President Confronts Dissent on Troop Levels  —  Bush Indicates Military Won't Dictate Numbers; Top General to Retire  —  The debate over sending more U.S. troops to Iraq intensified yesterday as President Bush signaled that he will listen but not necessarily defer to balky military officers …

Top British Army aide accused of spying  —  A military aide to the commander of British forces in Afghanistan appeared in court yesterday accused of spying.  —  Cpl Daniel James, 44, is charged under the 1911 Official Secrets Act with "prejudicing the safety of the state" by passing information …

Va. Lawmaker's Remarks on Muslims Criticized  —  Republican Had Decried the Use of the Koran for Congressman's Oath of Office  —  Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. (R-Va.) is coming under sharp criticism for lashing out against the decision by Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who will become the first Muslim member …

How an Ex-Aide to President Clinton Stashed Classified Documents  —  A former national security adviser to President Clinton, Samuel Berger, stashed highly classified documents under a trailer in downtown Washington in order to evade detection by National Archives personnel, a government report released yesterday said.

London Braces for Attack; 'Miracle' If There Isn't One  —  Brian Ross and Richard Esposito Report:  —  British intelligence and law enforcement officials have passed on a grim assessment to their U.S. counterparts, "It will be a miracle if there isn't a terror attack over the holidays in London …

Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmen Leader, Dies at 66  —  ASHGABAT (Reuters) - Turkmenistan's President-for-life Saparmurat Niyazov died suddenly on Thursday after 21 years of iron rule, raising a risk of political instability in the energy-rich country that some feared could have an impact on Europe's gas supplies.

A MORMON PRESIDENT?  NO WAY.  —  Someone who refuses to consider voting for a woman as president is rightly deemed a sexist.  Someone who'd never vote for a black person is a racist.  But are you a religious bigot if you wouldn't cast a ballot for a believing Mormon?

Muslims Mark Solidarity With Jews  —  Event Held Days After Iranian Meeting That Denied Genocide  —  Local Muslim leaders lit candles yesterday at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to commemorate Jewish suffering under the Nazis, in a ceremony held just days after Iran had a conference denying the genocide.

Full Esteem Ahead  —  Time magazine asked a large number of people to name the Person of the Year.  They were in a populist mood and named the largest possible number of Persons of the Year: Everybody.  —  Of course.  The most capacious modern entitlement is not to Social Security but to self-esteem.

FL-13: Voting Company Expert Says Problems Cost Dem Race  —  Next year, the House of Representatives will have to decide what to do about the contested election in Florida's 13th District.  Republicans have characterized the Democrats' challenge of the results as a desperate power grab.

Mass. Governor's Rightward Shift Raises Questions  —  As he prepares for a 2008 presidential campaign, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) has championed the conservative principles that guided President Ronald Reagan, become an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage and supported overturning …

The Glenn and Helen Show: A Martha Stewart Christmas!  —  It's a Martha Stewart Christmas at the Glenn and Helen Show!  Well, it's a show about Martha Stewart at Christmastime, anyway.  We interview law professor Joan Heminway about her book, Martha Stewart's Legal Troubles, which comes out next week.

Take Action: Immigrants Imprisoned in American Concentration Camps, On Christmas  —  Latina Lista has been doing fantastic work on the story of the truly evil ICE roundup of immigrant children and families, which has in many cases left American citizen children effectively orphaned.

Iran admits oil projects suffering  —  By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran and Roula Khalaf in London  —  Iran's oil minister on Wednesday admitted that Tehran was having trouble financing oil projects, in a rare acknowledgment of the economic cost of its nuclear dispute.

Scarborough Sees The Light—Barnicle: "Bush is delusional"  —  Scarborough has made a definite turn-around on Bush over the past year, but it hasn't been as evident as it was on Wednesday's Scarborough Country.  Joe appears to be totally fed up with the non-stop spin and ignorance coming …