On paper, Rudy's unsure  —  Giuliani's government filings don't lend hints to his presidential run - he hasn't submitted a declaration form or checked the Republican box  —  WASHINGTON - Republicans looking at Rudolph Giuliani's campaign for president always ask two questions - is he really running, and is he a "real Republican?"

Majority in Senate support 'stay the course' resolution  —  A bipartisan majority in the Senate yesterday united behind a firm "stay the course" resolution on the war in Iraq, despite searing public criticism from both sides in Congress over President Bush's handling of the war.

Climate Panel Issues Urgent Warning to Curb Gases  —  The world is already committed to centuries of warming, shifting weather patterns and rising seas from the atmospheric buildup of gases that trap heat, but the warming can be substantially blunted by prompt action, an international network of climate experts said today.

NIE: The Surge Can't Work  —  Wow, this is grim.  According to the just-released Key Judgments of the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, political reconciliation is likely a bridge too far over the next year and a half.  —  The Sunnis remain "unwilling to accept minority status" …

Bush administration seeks $245B for wars  —  WASHINGTON - The Bush administration will ask for another $100 billion for military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan this year and seek $145 billion for 2008, a senior administration official said Friday.

The Road to Teheran, a Two-Way Street  —  Stratfor suggests Israel, rather than getting ready to bomb Iran ... as lot of people, excluding me and Stratfor, seem to expect them to do ... is waxing Iran's nuke brains.  Excuse me, is engaged in covert assassination operations intended …

The Hands of God  —  A Village, North of Mosul: Friday 26 January 07  —  He was dressed as a woman as he walked down the alley toward the mosque full of worshippers.  It was Friday, just before Ashura, and the air was chilled.  —  The bomb strapped to his body was studded with ball-bearings …

Gays Should Be Allowed to Serve Openly in Military, Poll Finds  —  A new poll from Harris Interactive found that 55% of Americans think gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the military.  —  By comparison, 19% of the 2,337 Americans polled said gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve …

Exxon Mobil Posts Record Annual Profit  —  HOUSTON (AP) — Oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. on Thursday posted the largest annual profit by a U.S. company _ $39.5 billion _ even as earnings for the last quarter of 2006 declined 4 percent.  —  The 2006 profit topped Exxon Mobil's own previous record of $36.13 billion set in 2005.

Who's to Blame for The Killing  —  This week the internecine warfare in Iraq, already bewildering — Sunni vs. Shiite, Kurd vs. Arab, jihadist vs. infidel, with various Iranians, Syrians and assorted freelancers thrown into the maelstrom — went bizarre.  In one of the biggest battles of the war …

ISRAEL FANS GROAN OVER HILL SPEECH  —  Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton drew grumbles at a pro-Israel dinner in Times Square last night when she encouraged "engaging" with Iran before taking stronger action to keep it nuke-free.  —  Clinton said she wasn't sure "anything positive would come out of it" …

Police praise Muslim soldiers who acted as 'bait' for beheading gang  —  Two British Muslim soldiers targeted by the alleged beheading gang were used in an extraordinary "sting" operation to snare their assassins, it has emerged.  —  The courageous pair agreed to act like "tethered goats" …

Gore ex-campaign chief wishes on her star  —  'Wait till Oscar night,' Donna Brazile says of a possible 2008 run.  —  By Daryl Nerl Of The Morning Call  —  Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are the hot early front-runners, while 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry has already bowed out.

Molly Ivins Shook the Walls With Her Clarion Call  —  The walls have not come down, but they have been given a serious shaking.  —  That Jericho voice is stilled now.  —  Molly Ivins has been quieted.  —  The writer and journalist, dearly loved and admired by many, hated and feared by many …

How to Really Help Low-Wage Workers  —  If the House and Senate are able to agree on a minimum-wage hike and the president signs the bill, some may say we will have done enough to help low-income workers.  It's true that low-wage workers urgently need a raise, that millions of Americans work full …

Senator Feingold's Sin  —  The backseat generals are exposed.  —  The Senate is teeming with courageous souls these days, most of them Republicans who have taken that brave step of following the opinion polls and abandoning their president in a time of war.