McCain Hits Romney Hard  —  Mitt Romney has been trying to make quite a bit of political hay out of the compromise immigration bill — he sees it as one of John McCain's key weaknesses as relates to the Republican base and a great way to differentiate himself as the One True Conservative in the race …

Dems set war bill without Iraq timeline  —  WASHINGTON - In grudging concessions to President Bush, Democrats intend to draft an Iraq war-funding bill without a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops and shorn of billions of dollars in spending on domestic programs, officials said Monday.

Secret plans to turn staff into police informers  —  Council workers, charity staff and doctors will be required to tip off police about anyone whom they believe could commit a violent crime, under secret Home Office plans.  —  Civil liberties campaigners last night said that the proposal raised …

Pentagon Studies Long-Term Commitment in Iraq  —  · The White House and Pentagon are under increasing pressure from Congress and the public to end U.S. military involvement in Iraq.  But the Pentagon is considering maintaining a core group of forces in Iraq, possibly for decades.

Online, GOP Is Playing Catch-Up  —  When David All, a former Republican congressional aide, launched a blog recently that he hopes will spur his fellow Republicans to bridge the digital divide, he did his best to sound upbeat.  "Today our Revolution begins," he wrote.  "Tomorrow we fight."

Early primary gives Florida big say  —  State jumps ahead of most others with primary set for Jan. 29, 2008  —  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Gov. Charlie Crist signed a bill Monday moving Florida's 2008 presidential primary up to Jan. 29, leapfrogging several other states in a change …

Can we take 24/7 news seriously?  —  That's an M-48 tank out on a firing range.  The Lebanese Army has these.  This is an old tank from before the Vietnam period, but, how new do tanks have to be when used for shelling refugee camps full of civilians?  The fighting around the "Nahr al-bared" camp at Tripoli, Lebanon continues.

The Ultimate Nineties Alt-Rock Playlist  —  By popular demand, you'll find the playlist for the Nineties Alt-Rock Party below.  A few words.  For one thing, this is just the songs in alphabetical order; at the party itself, the Party Shuffle was in effect.

Gay Britons Serve in Military With Little Fuss, as Predicted Discord Does Not Occur  —  The officer, a squadron leader in the Royal Air Force, felt he had no choice.  So he stood up in front of his squad of 30 to 40 people.  —  "I said, 'Right, I've got something to tell you,' " he said.

Lott, `Scorned' After Katrina, Targets State Farm, Allstate  —  ``Are you kidding me?'' says Senator Trent Lott, a Mississippi Republican, when asked why he's so critical of insurance companies.  —  Lott, 65, launches into a critique of the industry, peppering it with words such as ``arrogant …