For Bush, Advances But Not Approval  —  The war in Iraq seems to have taken a turn for the better and the opposition at home has failed in all efforts to impose its own strategy.  North Korea is dismantling its nuclear program.  The budget deficit is falling.

U.S. Hopes to Arm Pakistani Tribes Against Al Qaeda  —  A new and classified American military proposal outlines an intensified effort to enlist tribal leaders in the frontier areas of Pakistan in the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, as part of a broader effort to bolster Pakistani forces …

Did Mitt Romney Push Poll Himself?  —  News broke Thursday that voters in New Hampshire and Iowa had received phone calls from pollsters raising questions about aspects of Republican Mitt Romney's Mormon faith.  Who made the calls?  Although the Romney campaign denies involvement, evidence points in its general direction.

Mi Casa, Sue Casa  —  Nancy Pelosi tries to force the Salvation Army to hire people who can't speak English.  —  It's been less than a week since New York's Sen. Hillary Clinton and Gov. Eliot Spitzer had to climb down from their support of driver's licenses for illegal aliens.

Obama accuses Clinton campaign of mud-slinging with Novak column  —  (11-18) 04:00 PST Las Vegas —  The Democratic presidential race burst into its angriest brawl yet Saturday when Barack Obama charged Hillary Rodham Clinton with mud-slinging "swift boat" politics and intimidation …

Democrats Say They Won't Back Down on War  —  Democrats in Congress failed once again Friday to shift President Bush's war strategy in Iraq, but insisted that they would not let up.  Their explanation for their latest foiled effort seemed to boil down to a simple question: "What else are we supposed to do?"

Baghdad by night — juice bars, neon lights, bustling streets  —  The gaudy orange, green and purple electronic palm trees flashing in the dark alert you that you're getting close to one of Baghdad's bustling nightspots.  —  The palms, like a mirage, can be seen from way down the darkened streets …

Goldman Sachs Rakes in Profit in Credit Crisis  —  For more than three months, as turmoil in the credit market has swept wildly through Wall Street, one mighty investment bank after another has been brought to its knees, leveled by multibillion-dollar blows to their bottom lines.

McCarthy=Bad  —  But the truth is more complicated.  —  Blacklisted by History  —  The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and His Fight Against America's Enemies  —  by M. Stanton Evans  —  Crown Forum, 672 pp., $29.95 … M. Stanton Evans is a conservative who has been highly esteemed …

War on Terror Conversations: Fred Thompson [Video]  —  In the first Pajamas Media War on Terror Conversation, Presidential candidate Fred Thompson discusses the current situations in Iran, Iraq and Pakistan.  The senator/actor also explains why he thinks the recent Hollywood anti-war films are box office failures.

Mideast Conference Nears, With Few Plans  —  'No One Seems to Know What Is Happening,' Arab Envoy Says  —  A few days after Thanksgiving, President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plan to open a meeting in Annapolis to launch the first round of substantive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks during Bush's presidency.

Republicans and Race  —  Over the past few weeks there have been a number of commentaries about Ronald Reagan's legacy, specifically about whether he exploited the white backlash against the civil rights movement.  —  The controversy unfortunately obscures the larger point, which should be undeniable …

State Dept. Tries Blog Diplomacy  —  T he State Department, departing from traditional public diplomacy techniques, has what it calls a three-person, "digital outreach team" posting entries in Arabic on "influential" Arabic blogs to challenge misrepresentations of the United States …