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 …

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 …

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.

Sunnis protest over Saddam execution  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Sunnis Muslims, angered by the execution of Saddam Hussein and the way his hanging was carried out, took to the streets in mainly peaceful demonstrations in Sunni enclaves across the country.  —  A crowd of Sunni mourners in Samarra marched …

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.

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.

Number 3,000: the soccer-mad dropout who dreamt of going back to college  —  US casualities in Iraq  —  A soccer-loving college dropout from Texas with a weakness for trance music and ham-and-pineapple pizza has become the 3,000th American soldier killed in Iraq.

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.

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 …

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.

Is Pelosi serious about cleaning up the House?  —  The Washington DC Examiner Newspaper, The Examiner  —  WASHINGTON - Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will make history this week when she becomes the first woman elected as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

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.

Jamilgate: Eason Jordan goes nuclear on the AP  —  No righty blogger will ever trust him, but give him credit for pushing this knowing that it won't endear him to his remaining fans.  I look forward to Eric Boehlert's next dopey exercise in What Warbloggers Believe, in which Eric explains …

NRA Sounds Alarm of Not-So-Imminent Threat  —  In lobbying, a threat is good for business, whether it's genuine or not.  —  This might help to explain the dire warnings being issued by the National Rifle Association as the Democrats prepare to take control of Congress this week.