Bush Works To Rally Support for Iraq 'Surge'  —  President Bush yesterday began promoting his plan to send more troops to Iraq, bringing more than 30 Republican senators to the White House as part of a major campaign to rally the American people behind another effort to stabilize the country.

America's Boots on the Ground in Somalia  —  AMERICA'S BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN SOMALIA  —  The al-Qaeda affiliated Islamic Courts Union's (ICU) rapid retreat in the face of Ethiopia's military campaign in Somalia has puzzled many observers.  How could the Ethiopians roll up the jihadists so quickly?

Schwarzenegger Proposes Universal Health Coverage  —  California Plan Could Cost State $12 Billion  —  Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Monday proposed a system of universal health insurance for Californians that would make the nation's most populous state the third to guarantee medical coverage for all its residents.

DeMint endorses Romney for president  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Sen. Jim DeMint has endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the 2008 presidential race, according to a letter the South Carolina senator is sending to state Republicans.  —  The endorsement letter …

RED STAR OVER VENEZUELA  —  Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez has signalled his true intentions with more clarity than ever today, announcing that he would expropriate:  —  1. All the phone lines  —  2. All the electricity  —  As this happened, a provincial governor from Bolivar state …

Now that I have your attention  —  I love it!  First day of Swampitude and the left-wing blogosphere—which is overpopulated by illiberal leftists and reactionary progressives—is already attacking me: 24 mostly mingy comments about my Left Behind post, many of which seem to be steaming off …

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 …

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.

Damage to businesses and mosques in Detroit raises wider fears  —  Was it Hussein-connected retaliation, local Shi'ites ask  —  As they repaired the broken windows of at least a dozen businesses and mosques along Warren Avenue in Detroit, many Iraqi Shi'ite Muslims wondered Monday …

Tony Snow: Democrats Can Cut Off Funds, But Can't Stop President's 'Surge'  —  NEW YORK At his briefing today, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow was naturally peppered with questions about President Bush's upcoming speech to the nation about his plans for (it seems to be an open secret) sending more U.S. troops to Iraq.

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Mexican Gunmen Involved in Arizona Border Incident Actually Uniformed Mexican Force  —  The incursion into U.S. territory last week by "Mexican gunmen" was not a chance confrontation between the Arizona National Guard and untrained illegal immigrants, but a deliberate …

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.

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 …