G.O.P. Senators Block Debate on Iraq Policy  —  Republicans on Monday blocked Senate debate on a bipartisan resolution opposing President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq, leaving in doubt whether the Senate would render a judgment on what lawmakers of both parties described as the paramount issue of the day.

The Other Democrats Weigh In  —  The good news for the nation's Democrats is that neither of the supposed front-runners for the party's 2008 presidential nomination, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, stole the show when all 10 of the likely contenders spoke last weekend to the Democratic National Committee.

Bush Plan Reins In Domestic Spending  —  Proposal Aims to Balance Budget And Fund Wars  —  President Bush took aim yesterday at domestic spending as part of a plan to balance the budget in five years without raising taxes while increasing funding for the Iraq war and permanently expanding the military.

Haggard says he's not gay  —  The Rev. Ted Haggard emerged from three weeks of intensive counseling convinced he is "completely heterosexual" and told an oversight board that his sexual contact with men was limited to his accuser.  —  That is according to one of the disgraced pastor's overseers …

Space shuttle astronaut arrested at OIA on attempted kidnapping, battery charges  —  A NASA astronaut is charged with attacking her rival for another astronaut's attention early Monday at Orlando International Airport, the Orlando Sentinel has learned.  —  Lisa Marie Nowak drove from Texas …

U.S. military: Iraqi lawmaker is U.S. Embassy bomber … BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — A man sentenced to death in Kuwait for the 1983 bombings of the U.S. and French embassies now sits in Iraq's parliament as a member of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's ruling coalition, according to U.S. military intelligence.

Newsweek's Evan Thomas: 'Our Job Is To Bash the President'  —  On Friday night's edition of Inside Washington airing locally on Washington PBS station WETA, the first topic was whether the media's been unfair to President Bush, given his abysmal approval ratings.

A.B.A. Panel Would Weaken Code Governing Judges' Conduct  —  A commission of the American Bar Association has recommended that the group weaken its code of judicial conduct by changing, from a mandatory rule to nonbinding advice, an instruction to judges to "avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety."

Libby's Grand Jury Tapes Are Heard in Court  —  Prosecutors in the perjury trial of I. Lewis Libby Jr. on Monday played audio tapes in which Mr. Libby was heard testifying under oath before a grand jury that he had not discussed the identity of a Central Intelligence Agency operative …

Coming US challenge: a less literate workforce  —  A larger share of workers will have minimal reading skills in 2030 than today, according to a report released Monday.  —  US workers may be significantly less literate in 2030 than they are today.  —  The reason: Most baby boomers …

The War To Save The Surge  —  When political opponents tell you that to prove your seriousness you need to pursue a strategy they know is doomed to failure, shouldn't you be skeptical of their advice?  —  As the Senate considers a resolution to put itself on record opposing President Bush's escalation …

Global Warming's Simple Remedy  —  "Worse than we thought."  The headline in the British Guardian newspaper on Saturday was almost gloating about the bad news.  The tone of the article that followed was no different: In Paris, a U.N.-sponsored panel, consisting of hundreds of scientists …

Obama trying to quit smoking—again  —  After struggling to quit smoking in the past, Sen. Barack Obama is trying a cessation aid not available over the counter: public attention.  —  Obama (D-Ill.) resolved to quit his cigarette habit over the winter holidays, just weeks …