U.S. Not Winning War in Iraq, Bush Says for 1st Time  —  President Plans to Expand Army, Marine Corps to Cope With Strain of Multiple Deployments  —  President Bush acknowledged for the first time yesterday that the United States is not winning the war in Iraq and said he plans to expand …

The Blog Mob  —  "Written by fools to be read by imbeciles."  —  Blogs are very important these days.  Even Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has one.  The invention of the Web log, we are told, is as transformative as Gutenberg's press, and has shoved journalism into a reformation, perhaps a revolution.

'Old Europe' Can Gloat, but Then What?  —  BERLIN — On the day James Baker's Iraq report was published, I gritted my teeth and waited for the well-earned, long-awaited, Franco-German "Old Europe" gloat to begin.  I didn't wait long.  "America Faces Up to the Iraq Disaster" read a headline in Der Spiegel.

UK report says robots will have rights  —  The next time you beat your keyboard in frustration, think of a day where it may be able to sue you for assault.  Within 50 years we might even find ourselves standing next to the next generation of vacuum cleaners in the voting booth.

Top Iraqi Shiite Cleric Is Inching Toward a Coalition  —  Iraq's most venerated Shiite cleric has tentatively approved an American-backed coalition of Shiite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties that aims to isolate extremists, particularly the powerful Shiite militia leader Moktada al-Sadr, Iraqi and Western officials say.

Blair to urge Middle East states to rein in Iran  —  DUBAI (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair will call on Wednesday for Middle East states to rein in what he calls the threat from Iran and to help advance peacemaking between Israelis and Palestinians.

Abramoff's Holiday Cheer  —  His 2001 Shopping List Included Lavish Gifts for Congressmen  —  These days he makes no more than 40 cents an hour for his labors at the federal prison camp at Cumberland, Md. But Christmas 2001 was a far more high-flying holiday for Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff …

Hypersonic Cruise Missile: America's New Global Strike Weapon  —  The mission: Attack anywhere in the world in less than an hour.  But is the Pentagon's bold program a critical new weapon for hitting elusive targets, or a good way to set off a nuclear war?  —  Diagrams by Kakofonia

Al-Zawahiri Criticizes Elections in PA Areas  —  Ayman al-Zawahiri, second-in-command of Al-Qa'ida organization, said that plots are being hatched to abort the concept of jihad in the Palestinian territories.  In a new videotape, he stressed that the elections in the Palestinian areas will not lead to the liberation of these areas.

Syria in Bush's Crosshairs  —  Exclusive: A classified document suggests the Administration is considering a plan to fund political opposition to the Damascus government.  Some critics say it would be an unwarranted covert action  —  The Bush Administration has been quietly nurturing individuals …

Cheney to Be Defense Witness in C.I.A. Leak Case  —  Vice President Dick Cheney will be summoned as a defense witness in the perjury and obstruction of justice trial of his former chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby Jr., which is scheduled to begin next month, a defense lawyer said today.

Bush Sees 'Opportunities' on Social Security, Immigration  —  President Bush said yesterday that he intends to work with the new Democratic majority in Congress on a broad range of domestic issues, declaring that despite the impending power shift there are "some wonderful opportunities" …

The Robert Gates Riddle  —  Will Defense Secretary Robert Gates be a voice of realism within the Bush administration?  Or will he bend his knee to the ideologues?  —  Gates offered hints to support both possibilities yesterday at his swearing-in ceremony.  But his true allegiance will soon be put to a very public test.

Police killer suspect fled Britain in a veil  —  A man who was being hunted for the murder of a policewoman is understood to have escaped from Britain by disguising himself as a veiled Muslim woman.  —  Mustaf Jama, a prime suspect in the fatal shooting of PC Sharon Beshenivsky …