BOXER'S LOW BLOW  —  Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, an appalling scold from California, wasted no time yesterday in dragging the debate over Iraq about as low as it can go - attacking Secre tary of State Condoleezza Rice for being a childless woman.  —  Boxer was wholly in character for her party …

GOP hits Pelosi's 'hypocrisy' on wage bill  —  House Republicans yesterday declared "something fishy" about the major tuna company in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco district being exempted from the minimum-wage increase that Democrats approved this week.

Blast at U.S. embassy called 'terrorism'  —  ATHENS, Greece - An anti-tank shell was fired at the U.S. Embassy early Friday, striking the front of the building but causing no injuries.  A senior police official said the blast was an act of terrorism, raising fears of a resurgence of far-left Greek militant groups.

At Fort Benning, a Quiet Response to a Presidential Visit  —  The pictures were just what the White House wanted: A teary-eyed President Bush presenting the Medal of Honor posthumously to a slain war hero in the East Room, then flying here to join the chow line with camouflage-clad soldiers as some of them prepare to return to Iraq.

Lam is asked to step down  —  Job performance said to be behind White House firing  —  The Bush administration has quietly asked San Diego U.S. Attorney Carol Lam, best known for her high-profile prosecutions of politicians and corporate executives, to resign her post, a law enforcement official said.

Hillary's status as front-runner slipping in key states  —  Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's popularity in Democratic presidential-preference polls has fallen in the nation's first caucus and primary states in the face of increasing support for her chief rivals for the 2008 nomination.

Getting Iraq to Work  —  New York City's successes have lessons for Baghdad.  —  The American mission in Iraq must succeed.  Our goal—promoting a stable, accountable democracy in the heart of the Middle East—cannot be achieved by purely military means.  —  Iraqis need to establish a civil society.

The Two Vacuums  —  Neither Iraqis nor Democrats seem ready to do what's required of them.  —  I had the odd and wholly unexpected experience of feeling supportive of a troop increase until I saw the president's speech arguing for it.  What a jarring, furtive-seeming thing it was.

RANGEL RANKLED BY FELLOW DEM PELOSI  —  Powerhouse New York Rep. Charles Rangel is butting heads with fellow Democrat Nancy Pelosi just a week into the new Congress controlled by their party, The Post has learned.  —  Rangel yesterday swatted down a tax hike that Pelosi has floated …

An Opening for the Democrats  —  Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the architect of the Democratic victory in November's congressional elections, watched President Bush's Iraq speech Wednesday night like the coach of an opposing debate team: "Tired," he said.  "Too wooden."  "Doesn't fill the screen."

Duke LAX Accuser Changes Story - Again  —  Motions filed to drop charges against Seligmann  —  (01/11/07 — DURHAM) - The accuser in the Duke lacrosse sexual assault case told prosecutors in December that one of the three players charged did not commit any sex act on her during the alleged attack …

In Baghdad, Bush Policy Is Met With Resentment  —  Iraq's Shiite-led government offered only a grudging endorsement on Thursday of President Bush's proposal to deploy more than 20,000 additional troops in an effort to curb sectarian violence and regain control of Baghdad.

Bush's legacy: The president who cried wolf  —  Olbermann: Bush's strategy fails because it depends on his credibility  —  SPECIAL COMMENT  —  Only this president, only in this time, only with this dangerous, even messianic certitude, could answer a country demanding an exit strategy from Iraq …

Video: Olbermann's special comment — the condensed version  —  He's doing these at a clip of about two a week now so we've given up posting them all.  Iraqslogger found this latest one particularly dreamy, though, so I thought I'd do something nice for our lefty readers for a change and edit the clip down to its barest essentials.