are commonly known as "blogs."

Army Captain's Simple Demonstration: How to Win in Iraq  —  Officer Killed in Battle, but His Ideas Live On  —  President Bush has spent the last few weeks engaged in complex briefings with senior military officers, State Department officials and outside experts as he tries to come up with a new plan to achieve victory in Iraq.

A Gnawing Problem On Assateague Island  —  Some Ponies Might Be Removed to Save Md. Side  —  ASSATEAGUE ISLAND, Md. — What do you do when one of your natural treasures starts eating all the others?  —  That's the National Park Service's dilemma on this storied barrier island.

HostGator Will Not Stand Up For Clients' Free Speech  —  Stop the ACLU and My Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy have a disturbing story for those of us who defend freedom of speech through our blogging; a hosting service has shut down a blogger for voicing a controversial satire.

Don't Believe It, Matt!  Income Inequality Did Rise!  A Lot!  —  Matthew Yglesias falls into a trap.  He makes the mistake of crediting an empirical claim—in this case Alan Reynolds's claim—on the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal.  The claim is that there is: … Matthew writes:

There's No Debate  —  Jimmy Carter has a very weird conception of how one starts a debate: … I'm not entirely positive how requests that both sides be heard shows that "many...are unwilling to hear an alternative view" on Israeli policy.  Indeed, it seems to show just the opposite.