"Diamond v. Pearl" Student Blasts CNN (Updated With CNN Response)  —  Maria Luisa, the UNLV student who asked Hillary Clinton whether she preferred "diamonds or pearls" at last night's debate wrote on her MySpace page this morning that CNN forced her to ask the frilly question instead …

Democrats unable to bring troops home  —  WASHINGTON - Nearly a year after anti-war voters put them in power, congressional Democrats remain unable to pass legislation ordering troops home from Iraq.  Frustrated by Republican roadblocks, Democrats now plan to sit on President Bush's $196 billion request …

Democratic Debate: Winners and Losers  —  Last night was a tale of two debates.  —  The first 15 minutes of the Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas featured clashes between the top three candidates — Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards — over Social Security, Iran and telling the truth.

BREAKING: Reid shuts down Bush recess appointments during Thanksgiving  —  Now who's relevant?  A statement from Senator Harry Reid (and more background on this issue here):

SPITZ VOWS TO PUSH FOR GAY MARRIAGES  —  Gov. Spitzer said at a private fund-raiser that he wants a Democratic-controlled state Senate to legalize gay marriage - a highly divisive and controversial issue - as one of its first priorities in 2009, a witness to the remarks told The Post.

How Do Republicans Get Away With It?  —  The NYT has picked up on the McCain "How do we beat the bitch" incident that TPM Election Central first noted earlier in the week, but get a load of the double-triple-reverse psychology that Katharine Seelye's piece employs.

Come Home … The Dome Under the Cross: Local Muslim and Christian leaders had prepared the church for his arrival.  —  A Bishop came to St John's Church in Baghdad today, 15 November, where a crowd of locals welcomed him home.  They were joined at the service by soldiers from the 2-12 infantry battalion …

Who is "desperate to believe the Iranians"?  —  Michael Goldfarb at the Weekly Standard's blog links to a post by Eric Hundman, a regular Passport contributor who works at the Center for Defense Information, and writes: … He then goes on to quote selectively from Eric's post, omitting entirely the part where Eric airs his concerns:

Flying Spaghetti Monster's existence mulled  —  (AP) — When some of the world's leading religious scholars gather in San Diego this weekend, pasta will be on the intellectual menu.  They'll be talking about a satirical pseudo-deity called the Flying Spaghetti Monster, whose growing pop …

CNN's and Carville's lack of ethics  —  Would it kill CNN to not include partisan supporters of the various candidates in their post-debate spin?  —  Would it kill CNN to disclose that James Carville is a partisan Clinton supporter when talking about the presidential race?

Huge Admin. Win in 9th Cir. on Terrorist Surveillance Litigation — 3-0 Vote, and all the Judges are Carter and Clinton Appointees.  Who can MoveOn blame now?  —  Filed under: General — WLS @ 12:48 pm  —  In this opinion just released this morning, three Judges of the Ninth Circuit …

Karl Rove at Newsweek?  —  Newsweek magazine hiring Karl Rove to be a political commentator illustrates everything that is wrong with the corporate media system.  Here is a guy whose scorched earth politics have left the nation reeling with ill effects and crippling divisions and he is rewarded …

Why are so many people leaving the UK?  —  The papers today ask why 400,000 left the Uk last year to live and work somewhere else.  I would have thought the answer was obvious.  —  They've had enough.  —  We live in a country where anyone who has gained some qualifications …