Gore: I'd only consider White House bid  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Former Vice President Al Gore denied again that there were any campaign plans in his immediate future, but told CNN Monday that he hadn't "ruled out getting back into the political process at some point" — and that if he did return …

Coming in From the Cold: CIA Spy Calls Waterboarding Necessary But Torture  —  Former Agent Says the Enhanced Technique Was Used on Al Qaeda Chief Abu Zubaydah  —  A leader of the CIA team that captured and interrogated the first major al Qaeda figure, Abu Zubaydah, says subjecting him to waterboarding was torture but necessary.

Security Guard: 'God Guided Me And Protected Me'  —  Jeanne Assam Stopped Gunman At New Life Church  —  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Jeanne Assam appeared before the news media for the first time Monday and said she "did not think for a minute to run away" when a gunman entered the New Life Church …

Victim: Gang-Rape Cover-Up by U.S., Halliburton/KBR  —  KBR Told Victim She Could Lose Her Job If She Sought Help After Being Raped, She Says  —  A Houston, Texas woman says she was gang-raped by Halliburton/KBR coworkers in Baghdad, and the company and the U.S. government are covering up the incident.

Happy Xmas, your war is over!  —  GORDON Brown yesterday delivered a stirring festive message to Our Boys in Iraq: "Happy Christmas - war is over."  —  The PM was cheered as he praised UK troops and revealed combat operations in Basra will end "within two weeks".

New NYTimes/CBS Poll: Explain, Don't Attack  —  The latest New York Times/CBS News poll finds voters give the presidential candidates positive marks on at least one score at this stage in their campaigns: They credit them with spending more time explaining what they would do as president rather than attacking their opponents.

EXCLUSIVE IPT INVESTIGATION UNCOVERS HLF JURY ROOM BULLYING  —  DALLAS - She felt the men were guilty and tried to explain why to the 11 other jurors.  When she finished, one juror spoke up in an angry tone.  —  "If you're going by the evidence in this room," she recalls him snapping, "then you need to go home."

Huckabee Hides His Full Gospel?  —  WASHINGTON DISPATCH: Is Mike Huckabee the presidential candidate shunning Mike Huckabee the preacher?  Before entering politics, he was a pastor at two Baptist churches.  Now his campaign tells Mother Jones it won't make his sermons available to the media and the public.

RUDY GIGGLIANI!  —  Ask and ye shall receive...  Late Update: The Rudy Giggle: the next Hillary Cackle?

Tension in Hillaryland Grows as Plan Goes Awry: Albert R. Hunt  —  Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) — To appreciate Hillary Clinton's fundamental political problem, consider the 11 Democrats from Philadelphia who gathered last week to discuss the U.S. presidential race, almost all of whom would vote for her in a general election.

Chavez Tried Rigging Referendum Vote  —  Hugo Chavez suffered a narrow but humiliating loss at the polls last week for his referendum on changing the Venezuelan constitution into a roadmap for dictatorship.  His acknowledgment of the defeat gained him praise from world leaders for his commitment to democracy.

What Really Bothers Me About Obama (Updated)  —  Barack Obama is simultaneously the best and worst Democratic candidate for new progressive media and new progressive institutions.  Where his campaign is good, it is very good in this area, especially around media policy and earning support from users of new media.

ACTION ALERT: FEC about to take a swipe at liberal online fundraising  —  Most of us let you know donate to your favorite candidates through a service called ActBlue.  ActBlue itself doesn't take sides with regards to which candidate money will be raised for.