Clinton N.H. Official Warns Obama Will Be Attacked on Drug Use  —  Bill Shaheen, Clinton's New Hampshire co-chair.  (AP).  —  DOVER, N.H. — Billy Shaheen, the co-chairman of Hillary Clinton's campaign in New Hampshire, raised the issue of Sen. Barack Obama's past admissions of drug use …

The Huckabee Factor  —  Mike Huckabee walked into the lobby of the Des Moines Marriott at 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 3, deposited an armful of dirty laundry at the desk and checked to make sure he was being credited with Marriott Rewards points toward his next stay.  Then, accompanied by his wife …

First Take: The Final Republican Debate  —  The headline is that no one laid a glove on Mike Huckabee.  And that Mitt Romney had a hell of a good afternoon.  He seemed more sinewy than usual, less programmed, quite (dare we say) presidential, and even-tempered.

JEWS' SUBWAY HERO A MUSLIM  —  SAVES 'HANUKKAH' RIDERS FROM THUGS  —  A Brooklyn man whose "Happy Hanukkah" greeting landed him in the hospital said he was saved from a gang of Jew-bashing goons aboard a packed Q train by a total stranger - a modest Muslim from Bangladesh.

Pelosi backs down in spending battle  —  In the face of stiff opposition from powerful fellow Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) has abandoned a proposal she supported less than 24 hours ago to eliminate lawmakers' earmarks from the omnibus spending package.

Sen. Kit Bond: Waterboarding Is Like 'Swimming'  —  Yesterday on PBS's Newshour, host Gwen Ifill asked Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) whether waterboarding constitutes torture.  Bond replied that the technique is actually more like "swimming": … Watch it:  —  Conservatives have repeatedly tried …

Guantanamo Legal Adviser Refuses To Say Iranians Waterboarding Americans Would Be Torture  —  During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on "The Legal Rights of Guantanamo Detainees" this morning, Brigadier General Thomas W. Hartmann, the legal adviser at Guantanamo Bay …

Rep. King Decries 'Assault On Christmas,' Calls On Americans To 'Stand Up' And 'Worship Christ'  —  Rep. Steve King recently (R-IA) introduced legislation recognizing the "importance of Christmas and the Christian faith," despite previously opposing resolutions recognizing the Muslim celebration of Ramadan and the Hindu Diwali.

The Can't-Win Kids  —  The dunderheaded public roll-out of the NIE.  —  The National Intelligence Estimate on Iran presents an interesting paradox: Though almost certainly the product of rigorous assessment and questioning, it may actually leave us less secure over time.

Bush to Veto Children's Health Bill  —  WASHINGTON — The White House said Wednesday that President Bush would veto a children's health measure by the end of the day.  The step would effectively kill Democrats' hopes of expanding a popular government program aimed at providing insurance …

Boehner admits GOP money situation 'sucks'  —  One of the best things that can be said of Rep. John A. Boehner's leadership is that the head of House Republicans is no Newt Gingrich, no Tom DeLay.  —  The Ohio lawmaker has an affable, understated style and runs a team that has the long knives …

Open Season  —  Just when you thought the TNR debacle over "Shock Troops" was over, current and former TNR staffers have begun firing at each other.  —  In the New York Observer... Bridal blog?  —  Quoth Elspeth: … And: … At least one current TNR staffers had other opinions:

Terror suspect claims captors recorded interrogations and torture  —  WASHINGTON - A suspected terrorist abducted in Italy and flown to Egypt by the CIA said he believed his captors made audiotapes of his extensive interrogations in an Egyptian prison that recorded "the sounds of my torture and my cries."