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.

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 …

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."

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 …

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.

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.

Brownback Comments on Troop Surge  —  Says more troops are not the answer  —  BAGHDAD - U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today commented on President Bush's proposal to increase the number of troops deployed to Iraq.  —  "I do not believe that sending more troops to Iraq is the answer," said Brownback.

From the Classroom to the War  —  What are we to make of this increasingly corrupt institution, whose health is so necessary to the welfare and competitiveness of the United States?  It brags that American higher education is the strongest on the globe, but that is largely true …

'Munsters' star Yvonne De Carlo dies  —  LOS ANGELES - Yvonne De Carlo, the beautiful star who played Moses' wife in "The Ten Commandments" but achieved her greatest popularity on TV's slapstick comedy "The Munsters," has died.  She was 84.  —  De Carlo died of natural causes Monday …

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.

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 …

Soldier diagnosed with mental problems  —  FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - An Army private charged with the slaughter of an Iraqi family was diagnosed as a homicidal threat by a military mental health team three months before the attack.  —  Pfc. Steven D. Green was found to have "homicidal ideations" …

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.