Official: First wave of troops to Iraq by Jan. 31  —  Kennedy says Hill must act on surge; move may spark constitutional debate  —  WASHINGTON - A first wave of additional U.S. troops will go into Iraq before the end of the month under President Bush's new plan, a senior defense official said Tuesday.

Mission Impossible  —  BUSH'S SMART NEW GENERAL CAN'T SAVE IRAQ.  —  George W. Bush has named a new man to take charge in Iraq as a prelude to his announcement of (allegedly) a new strategy.  Will either make any difference?  —  The new commander, Lt. Gen. (soon to be promoted to simply Gen.) …

Congressional Limitations and Requirements for Military Deployments and Funding  —  The 110th Congress has an important responsibility to shape the country's national security policy in order to make Americans safer and advance U.S. national security interests more effectively.

AP Runs Unverified Report: Somali Strikes Kill Newlyweds!  (Also unverified.)  —Ace  —  There are only four sorts of people killed by US (or Israeli) strikes, according to AP and Reuters.  —  1) Children, which are military-aged men under 30 years old  —  2) The elderly, who are military-aged men over 30 years old

Live from Macworld 2007: Steve Jobs keynote  —  The game is on!  Keep refreshing this page for a steady stream of updates.  The keynote should get rolling sometime after 9am PST.  —  7:54am - We're here, standing in line waiting to get in.  People have been camped out since 9pm last night …

Michelle Malkin's credibility, R.I.P.  —  It's time for warbloggers to find a new conspiracy theory to promote because their most recent one, which involved accusing the Associated Press of manufacturing a source in Iraq and colluding with the insurgents, blew up in their faces.

Bush Judicial Nominees Ask to Withdraw … WASHINGTON (AP) — In a concession to the Senate's new Democratic majority, four of President Bush's appeals court appointees have asked to have their nominations withdrawn, Republican officials said Tuesday.  —  These officials said that William Haynes …

WE TURN THE FLOOR OVER TO SENATOR MCCAIN  —  We have disagreed strongly with Senator John McCain on several issues, but have also applauded his unwavering support for a strong national defense and for vigorous prosecution of the global war on terror.  When the Senator's staff requested …

ROSIE BLOWS UP AT 'LIAR' BABS  —  THE tension between "The View" creator Barbara Walters and co-host Rosie O'Donnell, sparked by O'Donnell's feud with Donald Trump, boiled over yesterday morning when the portly comic called Walters "a [bleeping] liar."  —  The fight started around 8:30 a.m …

RIPENS APPLE  —  BELCHING BOG BLAMED FOR CITYWIDE GAS STINK  —  Who cut the cheese?  —  New Jersey, apparently.  —  Across the length and breadth of Manhattan, people were asking, "What's that smell?" after a pungent odor like natural gas or rotten eggs blanketed the borough and northern …

Geraldo wants to whoop up on Olbermann  —  So here's one I missed over the holidays — Geraldo Rivera coming to town and threatening to beat up on Keith Olbermann.  —  Apparently Geraldo was visiting with 104.1 FM's Monsters just before Christmas, when they asked him about the time he made …

PACE'S DOCU DRAMA  —  BIGS 'THREATEN' JEWS  —  Pace University administrators threatened to sic the cops on a Jewish-student club if it went ahead with plans to screen a critically acclaimed film about radical Islam, the head of the group charged yesterday.

ACLU sues state police  —  PROVIDENCE — The Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union yesterday filed a federal lawsuit against the state police, alleging racial profiling and violation of the constitutional rights of 14 Guatemalan nationals during a July traffic stop …

THE BAD KLEIN.  I don't really know what to say about Joe Klein's recent tantrums and continuous self-humiliation.  Can't Ana Marie take him aside and ask him to stop?  But amidst Klein's attempts to discredit my surname and his laughable posts whining about nasty rhetoric while calling liberals fools …

Bangor Makes It Illegal to Smoke in Cars  —  BANGOR, Maine (AP) — The Bangor City Council approved a measure Monday that prohibits people from smoking in vehicles when children are present.  —  When the law goes into effect next week, Bangor will become the first municipality in Maine to have such a law.