Negroponte to Leave Job to Be State Dept. Deputy  —  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has persuaded John D. Negroponte to leave his post as director of national intelligence and come to the State Department as her deputy, government officials said last night.  —  Negroponte's move would fill a crucial hole on Rice's team.

W pushes envelope on U.S. spying  —  New postal law lets Bush peek through your mail  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush has quietly claimed sweeping new powers to open Americans' mail without a judge's warrant, the Daily News has learned.  —  The President asserted his new authority …

In the House, Suddenly Righteous Republicans  —  Thirty-one-year-old Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) is not a large man, standing perhaps 5 feet 3 inches tall in thick soles.  But he packed a whole lot of chutzpah when he walked into the House TV gallery yesterday to demand …

The 100 Hours Rush  —  Speaker Pelosi learned a few things from Tom DeLay.  —  Congratulations to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her fellow Democrats, who begin their new control of Congress today.  They also deserve full marks for paying attention while in the minority, because it's clear Democrats learned …

Snow: Americans 'Out of Touch With Reality' In Iraq  —  Just weeks ago, President Bush insisted that the United States was "absolutely" winning in Iraq.  Recently, as the casulties have mounted, he's toned back his sunny rhetoric slightly, saying the United States was not "winning or losing."

RANGEL BOOTS VEEP  —  EVICTS CHENEY FROM CHOICE CAPITOL DIGS  —  Rep. Charles Rangel has evicted Vice President Dick Cheney from his office in the Capitol, and the Harlem heavyweight is moving into the prime digs today, The Post has learned.  —  Gilded letters were freshly painted atop …

The Right Minimum Wage  —  A federal minimum wage is an idea whose time came in 1938, when public confidence in markets was at a nadir and the federal government's confidence in itself was at an apogee.  This, in spite of the fact that with 19 percent unemployment and the economy contracting …

To Win in Baghdad, Strike at Tehran  —  As early as next week, President Bush is expected to give a major speech announcing a new strategy in Iraq.  This is an excellent opportunity for the administration to announce a big strategic change that could dramatically improve America's prospects in Iraq.

A Chance To Change The Game  —  This past Election Day, the American people sent a clear message to Washington: Clean up your act.  —  After a year in which too many scandals revealed the influence special interests wield over Washington, it's no surprise that so many incumbents were defeated …

WEDNESDAY'S LETTERS: Iraq Death Toll, Jamil Hussein, Steve Outing's Column on Small Newspapers  —  AP Asks: Why Are So Many Upset by the Death Toll?  —  This odd article seems to suggest that the reason so many are upset by the Iraq death toll is that we Americans now have a short attention span …

Miers Resigns As White House Counsel  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Harriet Miers, President Bush's failed Supreme Court nominee, has submitted her resignation as White House counsel, the White House announced Thursday.  —  White House press secretary Tony Snow said the president reluctantly accepted …

Passed Over by Pelosi, Harman Doesn't Get Even.  She Gets Mad.  —  Catfight aftermath: Rep. Jane Harman is still quite irked that House Speaker-designee Nancy Pelosi nixed her for chairman of the House intelligence committee — and she's not exactly being stoic about it.

D.C. Notes: Murtha Again Taking the Lead on Iraq  —  Arriving on the Hill, Melinda and I made a beeline for the office of Rep. Jack Murtha, the man most responsible for the Democrats seizing control of the 110th Congress (other than George Bush, that is).  —  His office is filled …

O Mighty Crisis  —  THE "CONSTITUTIONAL COLLAPSE" OVER JUDICIAL PAY.  —  I have been accused by readers of being far too fond of the new chief justice.  Several of my colleagues have broken into song when they see me—a little ditty linking me to the chief with a chorus that ends, "k-i-s-s-i-n-g."