Hill Briefed on Waterboarding in 2002  —  Intelligence Panels' Chiefs Did Not Then Protest CIA Technique  —  In September 2002, four members of Congress met in secret for a first look at a unique CIA program designed to wring vital information from reticent terrorism suspects in U.S. custody.

The 'O' Show sweeps Iowa  —  CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Iowans turned out by the thousands Saturday to watch the "O" Show: Oprah Winfrey stepping into presidential politics for the first time, hailing Sen. Barack Obama as a "rare thing."  —  Winfrey bounded on the stage like she does her 22-year-old talk show …

The Republicans Find Their Obama  —  COULD 2008 actually end up being a showdown between the author of "The Audacity of Hope" and the new Man from Hope, Ark.?  —  It sounds preposterous, but Washington's shock over Mike Huckabee's sudden rise in the polls — he "came from nowhere," Robert Novak huffed last week — makes you wonder.

Oil-Rich Nations Use More Energy, Cutting Exports  —  The economies of many big oil-exporting countries are growing so fast that their need for energy within their borders is crimping how much they can sell abroad, adding new strains to the global oil market.

Iraq Bonds Rally on U.S. Troop Surge, Oil Earnings  —  Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) — Holders of Iraqi bonds are giving President George W. Bush a vote of confidence.  —  The country's $2.7 billion of 5.8 percent bonds due in 2028 returned 15.2 percent since July, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. index data.

Like Subprime Mortgages, Some Construction Loans Are Delinquent  —  BANKS across the United States, particularly the smaller ones, have become dependent on construction lending just as that area of the economy is weakening and the number of bad loans is growing.

Election 2008: Michigan Republican Primary  —  Michigan: Huckabee 21% Romney 20% Giuliani 19%  —  Mike Huckabee's surging campaign has created a three-way toss-up in Michigan's Republican Primary.  The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds Huckabee earning 21% of the vote.

Like Father, Like Son  —  How the Romneys Tackled the Faith Question  —  Forty-two years ago, when he was preparing to run for president, George Romney, the Republican governor of Michigan, told reporter Wallace Turner of the New York Times, "I am completely the product of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

Where is Jose Rodriguez?  Apparently in business with the brother of top Democrat on Intel Panel  —  I tend to agree with my colleague Scott Horton that Jose Rodriguez Jr., the former head of the CIA's clandestine service, is being made the scapegoat for the destruction of videotapes showing the interrogation of two Al Qaeda members.

NBC Decides to Run Conservative-Group Ad  —  WASHINGTON — NBC reversed course Saturday and decided to air a conservative group's television ad thanking U.S. troops.  —  The ad, by the group Freedom's Watch, asks viewers to remember the troops during the holiday season.

Tom Tancredo boycotts Univision/Spanish Debate: Attacks their entire viewership  —  Tancredo has a little problem speaking English himself, but that's beside the point.  The racist platform upon which his campaign is built is very saddening to witness.  Watch his reasoning for boycotting the Univision debate.

The book they used to burn now fires new revolution of faith in China  —  In China it is known as the "sacred doctrine" and it has become one of the country's bestselling books.  Yet it has nothing to do with the thoughts of Chairman Mao and its teachings have been in conflict with the forces of Communism for generations.