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 …

Trump To Rosie: You're Sued!  —  Donald Trump is set to sue "The View" host Rosie O'Donnell, Access Hollywood can reveal.  —  Earlier this afternoon Trump announced he is filing suit against the TV talk show host.  "She says things that come to her mouth, she's not smart, she's crude …

Congressman Criticizes Election of Muslim  —  In a letter sent to hundreds of voters this month, Representative Virgil H. Goode Jr., Republican of Virginia, warned that the recent election of the first Muslim to Congress posed a serious threat to the nation's traditional values.

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.

Federal Subsidies Turn Farms Into Big Business  —  The cornerstone of the multibillion-dollar system of federal farm subsidies is an iconic image of the struggling family farmer: small, powerless against Mother Nature, tied to the land by blood.  —  Without generous government help …

SCOOP: Pragmatic Non-Royal to be Next Saudi Ambassador to the United States  —  For Saudi watchers, some fascinating news has just made its way to The Washington Note.  —  A former staffer at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, ADEL AL-JUBEIR, who comes from a distinguished, yet non-royal family …

'I have no future' — Jeb Bush tells reporters  —  MIAMI (Reuters) - The shadow of President Bush seemed to loom large over his younger brother on Wednesday, as the outgoing Florida governor ruled out any plans to return to elected office.  —  "No tengo futuro (I have no future)," …

Turkmenistan's 'iron ruler' dies  —  Turkmenistan's authoritarian president Saparmurat Niyazov, who ruled the Central Asian country for 21 years, has died aged 66, state TV has reported.  —  Mr Niyazov, who named cities and airports after himself in a personality cult, left no designated successor.

Danish art group pokes fun at Iranian president  —  COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - A Danish art group that pokes fun at world leaders targeted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday by placing an advertisement in a Tehran newspaper with an insulting hidden message.

ATLAS SNUBBED:  —  Since I'm very bad at letting things go, I thought I'd sound off again on Brink Lindsey's latest liberaltarian salvo.  In my reply, I argued that if Democrats embraced more libertarian positions, like support for gay marriage or opposition to the Patriot Act …

Mohammed overtakes George in list of most popular names  —  Mohammed, and its most common alternative spelling Muhammad, are now more popular babies' names in England and Wales than George, reflecting the diverse ethnic mix of the population.  —  The Office for National Statistics …

Climate Change vs Mother Nature: Scientists reveal that bears have stopped hibernating  —  Bears have stopped hibernating in the mountains of northern Spain, scientists revealed yesterday, in what may be one of the strongest signals yet of how much climate change is affecting the natural world.

Jamilgate: Michelle's sources can't find Capt. Hussein  —  Actually, I think they have found him but he's probably not willing to come clean about being the source for fear of disciplinary action.  Pseudonyms are a no-no according to the AP's own internal procedures, but it may be that he gave …

Huge Southern Baptist Church rocked by sexual abuse charges  —  A church whose former pastor was president of the Southern Baptist Convention has been rocked by allegations of child abuse, PageOneQ has learned.  —  Pastor Paul Williams, who directs prayer programs and special projects …

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 …

Congress closes with a pork-filled flourish  —  Dialysis industry, other interests that donated to lawmakers get lavish end-of-session breaks.  —  WASHINGTON — Christmas arrived Wednesday for the kidney dialysis industry.  —  That's when President Bush signed into law the last major piece …

Virgin dragon to give birth in holiday season  —  Komodo managed to become pregnant without male help  —  Chester Zoo's female Komodo Dragon Flora walks through her enclosure at the zoo in Chester, northern England.  Flora, a pregnant Komodo dragon living in a British zoo, is expecting eight babies.

Syria Attacked American Embassy … On September 21st I did a detailed analysis with video making the case that the Syrians were indeed behind the attack.  —  I'm reposting the original post below.  Video and more below the fold.  —  According to this report, senior members of the Baath Party …

Iran President Facing Revival of Students' Ire  —  As protests broke out last week at a prestigious university here, cutting short a speech by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Babak Zamanian could only watch from afar.  He was on crutches, having been clubbed by supporters of the president …