GOP Lawmakers Divided About 'Surge' in Troops  —  Republican lawmakers appear uneasy about — and in some cases outright dismissive of — the idea of sending many more troops to Iraq, as President Bush contemplates such a "surge" as part of his new strategy for stabilizing the country.

Rush to Hang Hussein Was Questioned  —  BAGHDAD, Dec. 31 — With his plain pine coffin strapped into an American military helicopter for a predawn journey across the desert, Saddam Hussein, the executed dictator who built a legend with his defiance of America, completed a turbulent passage into history on Sunday.

SOMALI TROOPS CLOSE IN ON 3 WANTED FOR U.S. EMBASSY BOMBINGS  —  KISMAYO, Somalia — Fighting erupted Sunday on the outskirts of the last remaining stronghold of Somalia's militant Islamic movement, as thousands of residents streamed from the area ahead of the feared battle with Ethiopian-backed government troops.

The State of the Jihad  —  A look at the state of the major theaters, and some under the radar, in the Long War  —  Waziristan.  —  The year of 2006 has seen some interesting developments in the fight against al-Qaeda and its allies across the globe.  While the war against al-Qaeda …

A Lynching...  It's official.  Maliki and his people are psychopaths.  This really is a new low.  It's outrageous- an execution during Eid.  Muslims all over the world (with the exception of Iran) are outraged.  Eid is a time of peace, of putting aside quarrels and anger- at least for the duration of Eid.

US 'licence to snoop' on British air travellers  —  Britons flying to America could have their credit card and email accounts inspected by the United States authorities following a deal struck by Brussels and Washington.  —  By using a credit card to book a flight, passengers face having …

U.S. Toll In Iraq Reaches 3,000  —  The number of U.S. service members killed in Iraq since the war began in 2003 reached 3,000 on Sunday, a symbolic milestone at a time when the Bush administration is rethinking its strategy for the increasingly violent conflict.

Muslim haj pilgrims perform devil-stoning ritual  —  Source: Reuters  —  MENA, Saudi Arabia, Dec 31 (Reuters) - More than 2.5 million Muslim haj pilgrims performed devil-stoning rites on Sunday, amid tight security to prevent overcrowding and protests following the execution of Saddam Hussein.

A Grim Milestone in Iraq: 3,000 American Deaths  —  Jordan W. Hess was the unlikeliest of soldiers.  —  He could bench-press 300 pounds and then go home and write poetry.  He learned the art of glass blowing because it seemed interesting and built a computer with only a magazine as his guide.

HAPPY NEW YEAR...  ...to all of our readers.  —  May 2007 be a happy, safe and prosperous year.  —  UPDATE: By the way, I hadn't seen Ed Morrissey for a while, and wondered where he was spending the holidays.  Now, I think we know.  Marcia, better check up on Ed's whereabouts!

New year rings in multitude of new laws in states  —  The new year will bring raises for hundreds of thousands of minimum-wage workers across the country.  Musicians worried about copycats get some protection in Illinois.  And California takes steps to reduce the power-plant pollution that is thought to contribute to global warming.

China chokes on a coal-fired boom  —  Toxic cloud of progress can be seen from space  —  A GREAT coal rush is under way across China on a scale not seen anywhere since the 19th century.  —  Its consequences have been detected half a world away in toxic clouds so big that they can seen from space …