Hillary vs. Obama  —  WASHINGTON — Agents of Sen. Hillary Clinton are spreading the word in Democratic circles that she has scandalous information about her principal opponent for the party's presidential nomination, Sen. Barack Obama, but has decided not to use it.  The nature of the alleged scandal was not disclosed.

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 …

Giuliani Vexes Audiences With His Abortion Views  —  On the campaign trail, Rudolph W. Giuliani has made the case that while he believes that abortions are wrong, he thinks the ultimate decision of whether to have them should be up to women, and not the government.

Gallery Collection donates 280,000 Greeting Cards for Troops  —  Greeting Card Publisher GalleryCollection.com Donates  —  Holiday Cards for Troops to write Home  —  GalleryCollection.com, the leading business Christmas card and personalized Christmas card publisher …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

Not-So-Great Generation  —  The boomers will be best remembered for their self-glorification.  —  Q: If the World War II generation was the "greatest generation," what is the Vietnam War generation?  —  A: I don't think the full judgment of history is in yet.  There is certainly greatness in the '60s generation.

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 …

Police to search for guns in homes  —  City program depends on parental consent  —  Boston police are launching a program that will call upon parents in high-crime neighborhoods to allow detectives into their homes, without a warrant, to search for guns in their children's bedrooms.

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 …

U.S. Secretly Aids Pakistan in Guarding Nuclear Arms  —  Over the past six years, the Bush administration has spent almost $100 million so far on a highly classified program to help Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, secure his country's nuclear weapons, according to current and former senior administration officials.