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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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" …

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.

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 …

STEALTH RUDY BUTTONS LIP ON TROOP SURGE  —  Rudy Giuliani, a front-runner in several recent polls for the 2008 GOP nomination, has been mum about President Bush's expected Iraq troop-surge proposal - an issue that could be big in the presidential sweepstakes.

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.

Did the 9/11 Commission receive all the documents it requested?  Davis Releases Berger Report  —  Washington, D.C. - Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Tom Davis (R-VA) released the following statement today on a committee report that sheds important new light …

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 …