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.

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."

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."

EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY: ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE NATION  —  Good evening.  Tonight in Iraq, the Armed Forces of the United States are engaged in a struggle that will determine the direction of the global war on terror - and our safety here at home.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

Spocko/ABC story on CBS 5  —  The heat is raining down on KSFO and their crew over the hate speech that permeates the airwaves.  Already almost 15,000 people have listened to this audio that typifies what we're talking about.  Morgan, Sussman and Lee tried to get Spocko's site closed down by ABC.

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 …

The media aren't the enemy in Iraq  —  Blaming the press for the problems in Iraq deflects the blame from where it belongs.  —  IF WE WIND UP losing the war in Iraq, as now appears likely (though not inevitable), many conservatives know who to blame: the press, or, in blogger-speak, the MSM (mainstream news media).

Chavez sworn in for radical new term in Venezuela  —  CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was sworn in on Wednesday for a new six-year term that he vowed to use to press a radical socialist revolution including nationalizations that have roiled financial markets.