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.

The Paygo Farce  —  Democrats admit it was all a big confidence game. … Well, as Emily Littela, the half-witted Gilder Radner character on Saturday Night Live, would have put it: "Never mind."  Last week Congressional Democrats formally renounced their ballyhooed budget pledge to offset …

Libby to drop appeal in CIA leak case  —  WASHINGTON - Former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is dropping his appeal in the CIA leak case, his attorney said Monday.  —  Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was convicted of perjury and obstruction for lying …

Students stone police in Iran riot  —  Students defied a clampdown on protests in Iran yesterday by tearing down the gates of Tehran university.  —  They chanted slogans against President Ahmadinejad and carried placards saying "Live free or die", "No war, no fascism" and "Women must decide their fate, not the state."

After the Battle of Al-Fajr  —  FALLUJAH, IRAQ - Fallujah is known as the City of Mosques.  It is also a city of walls, and of war.  —  It was a quieter city than most after the initial invasion in 2003.  There was less looting than in Baghdad, and the mayor was pro-American.

Philharmonic Agrees to Play in North Korea  —  Adding a cultural wrinkle to the diplomatic engagement between the United States and North Korea, the New York Philharmonic plans to visit Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, in February, taking the legacy of Beethoven, Bach and Bernstein to one of the world's most isolated nations.

Rudy Giuliani plays defense on 'Press'  —  WASHINGTON - Rudy Giuliani, on the hot seat Sunday for the most exhaustive grilling of his presidential campaign, doggedly insisted that death threats against then-girlfriend Judith Nathan prompted the NYPD to launch her taxpayer-funded chauffeur services.

Henry Paulson's Priorities  —  By Bush administration standards, Henry Paulson, the Treasury secretary, is a good guy.  He isn't conspicuously incompetent; and he isn't trying to mislead us into war, justify torture or protect corrupt contractors.  —  But Mr. Paulson's actions reflect the priorities of the administration he serves.

Court eases cocaine sentencing  —  The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that the federal guidelines on sentencing for cocaine violations are advisory only, rejecting a lower court ruling that they are effectively mandatory.  Judges must consider the Guideline range for a cocaine violation, the Court said …

The Transcript of the GOP's Univsion Debate  —  MODERATOR: Good evening and welcome to the presidential forum.  —  (inaudible) in Spanish at the University of Miami.  —  Tonight is the Republicans' night.  For the first time, seven of  —  the Republican candidates are going to participate tonight in a

GOP launches first attack invoking Hillary  —  The Republican Party has launched its first use of unflattering images of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) to motivate voters in two congressional special elections this week, marking the beginning of what could be a year-long barrage of ads …

Lawrence O'Donnell Loses His Ever-Loving Mind on McLaughlin  —  A sane, if highly flawed, discussion of Mitt Romney's "Faith In America" speech on the McLaughlin Group was cold-cocked into the realm of crazy-faced anger by guest panelist Lawrence O'Donnell this morning, who started off by criticizing Romney …

Bush Knows Well the Hazards of the Trail  —  P resident Bush has forsworn any more commentary on the election to succeed him, at least until the nominations are settled.  But he seems more than a little wistful as all these senators and governors travel the campaign trail without him.

Oprahpalooza in South Carolina  —  (Photo: Jeremy M. Lange for The New York Times)  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. — It was a staggering sight.  Upwards of 29,000 people at a political rally.  And the Democratic primary in South Carolina is not until Jan. 26.  —  The Double O Express …