The Icebergs Ahead For the Democrats  —  As the Democratic presidential race finally gets down to brass tacks, two issues are becoming paramount.  But only one of them is clearly on the table.  —  That is the issue of illegal immigration.  A very smart Democrat, a veteran of the Clinton administration …

House passes Iraq withdrawal bill  —  The House tonight passed a $50 billion Iraq funding bill that sets a "goal" of having all U.S. forces out of the country by Dec. 2008, the latest move in the ongoing political struggle over the war.  —  The "Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act" …

The al Durah blood libel  —  I am in Paris where I have attended the Court of Appeal special session called to witness the 27 minutes of hitherto unseen footage of the 'killing' of Mohammed al Durah which the court had required France 2 to produce.  For readers who are unfamiliar with this scandal, I wrote about it here, here and here.

Rep. Dennis Hastert to announce resignation Thursday  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert is expected to announce Thursday on the House floor that he is retiring from Congress, a senior aide to the congressman told CNN Wednesday.  —  The aide said that Hastert …

Iraqis Wasting An Opportunity, U.S. Officers Say  —  With Attacks Ebbing, Government Is Urged to Reach Out to Opponents  —  CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq — Senior military commanders here now portray the intransigence of Iraq's Shiite-dominated government as the key threat facing the U.S. effort in Iraq …

U.S. Is Looking Past Musharraf in Case He Falls  —  Almost two weeks into Pakistan's political crisis, Bush administration officials are losing faith that the Pakistani president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, can survive in office and have begun discussing what might come next, according to senior administration officials.

Foreclosures Hit a Snag for Lenders  —  A federal judge in Ohio has ruled against a longstanding foreclosure practice, potentially creating an obstacle for lenders trying to reclaim properties from troubled borrowers and raising questions about the legal standing of investors in mortgage securities pools.

Goodbye, Mr. Bush  —  The Republican will to power remains ferocious.  It will take a dauntless Democratic leader to win back the White House and restore dignity to the Constitution.  —  Editor's note: Sidney Blumenthal is joining the Hillary Clinton campaign as a senior advisor, and this is his last column for Salon.

Most at NYU say their vote has a price  —  Two-thirds say they'll do it for a year's tuition.  And for a few, even an iPod touch will do.  —  That's what NYU students said they'd take in exchange for their right to vote in the next presidential election, a recent survey by an NYU journalism class found.

I Need 1,165 People Before Midnight  —  UPDATE: Just realized there are 12 questions on the front page of 10 Questions, so the cutoff for getting asked is 1,165 net positive votes before midnight.  I'm at +826 right now.  The heat is on.  Vote below.  —  The 10Questions question period is rapidly drawing to a close.

McCain and Romney Aides Hit Rudy on Kerik  —  Rudy Giuliani's rivals are not at all satisfied with the former mayor's dismissal of the newest twist in the Bernard Kerik scandal.Commenting on book publisher Judith Regan's allegation that a senior executive at News Corp told her to lie …

Imus Is Back!  —  But Not Quite Live!  Bloodied Radio Cowboy Returns Dec. 3 With 21-Second Delay; WABC Says Ad Sales Going at Fast Clip; First Day's Guest, Carville; Ambivalent Russert Battered on Blogs  —  EDITION OF THE NEW YORK OBSERVER.  —  Philip Burke