Gerald R. Ford, 38th U.S. President, Dies  —  Former President Gerald R. Ford, who was thrust into the presidency in 1974 in the wake of the Watergate scandal but who lost his own bid for election after pardoning President Richard M. Nixon, has died, according to a statement issued late last night by his wife, Betty Ford.

A picture tells a 1000 words.....  A friend of mine serving in Iraq sent me this photo and note.  I received it before Christmas, but was out of the office.  Priceless story it tells....  Again I say..."GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!!"  —  UPDATE: My blog-friend Scott Johnson at the famous Powerline Blog …

The Right Type of 'Surge'  —  Any Troop Increase Must Be Large and Lasting  —  Reports on the Bush administration's efforts to craft a new strategy in Iraq often use the term "surge" but rarely define it.  Estimates of the number of troops to be added in Baghdad range from fewer than 10,000 to more than 30,000.

Iraqi Court Says Hussein Must Die Within 30 Days  —  An Iraqi appeals court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence against Saddam Hussein and ruled that the man whose brutal reign began in 1979 and ended with the American-led invasion in 2003 must go to the gallows within 30 days.

Bush's New Look on Iraq: Weary  —  Watching President Bush in recent weeks has become a grim kind of reality TV show.  In almost every news conference, speech and photo opportunity, the topic is the same: what to do about the grinding war in Iraq.  Bush has let the facade crack open …

Strategy, Not Drama, in 'I Intend to Run in '08'  —  On Thursday, John Edwards is planning to announce what has been clear to much of the world since the end of the last presidential election: He is running for president in 2008.  A similar declaration is expected shortly from Gov. Mitt Romney …

Details of the escalating conflict in Somalia have been in the news lately and the country's instability has caught the attention of the Bush administration.  Concerned that it could turn into a haven for terrorists, there is much talk in Washington that Somalia is becoming another important battleground in the global war on terrorism.

Biden wants Rice to testify on Iraq policy … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. Joseph Biden, the incoming chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said he has invited Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to testify during three weeks of hearings in January about the Iraq war.

U.S. Wants Polar Bears Listed as Threatened  —  The Bush administration has decided to propose listing the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, putting the U.S. government on record as saying that global warming could drive one of the world's most recognizable animals out of existence.

With Promises of a Better-Run Congress, Democrats Take on Political Risks  —  Republican rule on Capitol Hill drew to an exhausted end just before dawn on Dec. 9 after lawmakers dispatched a pile of bills that few had read and even fewer had helped write.  Democrats say the era of such chaotic …

The Culture War Is About the Authority of a Book  —  If you want to predict on which side an American will line up in the Culture War wracking America, virtually all you have to do is get an answer to this question: Does the person believe in the divinity and authority of the Five Books of Moses …

Wanker of the Day  —  As we all know, because everybody on the teevee will keep repeating it, Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon was perhaps the wisest and awesomest thing anyone has ever done in the history of presidenting.  Never mind that it wasn't popular at the time.