Troop Surge Already Under Way  —  90 Advance Troops from 82nd Airborne Arrive in Baghdad  —  President Bush's speech may be scheduled for tonight, but the troop surge in Iraq is already under way.  —  ABC News has learned that the "surge" Bush is expected to announce in a prime time speech tonight has already begun.

The President's New Iraq Strategy Is Rooted In Six Fundamental Elements:  — Create space for political progress;  — Diversify political and economic efforts; and  — Iraq Could Not Be Graver - The War On Terror Cannot Be Won If We Fail In Iraq.  Our enemies throughout the Middle East are trying to defeat us in Iraq.

McCain: Iraq War Was 'Easy'  —  As the Carpetbagger Report noted, today on MSNBC, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) defended his statement from Oct. 2002 when he claimed, "I believe that the success [in Iraq] will be fairly easy."  McCain told Tim Russert, "It was easy, it was easy.  I said the military operation would be easy."

MATIER AND ROSS  —  New Year's nightmare for visiting Yale singers  —  How's this for an only-in-San Francisco story:  —  Members of the Baker's Dozen, the renowned, all-male a cappella singing group from Yale, are pummeled outside a New Year's Eve party after singing "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Raid in Somalia May Have Killed Qaeda Suspect  —  American air raids in southern Somalia may have killed the Al Qaeda terrorist suspected of planning the 1998 bombings of United States embassies in East Africa, Somalia officials said today.  —  There was no American confirmation of reports …

Better armor lacking for new troops in Iraq  —  WASHINGTON // The thousands of troops that President Bush is expected to order to Iraq will join the fight largely without the protection of the latest armored vehicles that withstand bomb blasts far better than the Humvees in wide use, military officers said.

Democrats feel liberals' antiwar heat  —  Freshman and veteran lawmakers alike risk the ire of bloggers and other activists if they waver on an Iraq exit.  —  WASHINGTON — It did not take long for Rep. Nancy Boyda, a freshman Democrat from Kansas, to learn the price of defying her party's liberal base.

Gates Cleans House  —  New Pentagon chief is expected to oust the U.S. general involved in the Somalia strikes.  —  Ten Hut: Robert Gates talks with troops on a December visit to Baghdad  —  Airstrikes this week on alleged Al Qaeda figures in Somalia may prove to be one of the last …

Fox News Anchor Calls Ted Kennedy A 'Hostile Enemy Right Here On The Home Front'  —  This morning on Fox News, anchor Gretchen Carlson called Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) a "hostile enemy" of the United States because he has demanded that Congress vote on whether to approve funding for escalation in Iraq.

Little Public Confidence in Bush on Iraq  —  Only one in four believe he has a clear plan for dealing with the situation there  —  PRINCETON, NJ — As President George W. Bush prepares to address the nation Wednesday evening to unveil his new policy on Iraq, he is doing so with little public confidence …

Video: Impassioned, articulate case for abortion made by ... Mitt Romney  —  This was posted on YouTube yesterday.  McCain staffer, do you think?  Or one of Rudy's boys?  —  He says his views have "evolved" in the past 12 years.  Compare his point in the clip about not imposing his beliefs …

Wage Increase Could Hinge on Tax Cuts  —  As part of their 100-hour legislative blitz, House Democrats are expected to vote today to increase the minimum wage for the first time in a decade, to $7.25 an hour, in a move that economists say will raise pay for 13 million workers.

Hackett part of gun incident  —  Police: Ex-candidate chased 3 after they crashed fence  —  INDIAN HILL - Indian Hill lawyer and former congressional candidate Paul Hackett - armed with a loaded assault rifle - chased down three men in a car after it crashed into a fence at his home in the early morning hours of Nov. 19.