U.S. Cites Drop In Attacks Since Buildup in Iraq; Bombs Kill 20  —  U.S. officials on Sunday declared a 55 percent drop in attacks since the launch of an offensive nine months ago, while bombs across Iraq killed at least 20 people, highlighting the country's continuing security threats.

McCain Takes On Clinton, With an Eye to Civility  —  Senator John McCain tried Sunday night to make the case that he was best positioned to defeat Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in a general election, outlining a series of contrasts with her on issues including national security and health care.

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?"

My Uterus.  A UPS Box.  What's the difference?  —  Well, to the forced pregnancy brigade, there is no difference: my uterus is nothing but a glorified storage container, holding something until it reaches its destination (birth).  Now there's proof:  —  Here's a transcript, via Trailer Park Feminist:

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.

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 …

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.

It's one small step from Brown's paranoid state into a police one  —  Britain is not a police state but a nation with police state tendencies.  In any democracy the dictates of freedom wrestle with those of security.  Britons are a liberal people who want to be safe.

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.

Noose outcry is a new entry in the campus hall of shame  —  Does anyone still wonder why college culture is the laughingstock of the larger community?  Our campuses seem to lurch from one politically correct knee-slapper to the next.  —  Does anyone still wonder why college culture is the laughingstock of the larger community?

Name that party: Buckwheat  —  I doubt AP would have downplayed a Republican losing over a racist remark.  —  As a member of the MSM for most of my adult life, I should resent charges of a pro-Democrat bias in the media.  Really, I should.  —  But then Melinda Deslatte of the Associated Press …

Giuliani Hoping NASCAR Fans May Provide an Edge in the Race  —  Now, Rudolph W. Giuliani says, he "really" is a NASCAR fan.  —  The Republican presidential candidate is better known as a New Yorker, of course, one who as the city's mayor drew admiration associating with quintessentially New York passions …

Group targets women via new channels  —  DES MOINES, Iowa - Even when Iowans do a Google search for "turkey," "champagne" or "stocking stuffers," the presidential caucus will be there, lurking like a holiday party gate-crasher.  All will play a part in growing the number of Iowa caucus-goers.