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.

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 …

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 …

The threat has not diminished  —  The intelligence is misguided - the danger that Iran will acquire nuclear weapons is real.  What's missing is the policy to address it  —  The recent United States national intelligence estimate (NIE), which reports that Iran once had a "nuclear weapons programme" …

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.

C.I.A. Official in Inquiry Called a 'Hero'  —  At a conference in El Paso in mid-August, Representative Silvestre Reyes of Texas, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, heaped praise on a man whose exploits, he joked, had been the inspiration for the television show "24."

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.

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.

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.

Iraq calmer, but more divided  —  The U.S. troop buildup has brought down violence, but that has failed to spark cooperation among politicians.  If anything, the country appears more balkanized into ethnic and sectarian enclaves.  —  BAGHDAD — The U.S. troop buildup in Iraq was meant …

Court eases cocaine sentencing  —  The Supreme Court on Monday gave federal judges new authority to set sentences for crack cocaine crimes below the range of punishment set by federal guidelines — a major restoration of flexibility for trial judges in drug cases.

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.

Did Iceland Teen Call Secret White House Phone?  —  Icelandic Boy, 16, 'Wanted to ... Have a Chat, Invite Him to Iceland and See What He'd Say'  —  When Vífill Atlason, a 16-year-old high school student from Iceland, decided to call the White House, he could not imagine the kind of publicity it would bring.

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 …

PULITZER PRIZE IN TERRORISM?  —  The Associated Press won a 2005 Pulitzer for Breaking News Photography for its team coverage of the Iraq War.  But the US Military discovered at least one team member - Bilal Hussein - had been a little too cozy with the terrorists when he got that coverage.