Democrats To Start Without GOP Input  —  As they prepare to take control of Congress this week and face up to campaign pledges to restore bipartisanship and openness, Democrats are planning to largely sideline Republicans from the first burst of lawmaking.  —  House Democrats intend to pass …

Revealed: Rudy's '08 battle plans  —  It's clearly laid out in 140 pages of printed text, handwriting and spreadsheets: The top-secret plan for Rudy Giuliani's bid for the White House.  —  The remarkably detailed dossier sets out the budgets, schedules and fund-raising plans that will underpin …

Save Judeo-Christian values  —  Immigration leaves USA vulnerable to Muslim extremists' infiltration.  —  A letter I sent in early December was written in response to hundreds of e-mails from constituents upset about Rep.-elect Keith Ellison's decision to use the Quran in connection with his congressional swearing-in.

ANALYSIS-Iraqis see U.S. push against Sadr's Mehdi Army  —  Source: Reuters  —  BAGHDAD, Jan 1 (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces are likely to launch a limited New Year offensive against Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army militia, blamed for sectarian death squad killings, senior Iraqi officials say.

Islamist fighters offered amnesty  —  MOGADISHU — Fighters belonging to a militant Islamist movement fled into a rugged, forested corner of Somalia from rapidly advancing government forces Monday, and the prime minister offered amnesty if they surrendered.  —  Regional diplomats worked …

Iran: Hitler was a Jew  —  Advisor to President Ahmadinejad claims Nazi leader was Jew who conspired with USSR and Britain to establish Jewish state  —  Just when you thought the Iranian leadership could stoop no further: A top advisor to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed …

Few Iraqis Are Gaining U.S. Sanctuary  —  With thousands of Iraqis desperately fleeing this country every day, advocates for refugees, and even some American officials, say there is an urgent need to allow more Iraqi refugees into the United States.  —  Until recently the Bush administration …

Chaos Overran Iraq Plan in '06, Bush Team Says  —  WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 — President Bush began 2006 assuring the country that he had a "strategy for victory in Iraq."  He ended the year closeted with his war cabinet on his ranch trying to devise a new strategy, because the existing one had collapsed.

Gone in 60 Stories  —  On December 5 of this year, I wrote a blog post entitled 60 Billion Minutes, where I wrote: … In the weeks since that date, the Associated Press has maintained that the stories they originally reported on November 24-25 of burning mosques and burning men is true …

Second Thoughts on Gays in the Military  —  TWO weeks ago, President Bush called for a long-term plan to increase the size of the armed forces.  As our leaders consider various options for carrying out Mr. Bush's vision, one issue likely to generate fierce debate is "don't ask, don't tell …

Patterico's Los Angeles Dog Trainer Year in Review 2006  —  It is time for this blog's fourth annual review of the performance of the Los Angeles Times, which long-time Patterico readers know as the Los Angeles Dog Trainer.  The first annual review was posted here.

AP Asks: Why So Many Upset by Iraq Death Toll?  —  PHILADELPHIA The country largely kept the faith during World War II, even as about 400,000 U.S. forces died - 20,000 just in the month long Battle of the Bulge.  Before turning against the wars in Korea and Vietnam, Americans tolerated thousands more deaths than in Iraq.

Medic from Morgan Hill `alive — barely' after Iraq bombing  —  As a U.S. Army medic stationed in Iraq, David Shebib was used to saving the lives of his fellow soldiers.  But now, the young Morgan Hill man is in a foreign hospital with severe wounds of his own.

Power-Sipping Bulbs Get Backing From Wal-Mart  —  As a way to cut energy use, it could not be simpler.  Unscrew a light bulb that uses a lot of electricity and replace it with one that uses much less.  —  While it sounds like a promising idea, it turns out that the long-lasting …

Bush 'to reveal Iraq troop boost'  —  US President George W Bush intends to reveal a new Iraq strategy within days, the BBC has learnt.  —  The speech will reveal a plan to send more US troops to Iraq to focus on ways of bringing greater security, rather than training Iraqi forces.

Romney to File Paperwork for 2008 Bid  —  AP Photo WX126  —  BOSTON (AP) - Gov. Mitt Romney will file paperwork forming a presidential exploratory committee on Wednesday, a delay of 24 hours out of respect for the funeral services scheduled Tuesday for former President Gerald R. Ford, according to a top aide familiar with his plans.

Can less equal more? … Teacher Jennifer Dial Santoro asked her eighth-grade geometry class to throw the formula out the window and instead try to reason out the area of shapes drawn on a large grid.  —  Didma Valenzuela, a girl in the front with her head down, struggled with a parallelogram.

CNN apologizes for Obama gaffe in Bin Laden graphic  —  Print page sponsored by Velvet Revolution.  —  Update: Senator Obama's office called RAW STORY to comment on the incident and CNN's apology, which can be found at the end of the story.  —  A Monday night broadcast of CNN's Situation Room …