Islamic forces on the retreat in Somalia  —  MOGADISHU, Somalia - Islamic fighters were in a tactical retreat Tuesday, a senior Islamic leader said, as government and Ethiopian troops advanced on three fronts in a decisive turn around in the battle for control of Somalia.

U.S. toll in Iraq surpasses that of 9/11  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - At least 36 Iraqis died Tuesday in bombings, officials said, including a coordinated strike that killed 25 in western Baghdad.  Separately, the deaths of six U.S. soldiers pushed the American toll beyond the number of victims in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

A Religious Problem  —  Jimmy Carter's book: An Israeli view.  —  Several prominent scholars have taken issue with Jimmy Carter's book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," cataloguing its historical inaccuracies and lamenting its lack of balance.  The journalist Jeffrey Goldberg also critiqued …

St. Louis judge's outspoken book causing controversy  —  A liberal-bashing book by a veteran St. Louis judge is to become available publicly this week, but it is already causing a stir in political and legal circles — and prompting some to say it could cost him his job.

Democrats Pledge to Restrain Spending  —  Critics Say Party's Goals Are Too Lofty  —  Determined to banish their old tax-and-spend image, Democrats want to shrink the federal deficit, preserve tax cuts for the middle class and challenge the president to raise money for the Iraq war when they take control of Congress next week.

Flash!  President Bush Says He Reads Papers  —  Is there hope for newspapers after all?  Readers may be abandoning the printed versions, but over the last couple of years, at least one person seems to have started reading them, at least sometimes.  He lives in the White House.

Christmastime decisionmaking  —  We Americans, despite our current grumblings, are fundamentally an optimistic people.  Our optimism has helped us achieve great things.  But it can also be a problem.  There is an assumption in public life that every problem has an optimum solution, all gain and no pain.

Veil liberates me, says alternative Christmas message woman  —  A veil-wearing Muslim convert today claimed the way she chooses to dress makes her feel "liberated" as she delivered an alternative Christmas message.  —  Khadija, the great-granddaughter of a suffragette …

Going universal  —  The American healthcare system is, simply put, a mess, but we may finally be ready to fix it.  —  THE STATISTICS, by now, are well known.  Forty-seven million uninsured Americans.  Premium increases of 81% since 2000.  Small businesses failing, big businesses foundering …

A Bipartisan Fix for Retirees  —  In the aftermath of their November election victory, Democratic leaders have pledged to work on a bipartisan basis to solve the problems facing our nation.  In that spirit, I suggest that Democrats and Republicans can successfully work together …

Courts Side With NSA On Wiretaps  —  Defense lawyers who had hoped that the public disclosure a year ago of the National Security Agency's wiretapping program would yield information favorable to their clients are being rebuffed by the federal judiciary, which in a series of unusually consistent rulings …