CBS 2 Exclusive: Hastert Leaving Congress  —  News Conference Scheduled For Friday  —  (CBS) CHICAGO Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert is in Asia, but he's scheduled a news conference in Kendall County for Friday.  —  CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports exclusively sources …

Building a Coalition, Forgetting to Rule  —  AS a political strategist, Karl Rove offered a brilliant answer to the wrong question.  —  The question he answered so successfully was a political one: How could Republicans win elections after Bill Clinton steered the Democrats to the center?

Gonzales could get say in states' executions  —  Proposed rules would let the attorney general sign off on 'fast tracking' death penalty appeals.  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is putting the final touches on regulations that could give Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales important …

Fact Check: Obama on Afghanistan  —  WASHINGTON - Democrat Barack Obama said it, the Republican Party pointed out in a screaming headline Tuesday that highlighted the presidential candidate's comments on Afghanistan and the killing of civilians.  —  Behind the scenes, Obama's rival campaigns buzzed …

Imus Settles With CBS, May Make Comeback  —  NEW YORK — Don Imus has reached a settlement with CBS over his multimillion-dollar contract and is negotiating to resume his broadcasting career.  —  Imus and CBS Radio "have mutually agreed to settle claims that each had against the other regarding …

Hamas TV's child star says she's ready for martyrdom  —  GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Saraa Barhoum picked at the buttons on her pink bellbottom jeans as she twisted on a chair inside the bustling new Hamas television headquarters.  The afternoon light bounced off the sparkly outlines of butterflies …

Toward a Realistic Peace  —  Summary: The next U.S. president will face three key foreign policy challenges: setting a course for victory in the terrorists' war on global order, strengthening the international system the terrorists seek to destroy, and extending the system's benefits.

Clinton's first-lady records locked up  —  Archivists say the documents at her husband's presidential library won't be released until after the '08 vote.  —  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton cites her experience as a compelling reason voters should make her president …

See Who's Editing Wikipedia - Diebold, the CIA, a Campaign  —  On November 17th, 2005, an anonymous Wikipedia user deleted 15 paragraphs from an article on e-voting machine-vendor Diebold, excising an entire section critical of the company's machines.  While anonymous, such changes typically …

Half Hour News Hour Shelved  —  First on TVNewser: In a memo to senior producers this afternoon, FNC's SVP of programming, Bill Shine announced the network "will not continue the Half Hour News Hour beyond its current 15 episode run."  Shine did leave the door open, however …

Dozens killed in multiple suicide attacks in Iraq  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Suicide bombings in a northern Iraqi town Tuesday targeted a religious minority and left at least 120 people dead and 150 wounded, according to police officials, who said there were three bombings in three locations.

Our Lives, Controlled From Some Guy's Couch  —  Until I talked to Nick Bostrom, a philosopher at Oxford University, it never occurred to me that our universe might be somebody else's hobby.  I hadn't imagined that the omniscient, omnipotent creator of the heavens and earth could be an advanced version …

Report Card on Iraq  —  Michael O'Hanlon and Anthony Cordesman, two big Middle East watchers just back from Iraq, give us their differing takes on what lies ahead for the country.  —  Michael O'Hanlon, Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution.