Clinton's Résumé Factor: Those 8 Years as First Lady  —  As first lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton jaw-boned the authoritarian president of Uzbekistan to leave his car and shake hands with people.  She argued with the Czech prime minister about democracy.

Change our lifestyle to save Santa's home  —  Editor - Santa is deeply concerned with the rapid shrinking of the North Pole.  For generations, he has depended on swift, reliable and environmentally friendly reindeer power.  —  If we do not change our lifestyle soon and seek alternative energy sources …

Top Ten Myths about Iraq 2007  —  10. Myth: The US public no longer sees Iraq as a central issue in the 2008 presidential campaign. … 9. Myth: There have been steps toward religious and political reconciliation in Iraq in 2007.  Fact: The government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki …

Putin's Cold War  —  Confrontation with America satisfies a domestic agenda.  —  Last Saturday Gen. Yury Baluyevsky, chief of Russia's General Staff, issued an ominous warning.  Were the U.S. to launch a rocket from the missile defense system it plans to deploy in Poland to intercept Iranian rockets …

Worms infect more poor Americans than thought  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roundworms may infect close to a quarter of inner city black children, tapeworms are the leading cause of seizures among U.S. Hispanics and other parasitic diseases associated with poor countries are also affecting Americans, a U.S. expert said on Tuesday.

AP Gives Thompson the '04 Treatment  —  The Associated Press — once the gold standard of fast and accurate reporting — changed during the Bush presidency.  What was liberal bias has reshaped the wire service into one of the most politically activist media outlets.  This is a cautionary tale for every Republican candidate.

Can Campaign 2008 Candidates Use Weblogs To Get Votes Or Are Blogs Now Merely Echo Chambers?  —  The 2004 election was a kind of prototype: candidates started realizing the relatively-young Internet's potential for raising campaign funds — and to get votes.

While America Celebrates...  Huckabee plunges.  —  WHEN WE PAID pundits try to provide campaign analysis, we often strain to find historical analogies.  Although I'm not asking for sympathy, please understand that it's not easy.  There have been only fifty-something presidential campaigns …

Clinton's Right-Hand Woman Scrambles for a Win in Iowa  —  Patti Solis Doyle Steers Campaign, Juggling  —  Family Role, Staff Egos  —  DES MOINES, Iowa — With snow and sleet pounding her hotel window, campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle dialed in to an early-morning strategy debate …

Britain in secret talks with the Taliban  —  Agents from MI6 entered secret talks with Taliban leaders despite Gordon Brown's pledge that Britain would not negotiate with terrorists, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.  —  Officers from the Secret Intelligence Service staged discussions …

The Romney backlash: Conservatives are coming home  —  THERE IS A reason Mitt Romney has not received a single newspaper endorsement in New Hampshire.  It's the same reason his poll numbers are dropping.  He has not been able to convince the people of this state that he's the conservative he says he is.

Grass-roots activists fill void within GOP  —  Huckabee gains amid disarray of party elites  —  Mike Huckabee (left), with his band and an Elvis impersonator at the Ames, Iowa, straw poll in August, picked up votes from “fair tax” and home schooling supporters.  (David Lienemann/ Associated Press/ File)

The End of Free Trade  —  Here's today quiz.  What do the following have in common: (a) Vladimir Putin; (b) China's currency, the renminbi; (c) the U.S.-Peru trade agreement; and (d) Hugo Ch¿vez?  Answer: They all reflect the “new mercantilism."  It's an ominous development affecting the world economy.