Somali Islamists flee stronghold  —  KISMAYU, Somalia (Reuters) - Defeated Somali Islamists fled their last stronghold and headed toward the Kenyan border on Monday in what looked like the end of nearly two weeks of war with the Ethiopian-backed government.  —  Several thousand Islamist troops …

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.

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.

Universal Health Care Run by Psychotics  —  I'm glad there's widespread liberal discussion about the health care system and the need to fix it.  Paul Krugman made a forceful argument about it today in his Op-Ed, but it's really the same argument that heroic blogger nyceve makes on a regular basis …

Chief Justice Advocates Higher Pay for Judiciary  —  WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 — Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. made judicial pay the sole topic of his second annual report, issued on Sunday, declaring that the failure by Congress to raise federal judges' salaries in recent years has become a …

Iran can still be stopped  —  It is possible to prevent the political and security landslide.  Iran can still be stopped.  —  The government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is rapidly leading Israel to a political and security downfall while Iran is racing towards achieving a nuclear weapons capability.

MTP Transcript for Dec. 31  —  MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: This is the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, where the remains of the 38th president of the United States lie in state.  What is Gerald Ford's legacy?  What is the story behind the story of his pardon of Richard Nixon?

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 …

Veil-wearing Muslim women are part of our fight - al-Qaeda chief  —  AL-QAEDA'S deputy leader said yesterday that any Muslim woman who wears the veil in Western countries is a supporter in what he described as a fight between Islam and "Zionist Crusaders".  —  Ayman al-Zawahri issued …

The Point Of No Return  —  With all of the assaults on free political speech that have come as a result of the McCain-Feingold Act (or the BCRA), one has to wonder how much farther we can go before reversing the damage becomes impossible.  Mark Tapscott shows us just how far this law reaches …

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.

AP poll: Americans optimistic for 2007  —  WASHINGTON - The news from Iraq and other national headlines may be grim, but in Greenville, N.C., John Given has a new baby and his first home, and life is good.  —  So, too, for Sandra Trowbridge in tiny Magnet Cove, Ark. The situation in Iraq makes …