Somalia: Al Qaeda militant killed … MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A senior al Qaeda suspect wanted for bombing U.S. embassies in East Africa has been killed, a Somali official said Wednesday as witnesses said U.S forces launched a third day of airstrikes.  —  Also Wednesday …

The Surge Dirge  —  CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS HATE THE SURGE.  BUT THEY DON'T DARE TRY TO STOP IT.  —  Sen. Ted Kennedy is the Senate Democrats' army of one, trying to launch a revolution when they would prefer cordial discussion.  Scheduled to discuss health care at the National Press Club …

Governor Mitt Romney on Iraq  —  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  —  Boston, MA - Governor Mitt Romney, in direct consideration of the proposed increase in troop deployments in Iraq, issued the following statement today putting an emphasis on the need for clear and measurable strategic objectives.

OFFICIAL: BUSH TO ADMIT IRAQ MISTAKES  —  WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush will tell the nation Wednesday night that he should have sent more troops to Iraq to fight the war during the earlier stages of the nearly four-year conflict, a senior administration official revealed.

"I'm not afraid, I've lost everything in Iraq:" An Interview with a Fallujan Civil Servant  —  An Interview with a Fallujan Civil Servant  —  Note: Please consider this interview a companion piece to my second dispatch for the Examiner.  Taken together, they provide a good primer …

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.

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.

FAT TEDDY, KING DAVID'S CORCORAN, MOOKIE AND SOME SHOE POLISH  —  Hot Air has video of Teddy Kennedy talking, again, about "George Bush's Vietnam."  Hot Air also inserts commentary from Christopher Hitchens from 2004 that is entirely appropriate today.

Troops Sent in Surge to Have Limited Role, Bush Aide Says  —  President Bush will announce tonight that the additional American troops he plans to send to Baghdad will act only in support of Iraqi forces, and that they are being sent only because the Iraqi government has promised a "fundamental" …

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 …

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 …

Leak Probes Stymied, FBI Memos Show  —  A lack of cooperation from one or more intelligence agencies led the FBI to abandon several recent criminal investigations into leaks of classified information to the press, records obtained by The New York Sun indicate.

Venezuela's Leap Backward  —  BEFORE HIS reelection as Venezuelan president last month, Hugo Chávez declared that his goal was to receive 10 million votes and thereby a mandate to greatly accelerate what he calls a 21st-century socialist revolution.  In the end, despite a one-sided campaign …