Karl Rove's New Gig  —  Less than three months after leaving the Bush White House, Karl Rove is becoming a member of a community not all that popular with administration officials: the media.  —  Newsweek has signed the president's former deputy chief of staff as a commentator who will turn …

Pardon Me?  —  Hillary Clinton Takes Cash From Recipients of Husband's Controversial Pardons  —  Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., speaks about her health care policy on Sept. 18, 2007.  An examination of Clinton's fundraising donors reveals three donors …

Saudi punishes gang rape victim with 200 lashes  —  A court in the ultra-conservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia is punishing a female victim of gang rape with 200 lashes and six months in jail, a newspaper reported on Thursday.  —  The 19-year-old woman — whose six armed attackers …

New Attorney General opposes changes to wiretap law  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — In his second day on the job, Attorney General Michael Mukasey leaped into the political fray, telling a key Democratic senator he opposes his electronic surveillance plan and would recommend the president veto it if it is passed.

Americans Widely Disappointed With Democrats in Congress  —  Majority more displeased than content with handling of seven issues  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Amidst a swirl of public dissatisfaction about the Iraq war, the economy, government corruption, and with President Bush more generally …

Santas warned 'ho ho ho' offensive to women  —  SYDNEY (AFP) - Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.  —  Sydney's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say …

Sedition in Olympia continues  —  Update 3:25pm Eastern.  Rock-throwing.  Concrete-pouring.  Window-breaking.  Shipment-obstructing.  And now, you can add photographer-bullying to the list of "peaceful," "non-violent" actions by the Olympia thugs (hat tip - reader Joe S.): … Update 2:34pm Eastern.

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 …

Mitt Romney: Perfect tough guy for right-wing war cheerleaders  —  A New York Times profile this morning details what Mitt Romney was doing during the Vietnam War.  Although the article reflects quite poorly on his character, it demonstrates why his candidacy is resonating among our country's right-wing war-cheerleading faction.

"Chances I Had"  —  Script  —  My parents weren't rich.  My father left me when I was very young.  —  The one thing I was able to get was a great education.  —  We should give every child the same chances that I had.  —  By investing in early childhood education and recruiting a whole new generation of teachers.

White House budget head fires back at Reid 'bluster' on Iraq war funding  —  White House budget director Jim Nussle on Wednesday stepped up his attacks on the Democratic management of the appropriations process, and suggested that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) …

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.

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 …