Pelosi: 43% Have Favorable Opinion of New House Speaker  —  Forty-three percent (43%) of Americans have a favorable opinion concerning the nation's new Speaker of the House.  The first woman to serve in that role, Nancy Pelosi (D) earns favorable reviews from 45% of women and 41% of men.

Get serious, Democrats  —  DEMOCRATS in Congress plan to restore pay-as-you-go budget rules.  The rules preclude tax cuts, unless paid for by other tax increases or spending cuts.  This is mostly a good idea — but unless Democrats get serious about repealing Bush's tax cuts for the rich …

Media Critic's Blog Shuttered After Disney Complains  —  IN THE LATEST SKIRMISH BETWEEN big media and a blogger, The Walt Disney Company has succeeded in shutting down the Web site "Spocko's Brain."  —  On the site, blogger and media critic "Spocko" took issue with on-air comments …

Where Does Negroponte Leave Intelligence?  —  When John Negroponte was nominated to the position of Director of National Intelligence (DNI) almost two years ago, the smooth-talking career diplomat described his new post as "vital to the protection of our country" and one that …

Army asks dead to sign up for another hitch … WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army said Friday it would apologize to the families of about 275 officers killed or wounded in action who were mistakenly sent letters urging them to return to active duty.  —  The letters were sent a few days after Christmas …

Images of Hanging Make Hussein a Martyr to Many  —  In the week since Saddam Hussein was hanged in an execution steeped in sectarian overtones, his public image in the Arab world, formerly that of a convicted dictator, has undergone a resurgence of admiration and awe.

McCain calls for substantial, sustained surge  —  Cites Lieberman's re-election as proof Americans don't want Iraq exit  —  WASHINGTON - The 2006 election has not changed Sen. John McCain's support for victory in Iraq one iota.  —  While some Democrats have interpreted their party's triumphs …

Al-Qaeda, Islamic Courts gather the new Somali Jihad  —  Zawahiri, Islamist Courts lay the groundwork for the insurgency  —  While the Islamic Courts repeatedly denied any connection to al-Qaeda, the evidence to the contrary is overwhelming.  Hassan Dahir Aweys, the 'spiritual leader' …

In Condemnation of One-Equation Economics  —  I really don't like one-equation economics.  —  One-equation economics assumes that certain economic quantities are fixed in stone, examines one equation—usually an accounting identity—and concludes that somebody else's preferred policies will be ineffective and counterproductive.

A New Commander, in Step With the White House on Iraq  —  The selection of Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus to serve as the senior American commander in Iraq signals an important turn in United States strategy.  —  As a supporter of increased forces in Iraq, General Petraeus is expected …

Cleric gunned down in Gaza after plea for calm  —  GAZA (Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Muslim cleric after he delivered a sermon in the Gaza Strip on Friday calling for an end to fierce factional fighting between Hamas and Fatah, hospital officials and local residents said.

AP employee found shot to death in Iraq  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - The body of an Associated Press employee was found shot in the back of the head Friday, six days after he was last seen by his family leaving for work.  Ahmed Hadi Naji, 28, was the fourth AP staffer to die violently in the Iraq war …

Scarborough challenges O'Reilly to a debate  —  O'Reilly has been trashing NBC news lately because he's mad at Olbermann and doesn't want to say his name on the air.  How does Billy get back at Keith?  He says everybody hates George on NBC.  I know, it's stupid.

White House visitor records closed  —  WASHINGTON - The White House and the Secret Service quietly signed an agreement last spring in the midst of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal declaring that records identifying visitors to the White House are not open to the public.

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.