Pelosi: Congress Will Not Fund Escalation If Bush Does Not Justify It  —  This morning on CBS's Face the Nation, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced that Congress may refuse to authorize funding for an escalation of U.S. forces to Iraq if President Bush cannot justify the strategy.

Suspicious truck stopped at the Port of Miami-Dade  —  Federal and county authorities have arrested as many as three Middle Eastern men at the Port of Miami-Dade after they tried to enter the facility Sunday morning without proper paperwork, officials said.  —  An FBI spokeswoman in Miami …

Israel Denies Planning Iran Nuke Attack  —  LONDON (AP) — A British newspaper reported Sunday that Israel has drafted plans to strike as many as three targets in Iran with low-yield nuclear weapons, aiming to halt Tehran's uranium enrichment program.  The Israeli Foreign Ministry denied the report.

McCain backers fear they could lose new Florida governor's support  —  Publication of Rudy Giuliani's secret campaign plan has so embarrassed Florida's new Gov. Charles Crist that supporters of Sen. John McCain fear it might backfire against their campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

Critics Say 'Surge' Is More of The Same  —  Past Troop Buildups Have Not Quelled Iraq  —  President Bush is putting the final touches on his new Iraq policy amid growing skepticism inside and outside the administration that the emerging package of extra troops, economic assistance …

Gore bars press from talk  —  Former VP will meet with students but not media  —  Reporters and TV news cameras will be banned from almost all of former Vice President Al Gore's appearance Jan. 23 in Sioux Falls.  —  Gore is the Boe Forum speaker at Augustana College and plans a talk called …

The Imperial Presidency 2.0  —  Observing President Bush in action lately, we have to wonder if he actually watched the election returns in November, or if he was just rerunning the 2002 vote on his TiVo.  —  That year, the White House used the fear of terrorism to scare American voters …

Future of Iraq: The spoils of war  —  How the West will make a killing on Iraqi oil riches  —  Iraq's massive oil reserves, the third-largest in the world, are about to be thrown open for large-scale exploitation by Western oil companies under a controversial law which is expected to come before the Iraqi parliament within days.

The Invasion of the Alpha Male Democrat  —  NANCY PELOSI'S carefully crafted introduction to the American people last week seemed to reinforce some stereotypes of the so-called mommy party.  On the day she made history as the first woman to be elected speaker, she appeared on the House floor …

Sen. Lieberman Goes His Independent Way  —  He Calls for 'Substantial' Troop Increase in Iraq  —  Standing under the grand dome of the Library of Congress on Friday, the three top Senate Democrats bitterly condemned sending more U.S. troops to Iraq, as President Bush is now considering.

Utahns break from Bush on Iraq  —  Reddest state no longer behind war's handling, split on 'surge'  —  President Bush has lost majority support on Iraq from residents of the reddest state in the nation.  —  A Salt Lake Tribune poll conducted last week shows Utah's support for Bush's handling …