In Paul They Trust (The Feds May Differ)  —  The ardent supporters of Rep. Ron Paul, the iconoclastic Texas libertarian whose campaign for the presidency is threatening to upend the battle for the Republican nomination, got word yesterday of a new source of outrage and motivation …

Petraeus Helping Pick New Generals  —  The Army has summoned the top U.S. commander in Iraq back to Washington to preside over a board that will pick some of the next generation of Army leaders, an unusual decision that officials say represents a vote of confidence in Gen. David H. Petraeus's conduct …

Rudy Giuliani's messianic paranoia  —  The right-wing Federalist Society, architects of many of the most extremist Bush executive power abuses, invited only one candidate to speak at their annual event — "moderate" Rudy Giuliani.  That invitation was, as The Associated Press put it, a …

In Name Count, Garcias Are Catching Up to Joneses  —  Step aside Moore and Taylor.  Welcome Garcia and Rodriguez.  —  Smith remains the most common surname in the United States, according to a new analysis released yesterday by the Census Bureau.  But for the first time, two Hispanic surnames …

CBS "Mystified" by Dan Rather's "Bizarre Allegations", Files Motion to Dismiss  —  Today, in New York Supreme Court, in response to Dan Rather's civil lawsuit, CBS filed a lengthy 30-page motion to dismiss the case.  —  CBS executives also released a statement today, noting that they are …

LOU FOR PRESIDENT?  —  The name of longtime CNN commentator Lou Dobbs has entered speculation as a possible independent candidate for president.  At age 62, he never has engaged in politics, but is reported by people who know him as pondering a presidential run.

Anti-Romney calls still swathed in mystery  —  It likely was inevitable.  —  But that didn't make the news of phone calls attacking Mitt Romney and invoking his Mormon faith any less explosive.  —  It's become the newest "Whodunit?" in the political universe, as the press …

Don't Hand Over the Internet to the U.N.  —  I'm no tech head, but I think I know a thing or three about the Internet and how it works.  And as far as I can tell, it works pretty well.  —  More than 1.4 billion people around the world seem to be emailing each other a lot …

Appeals court: No Jan. 15 primary  —  LANSING — A divided Michigan Court of Appeals refused Friday to overturn a lower court ruling that effectively bars the state from holding its presidential primary on Jan. 15.  —  By a 2-1 margin, the appeals panel sided with an Ingham County Circuit Court judge …

In Basra, violence is a tenth of what it was before British pullback, general says  —  BAGHDAD: Attacks against British and Iraqi forces have plunged by 90 percent in southern Iraq since London withdrew its troops from the main city of Basra, the commander of British forces there said Thursday.

Did CNN Plant The Audience, Too?  —  Actually, there are suggestions at some prominent Democrat sites that CNN didn't just plant questions, but perhaps in the administration of the debate, they created a situation where Hillary Clinton had a decided advantage.  It's mentioned at DailyKos but the best information is here.

Kerry Vows to Disprove Swift Boat Claims  —  BOSTON (AP) - Sen. John Kerry, whose 2004 presidential campaign was torpedoed by critics of his Vietnam War record, said Friday he has personally accepted a Texas oilman's offer to pay $1 million to anyone who can disprove even a single charge of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

Saudi rape victim gets longer sentence  —  (CNN) — A court in Saudi Arabia increased the punishment for a gang-rape victim after her lawyer won an appeal of the sentence for the rapists, the lawyer told CNN.  —  The 19-year-old victim was sentenced last year to 90 lashes for meeting with an unrelated male …

Democrats Find Their Voice  —  It has been two long months since Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, cowed Congressional Democrats into silence, championing President Bush's misguided course on the war.  We're pleased to see that the effects of his briefing are finally wearing off.

Does Marrying Bill Clinton Qualify Someone To Be President?  —  If a CEO of a fortune 500 company were to retire, would anyone seriously consider his wife to be an adequate replacement simply because she was married to him when he ran the company?  What about a Super Bowl winning football team?

U.N. Report Describes Risks of Inaction on Climate Change  —  In its final and most powerful report, a United Nations panel of scientists meeting here describes the mounting risks of climate change in language that is both more specific and forceful than its previous assessments, according to scientists here.

Chávez's Vision Shares Wealth and Centers Power  —  In two weeks, Venezuela seems likely to start an extraordinary experiment in centralized, oil-fueled socialism.  By law, the workday would be cut to six hours.  Street vendors, homemakers and maids would have state-mandated pensions.

Off for Break, Congress May Still Face Stalemate  —  Congress departed on Friday for a two-week break, leaving behind a stack of unfinished work as a major farm bill became the latest victim of a stalemate that has bedeviled Congress all year.  —  Typically a bipartisan bonanza for rural America …