John Edwards joins presidential race  —  WASHINGTON - Former Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards jumped into the presidential race Wednesday a day earlier than he'd planned, prodded by an Internet glitch to launch a candidacy focused on health care, taxes and other domestic issues.

Islamist Forces in Somalia Are in Retreat  —  Ethiopian-backed forces continued to beat back Islamist fighters in Somalia today, advancing to within 15 miles of Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, as diplomatic pressure increased for the Ethiopians to pull out.  —  The African Union …

Saddam Hussein's Baath party threatens to retaliate if their leader is executed  —  AMMAN, Jordan: Saddam Hussein's Baath Party threatened Wednesday to retaliate if the ousted Iraqi leader is executed, warning in an Internet posting it would target U.S. interests anywhere.

Gerald Ford Retrospective  —  Approval ratings low by historical standards  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The late Gerald Ford had one of the lowest average job approval ratings among all presidents since World War II, according to a review of historical Gallup Polls.  Ford assumed the presidency after Richard Nixon resigned in 1974.

U.S. ready to send 3,500 troops: sources  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon is expected to send 3,500 troops into Kuwait to stand ready for use in Iraq, senior defense officials said on Tuesday as the Bush administration weighs adjusting force levels in the war.

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.

At The Corner, Iraq News That Isn't  —  Reader SB points us to an entry today at The Corner, a blog belonging to National Review magazine, entitled "FROM IRAQ: A MARINE'S NOTES."  —  Among other things, the unnamed Marine tells the National Review that:

White House to Joe Biden: Hold Your Horses on Rejecting Iraq Troop Surge  —  NEW YORK At today's press gaggle in Crawford, Texas, Scott Stanzel, pinch-hitting for White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, described the president's reaction to the death of Gerald R. Ford and his upcoming meetings to discuss his next moves in Iraq.

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 …

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 …

A Dirty Game  —  The Duke "rape" case unravels.  —  It's no secret that hugely disproportionate numbers of the innocent people oppressed by abusive prosecutors and police in this country are African-Americans.  Now one of the most outrageous cases of law-enforcement abuse is unfolding in Durham, N.C., home of the Duke lacrosse case.

Tension after US soldier shoots Sadr supporter  —  NAJAF, Iraq (AFP) - Tension was mounting in the Iraqi city of Najaf after an American soldier killed a senior ally of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr during a raid on his house.  —  Sadr supporters and local police told AFP Wednesday …

Obama Shapes an Agenda Beyond Iraq War  —  Senator Obama's early opposition to the war in Iraq is the best known of his views, but voters taking his measure as a potential president will discover that he is a leader in securing stray weapons from the former Soviet Union …

So The Message Got Delivered, Then  —  Iran has acknowledged that its oil industry has fallen on hard times, and guess who they blame for their troubles?  The Great Satan, this time, might not mind: … Thanks for confirming the receipt of our messsage, Vaziri!

Taliban confirm top commander killed in U.S. strike  —  CHAMAN, Pakistan (Reuters) - A Taliban commander confirmed on Wednesday that the rebels' military chief in southern Afghanistan had been killed in a U.S. air strike on December 19, adding his death was a blow for the Islamist movement.