Top Democrats Oppose More Troops in Iraq  —  As President Bush prepares to present his new strategy on Iraq to the American people, Democratic Congressional leaders said today they will fight any approach that calls for deploying more United States troops there.

DEM LETTER TO BUSH: "WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO REJECT ANY PLANS THAT CALL FOR OUR GETTING OUR TROOPS ANY DEEPER INTO IRAQ"....  Dear Mr. President:  —  The start of the new Congress brings us opportunities to work together on the critical issues confronting our country.

ARE TODAY'S ELECTRONIC GADGETS WORTH THE MONEY?  USA Today says that some are and some aren't: … I'm going to be attending the Consumer Electronics Show myself, as part of the Popular Mechanics contingent — and yes, it was awfully nice of the PM folks to invite me along.

In which I annoy you once again with the asssertion that I'm a moderate.  —  I took this test — recommended by Andrew Sullivan — and scored a 21 on a political scale that ran from 0 (100% liberal) to 40 (100% conservative).  Sullivan scored 26, by the way.  —  UPDATE: Glenn Reynolds takes the test and, like me, gets a 21.

TRUST TEST: Andrew Sullivan, InstaPundit, and Ann Althouse link to this quiz that purports to measure where you stand on the liberal-conservative spectrum.  I tend to agree with InstaPundit: "it was a pretty dumb test."  —  "Which do you trust more: The Pentagon or The U.S. Postal Service?," the test asks.

More Troops = More Targets  —  For months, advisers to President George W. Bush have been trying to convince the commander in chief that more U.S. troops in Iraq will improve prospects for victory.  Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), both recently returned from Iraq …

SURGE LITE?  —  There has been considerable speculation that President Bush's new strategy for Iraq, to be announced in a televised speech next week, will feature a "surge" of additional troops on a temporary basis.  This Associated Press story suggests that the increment will be far fewer …