Bush to announce Iraq plan on Wednesday  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush will address the nation at 9 p.m. EST Wednesday about his new approach for the war in Iraq, the White House said.  Bush is expected to announce an increase of up to 20,000 additional U.S. troops.

The Smart Surge: Diplomacy  —  The odds are that this week President Bush will announce a "surge" of up to 20,000 additional U.S. troops into Iraq.  Will this deliver a "win"?  Probably not.  But it will distract us from facing the deep-seated regional issues that must be resolved.

Gas Smelled Over Large Area Of Manhattan  —  NEW YORK — People over a large part of New York City are smelling a gas, but no cause has been identified.  —  Numerous people have called 911 concerned about the odor.  Con Edison, the Fire Department and the U.S. Coast Guard are investigating.

Talks with radicals called key to ending violence  —  U.S. must negotiate with insurgents and militias, experts say  —  As President Bush prepares this week to announce a new plan for the war in Iraq, doubts are growing in Baghdad and among some international analysts over whether U.S. attempts …

Slimmer Time in the Age of the Internet  —  Richard Stengel, the managing editor of Time, took his wife and kids out to dinner Friday night.  —  As historic moments go, not a big deal, but it does reflect a seismic change.  Time magazine, which has been coming out every Monday for over 36 years, hit the streets on Friday instead.

Tax Cuts Offer Most for Very Rich, Study Says  —  Families earning more than $1 million a year saw their federal tax rates drop more sharply than any group in the country as a result of President Bush's tax cuts, according to a new Congressional study.  —  The study, by the nonpartisan …

Pajamas Media and "major embarrassment" — connect the dots  —  (1) Michael Ledeen of the American Enterprise Institute (and a Contributing Editor of National Review), on his Pajamas Media blog last Thursday: "BREAKING NEWS -Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, is dead."

Free-Market Justice  —  SIXTEEN years as a state trial judge have left me with a deep respect for the professionalism and competence of the public defenders who handle felony cases for indigent criminal defendants in my courtroom.  In fact, I've told friends, only half-jokingly …

ATTENTION: War supporters - your country needs you  —  (updated below - updated again)  —  One of the two principal architects of the "surge" strategy about to be adopted by the President is Frederick Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute.  He recently appeared at an AEI event …

VIDEO FLASHBACK: Bush Says Sending More Troops To Iraq Would 'Undermine Our Strategy'  —  On Wednesday night, President Bush is expected to announce plans to escalate the war in Iraq by sending more U.S. troops.  On June 28, 2005 — just 18 months ago — Bush said that sending more troops to Iraq would …

A Candidate's Not-So-Candid Camera?  —  John Edwards is ridiculing his political consultants.  —  "You know, they gave me a really great memo," he says, waving the document, which advises him to highlight the importance of public education when addressing teachers.

Poll: Critique of Wal-Mart is a Political Loser  —  Democratic presidential candidates who attack Wal-Mart due to concerns about the ill effects of globalization, the firm's business practices and its pay for workers are hurting their own election prospects.

Dead U.S. Soldier in Anti-War Video 'Alive and Well'  —  Rhonda Schwartz and Maddy Sauer Report:  —  An Iraqi insurgent propaganda video, containing what is described as a Christmas message from a U.S. soldier taped just before he was killed, appeared on dozens of Web sites and on the al Jazeera network.