memeorandum: Iraqis Crowd Churches for Christmas Mass (Elena Becatoros/Associated Press)

8:30 PM ET, December 25, 2007

Top Items:

Iraqis Crowd Churches for Christmas Mass — BAGHDAD (AP) - Thousands of Iraqi Christians made their way to church through checkpoints and streets lined with blast walls, many drawing hope from a lull in violence to celebrate Christmas Mass in numbers unthinkable a year ago.

Discussion: Say Anything, Tammy Bruce, Gateway Pundit and The Sundries Shack

John Steele Gordon / Opinion Journal:

A Brief History of Christmas — The Elizabethans partied hard. The Puritans banned it. Now comes the ACLU. — Christmas famously “comes but once a year." In fact, however, it comes twice. The Christmas of the Nativity, the manger and Christ child, the wise men and the star of Bethlehem …

Ian Fisher / New York Times:

Pope Makes Appeal on the Environment — ROME — Pope Benedict XVI reinforced the Vatican's growing concern with protecting the environment in the traditional midnight Christmas Mass on Tuesday, bemoaning an “ill-treated world” in a homily given to thousands of pilgrims here in the seat of the world's billion Roman Catholics.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Concurring Opinions and Truthdig

Christopher Drew / New York Times:

Democrats Try to Rein In Fees on Consulting — It was the spring of 2004, and Senator John Kerry had just secured the Democratic presidential nomination. But as huge sums of money began pouring into his campaign, his top strategists had more on their minds than just getting ready for a tough race against President Bush.

Discussion: Firedoglake, MyDD, ThatPoliticalBlog, Brilliant at Breakfast, The Carpetbagger Report and Multi Medium

Rsinderbrand / CNN Political Ticker:

Bush gives purse, gets biking gear for Christmas — WASHINGTON (CNN) - It's hard to imagine a tough guy from Texas shopping for a pocketbook, but President Bush gave his wife a new purse and a silver tray for Christmas, according to an aide to First Lady Laura Bush.

Lisa Girion / Los Angeles Times:

Court curbs insurers' ability to rescind medical policies — A ruling restricts the ability of California health plans to cancel coverage after patients run up medical bills. — California health insurers have a duty to check the accuracy of applications for coverage before issuing policies …

Discussion: ThatPoliticalBlog and Eschaton

Frank Newport / Gallup:

Questions and Answers About Americans' Religion — More than 8 out of 10 Americans identify with a Christian faith — Christmas is obviously a Christian holiday. But what percentage of Americans today identify with a Christian religion? — About 82% of Americans in 2007 told Gallup interviewers …

Discussion: David Seaton's News Links and Macsmind

Robert Barnes / Washington Post:

Partisan Fissures Over Voter ID — The Supreme Court will open the new year with its most politically divisive case since Bush v. Gore decided the 2000 presidential election, and its decision could force a major reinterpretation of the rules of the 2008 contest.

Discussion: ThatPoliticalBlog, Obsidian Wings and The Heretik

Daniel McGinn / Wired News:

Home Sweet Gadget: How Our Technolust Helped Bring Down the Housing Market — Wander the floor of the International Builders' Show in Orlando in February and you'll see little evidence that the US housing market is experiencing its sharpest downturn since the Great Depression.

Discussion: The Newshoggers

Rasmussen Reports:

Election 2008: Clinton vs. McCain and Huckabee — McCain 49% Clinton 43%; Clinton Leads Huckabee by Four — With the first primary contests less than two weeks away, Senator John McCain has gained a six-point lead over Senator Hillary Clinton in the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey.

Discussion: Hartford Courant, The Moderate Voice, Yahoo! News, CBS News and PoliGazette

Dan Glaister / Guardian:

Cheney accused of blocking Californian bid to cut car fumes — The US vice-president, Dick Cheney, was behind a controversial decision to block California's attempt to impose tough emission limits on car manufacturers, according to insiders at the government Environmental Protection Agency.

Discussion: Flopping Aces