HALF THE STORY: Don Surber notes, quoting a correspondent: … Well, that's half the numbers.  Filling in the other half (which, to Surber's credit, is linked from his post), we see that Bush is at 45% job approval and 54% disapproval, while Pelosi is at 43% favorable and 39% unfavorable.

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 …

Late Nite FDL: Spocko vs. The Rat  —  Evenin', fellow firedogs!  Tonight I'm going to attempt to get us all up to speed about a situation that I suspect we're going to be hearing a lot about in the near future.  This story was brought to my attention by ¡El Gato Negro!.  —  Where to begin?

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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' …

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.

CNN ANCHOR: "IT MIGHT NOT BE BAD" IF I HURRICANE WERE TO "CLEAN THE STREETS OUT" IN NYC...  BECK: OK.  Yesterday and when I heard the final — the final words of the hurricane chief, and he said, you know, this is coming, I thought exactly of the words that I read about, starting I think in the 1950s …

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 …

"Media Matters"; by Jamison Foser  —  This Week:  —  For coverage of Democrats' historic day in Congress, NBC interviews ... John McCain  —  On November 12, 2006, the first Sunday after an election in which Democrats rode anti-war sentiment to take control of both houses of Congress in a landslide …

The Iranian who wants an apocalypse  —  One person we will be hearing much about in 2007 will be Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  He's the hollow-eyed engineer and town planner (and former Revolutionary Guard) who in 2005 went from being Teheran's answer to Ken Livingstone to President of Iran.

Purge of the Unbelievers  —  What to make of the sudden spate of personnel convulsions emanating from the White House?  —  I see a possible theme: A purge of the unbelievers.  —  Harriet Miers, a longtime companion of the president but never a true believer in Vice President Cheney's views …