US reports 'phenomenal' drop in Iraq violence  —  By Stephen Fidler in London and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington  —  Violence in Iraq has fallen at a rate that has surprised military commanders and even one of the architects of the "surge" that boosted US troop numbers in the country this year …

Immigrant Paperwork Backs Up At DHS  —  Delays May Deny Vote to Hundreds Of Thousands  —  The Department of Homeland Security failed to prepare for a massive influx of applications for U.S. citizenship and other immigration benefits this summer, prompting complaints from Hispanic leaders …

Thanksgiving and JFK  —  For anyone over 50, today is not only Thanksgiving but the day JFK died 44 years ago.  He has been gone now for almost as long as he lived and, in these times of White House infamy, not nearly as much in the national mind as his antagonist, Richard Nixon …

Foreign Fighters in Iraq Are Tied to Allies of U.S.  —  BAGHDAD — Saudi Arabia and Libya, both considered allies by the United States in its fight against terrorism, were the source of about 60 percent of the foreign fighters who came to Iraq in the past year to serve as suicide bombers …

Saudi rape victim's husband blames judge for punishment  —  (CNN) — The husband of a Saudi rape victim sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in prison said his wife is "a crushed human being," but blamed a judge — not the Saudi judicial system — for treating her as a criminal.

Presidential Shopping List  —  I am making a list called Qualities We Don't Want in the Next President, based on lessons learned from the Bush administration.  The first undesirable attribute was loyalty, in the sense of valuing personal relationships over competence.

Seattle Schools' Thanksgiving 'Myths' Stir Controversy  —  Seattle public schools want a side of political correctness served on your Thanksgiving table.  —  Washington state's largest school district sent letters to teachers and other employees suggesting Thanksgiving should be "a time of mourning" for its Native American students.

Ex-Iraq commander says bring troops home  —  WASHINGTON - Retired Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top commander in Iraq shortly after the fall of Baghdad, said this week he supports Democratic legislation that calls for most troops to come home within a year.

SEC Opens Investigation of Company Headed by Key Supporter of Clintons  —  The Securities and Exchange Commission has launched an investigation into InfoUSA, a Nebraska company that used corporate funds to fly Hillary Rodham Clinton around the country, and one of only two companies …

Rail Sabotage Is Reported in France  —  Transit union leaders met with France's state-owned rail operator and the government today in the opening round of negotiations that came on the eighth day of strikes, a day that was punctuated by arson fires along high-speed rail lines.

11 years for refusing to testify to grand jury in Hamas funding case  —  CHICAGO: A former professor accused of taking part in a Palestinian terrorist network was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison Wednesday for refusing to testify before a U.S. grand jury.

China to allow U.S. carrier into Hong Kong after all  —  BEIJING (Reuters) - China refused permission for a U.S. aircraft carrier and accompanying vessels to visit Hong Kong for a long-planned Thanksgiving holiday visit — and then changed its mind.  —  The USS Kitty Hawk group and its crew …

"You Gotta Ask Me Nicely"  —  When a man questions why a policeman has pulled him over and refuses to sign the ticket, the policeman electrocutes him to make him comply: … Police in the country are now allowed to torture speeders by the side of the highway in order to get them to comply.

John Bolton On Hardball: "I'm Not A Neoconservative"  —  On Wednesday's Hardball Chris Matthews talked with right wing warmonger and former U.N. Ambassador, John Bolton, and Middle East expert, Jo-Anne Hart, about a possible U.S. invasion of Iran.  Matthews is normally all over the place …

Blogosphere not as radical as pundits think  —  It's no exaggeration to say that the establishment media's initial response to the blogosphere was panic.  The idea of mere citizens talking back to the press was unsettling to Washington media celebrities.  Pundits who'd exhibited no qualms …