Trent Lott announces his resignation  —  Minority whip says he will leave Senate before end of the year  —  Pascagoula, Mississippi - Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, announced Monday he will retire from the Senate by end of year.

Iraqis may offer US deal to stay longer  —  BAGHDAD - Iraq's government, seeking protection against foreign threats and internal coups, will offer the U.S. a long-term troop presence in Iraq in return for U.S. security guarantees as part of a strategic partnership, two Iraqi officials said Monday.

The False Conservative  —  Who would respond to criticism from the Club for Growth by calling the conservative, free-market campaign organization the "Club for Greed"?  That sounds like Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich or John Edwards, all Democrats preaching the class struggle.

Clinton and Obama switch roles in Iowa  —  DES MOINES — In a reversal of fortune, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is barnstorming Iowa with a front-runner's swagger while Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) scrambles like an underdog.  —  In ways big and small over the weekend …

DON'T GO THERE: BRIT PAPER STARTS 'UGLIEST MONTH'  —  The TIMES of London starts 'The Ugliest Month' with a full page photo takeout on Hillary Clinton and her beautiful personal assistant.  —  "Hillary Clinton has been accused of having an affair with Huma Abedin," reads the caption.

Rice's Turnabout on Mideast Talks  —  At President Bush's first National Security Council meeting in January 2001, he announced that he did not want to be drawn into the shattered Middle East peace process, people at the meeting recalled, because he believed that former President Bill Clinton …

Ron Paul Has Won  —  He won't win the nomination.  He won't win any primaries.  But for Ron Paul's quixotic bid for the White House, it's "Mission Accomplished."  —  Take a look at this from Sunday's Washington Post.  Not just the article but the killer packaging:

Islamists target Arizona base  —  Fort Huachuca, the nation's largest intelligence-training center, changed security measures in May after being warned that Islamist terrorists, with the aid of Mexican drug cartels, were planning an attack on the facility.  —  Fort officials changed security measures …

Bush to Welcome Gore to White House  —  Former Political Rivals Meet as Nobel Prize Winners are Honored  —  Forget the Mideast peace talks.  A meeting that may require even greater diplomacy will take place Monday in the Oval Office, when President Bush receives America's Nobel Prize winners — including his one-time rival, Al Gore.

Dan Rather's Last Big Story Is Himself  —  If he weren't famous, he'd be mistaken for a veteran of a long-ago war: khaki safari shirt on his back, scuffed combat boots on his feet, that wiry crest of a brow, rheumy eyes under heavy lids, lower lip jutting out like an ornery fish resisting a hook.

Giuliani Firm Fights for Washington Money He Vows to Eliminate  —  Nov. 26 (Bloomberg) — On the campaign trail, Rudy Giuliani rails against congressional spending set aside for lawmakers' pet projects.  In Washington, his law firm fights to obtain them.  —  Giuliani, the Republican …

Taking Marriage Private  —  WHY do people — gay or straight — need the state's permission to marry?  For most of Western history, they didn't, because marriage was a private contract between two families.  The parents' agreement to the match, not the approval of church or state, was what confirmed its validity.

Cheney to receive treatment for irregular heartbeat  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Vice President Dick Cheney will undergo a heart procedure Monday afternoon after doctors discovered an irregular heartbeat, his office announced.  —  Cheney was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat …

Hastert Resigns Today  —  I am told that former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) is faxing his resignation letter to Gov. Rod Blagojevich this afternoon.  —  Once the resignation is official, the governor has five days to set the special election within 120 days of the resignation.