Moral Clarity in Gaza  —  Late Saturday, thousands of Gazans received Arabic-language cell-phone messages from the Israeli military, urging them to leave homes where militants might have stashed weapons.  —  Some geopolitical conflicts are morally complicated.  The Israel-Gaza war is not.

Two Advisers Reflect on Eight Years With Bush  —  White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten and national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley remember conferring with President Bush during the darkest days of the Iraq war, in 2005 and 2006, when violence was out of control.

The Blago Vortex  —  Roland Burris isn't going away quietly.  In fact, he's not going away at all.  He's figured out he may have a fairly good legal argument to keep his senate seat — and he's liking his new perch just fine.  This report suggests he's not going to be bullied or cajoled by the likes of Harry Reid:

9 Muslim Passengers Removed From Jet  —  Others on Flight Say a Remark Was ‘Suspicious’  —  Officials ordered nine Muslim passengers, including three young children, off an AirTran flight headed to Orlando from Reagan National Airport yesterday afternoon after two other passengers overheard what they thought was a suspicious remark.

Bigger Than Bush  —  As the new Democratic majority prepares to take power, Republicans have become, as Phil Gramm might put it, a party of whiners.  —  Some of the whining almost defies belief.  Did Alberto Gonzales, the former attorney general, really say, “I consider myself a casualty …

Governor may be leaning toward Kennedy  —  Two people close to Paterson tell AP they believe she'll be his choice  —  ALBANY, N.Y. - Officials say the daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy will be the governor's choice to fill the New York Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Creature Comforts  —  ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT IN A SUBURB of Albany, a group of children dressed as vampires and witches ran past a middle-aged woman in plain clothes.  She gripped a leather harness — like the kind used for Seeing Eye dogs — which was attached to a small, fuzzy black …

Steel Industry, in Slump, Looks to U.S. Stimulus  —  The steel industry, having entered the recession in the best of health, is emerging as a leading indicator of what lies ahead.  As steel production goes — and it is now in collapse — so will go the national economy.

Republicans to flee DC for inauguration  —  While millions descend on Washington for the historic inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20, some Republicans see it as an occasion to get out of town.  —  Out of power on both ends of Pennsylvania Ave and mostly out of favor on K Street …

Bernard Henri Levy among 6 Jews said targeted by Islamist group  —  Jewish-French philosopher Bernard Henri-Levy was listed by a Belgium-based Islamist group as a target for assassination alongside other leading Jewish personalities in Europe, the Belgian daily La Derniere Heure reported earlier this week.