But It's Thomas Jefferson's Koran!  —  Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, found himself under attack last month when he announced he'd take his oath of office on the Koran — especially from Virginia Rep. Virgil Goode, who called it a threat to American values.

Going to Iraq  —  My blogging has been lighter than usual the past few weeks due to family time, Fox News duties, holiday chaos, holiday illness—and, yes, planning for a trip to Iraq.  As you know, ex-CNN newsman Eason Jordan extended an invitation to me three weeks ago to go to Iraq …

Iraq to Review Abusive Acts at Hussein's Execution  —  Iraq's Shiite-led government said Tuesday that it had ordered an investigation into the abusive behavior at the execution of Saddam Hussein, who was subjected to a battery of taunts by official Shiite witnesses and guards as he awaited his hanging.

Effect of Obama's Candor Remains to Be Seen  —  Senator Admitted Trying Cocaine in a Memoir Written 11 Years Ago  —  Long before the national media spotlight began to shine on every twist and turn of his life's journey, Barack Obama had this to say about himself: "Junkie.  Pothead.

What the Congress Can Do for America  —  Let them say of these next two years: We used our time well.  —  Tomorrow, members of the 110th Congress will take their oaths of office here in Washington.  I will have the privilege of working with them for the next two years—one quarter of my presidency …

A Fairer House  —  THE NEW Democratic House majority has an ambitious plan for its first 100 hours in power, from increasing the minimum wage to strengthening ethics rules to having the federal government negotiate prescription drug prices.  Unfortunately, its plans don't include getting …

Pat Robertson: God told me of 'mass killing' in 2007 … VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia (AP) — Evangelical broadcaster Pat Robertson said Tuesday that God has told him that a terrorist attack on the United States would cause a "mass killing" late in 2007.  —  "I'm not necessarily saying it's …

Administration Official: Troop Escalation 'More Of A Political Decision Than A Military One'  —  CNN reports "President Bush is expected to announce his new Iraq strategy in an address to the nation early next week."  According to the BBC, "The speech will reveal a plan to send more US troops to Iraq."

Will Bill Keller End 'Public Editor' Slot at The Times?  —  Dan Okrent Protests; Faithful Barney Calame Sputters Weary Defense  —  The New York Times will soon decide whether it will do away with its public editor.  —  The two-year term of the current public editor, Byron (Barney) Calame, will conclude in May.

RUDY'S TRAITORS  —  'LEAKER' AIDES TO GOV HE HELPED  —  Suspicion ran high yesterday that Rudy Giuliani's lost White House campaign playbook was swiped by aides to Florida's new governor - while the ex-mayor was helping him win election, sources told The Post.

A Man Down, a Train Arriving, and a Stranger Makes a Choice  —  It was every subway rider's nightmare, times two.  —  Who has ridden along New York's 656 miles of subway lines and not wondered: "What if I fell to the tracks as a train came in?  What would I do?"  —  And who has not thought: "What if someone else fell?

Al Qaeda TV  —  A new 24-hour insurgent station reveals al Qaeda's increasing sophistication, and our continuing confusion.  —  AL QAEDA AND its allies now have their own 24-hour television station.  Based at a secret studio in Syria, its signal is broadcast to the entire Arab world from a satellite owned by the Egyptian government.

FBI Reports Duct-Taping, 'Baptizing' at Guantanamo  —  FBI agents witnessed possible mistreatment of the Koran at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including at least one instance in which an interrogator squatted over Islam's holy text in an apparent attempt to offend a captive …

UN staff accused of raping children in Sudan  —  The UN said today that it would launch an investigation after the Daily Telegraph reported allegations that UN personnel have abused children in southern Sudan.  —  Members of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in southern Sudan …

Think tank: Israel could attack Iran's nuclear program alone  —  The Institute for National Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University said in its annual report, released Tuesday, that Iran will possess nuclear weapons unless military action is taken against it, and Israel would be capable of carrying out such an attack

Justice Appointed by Ford Remembers the Late President  —  Exclusive Interview: John Paul Stevens Recalls Ford's Selection Over Conservative Favorite  —  Today Justice John Paul Stevens remembered the president who nominated him to the Supreme Court more than three decades ago …

A Surprising Secret to a Long Life: Stay in School  —  James Smith, a health economist at the RAND Corporation, has heard a variety of hypotheses about what it takes to live a long life — money, lack of stress, a loving family, lots of friends.  But he has been a skeptic.

50,000 more US troops can save Iraq  —  President George W. Bush is about to launch a final push in Iraq with a large reinforcement of American troops in the hope of crushing the insurgency before America embarks on a large-scale withdrawal of force from the country.

Checked Out  —  A Washington-area library tosses out the classics.  —  "For Whom the Bell Tolls" may be one of Ernest Hemingway's best-known books, but it isn't exactly flying off the shelves in northern Virginia these days.  Precisely nobody has checked out a copy from the Fairfax County …