An Unnecessary War  —  I know from personal involvement that the devastating invasion of Gaza by Israel could easily have been avoided.  —  After visiting Sderot last April and seeing the serious psychological damage caused by the rockets that had fallen in that area, my wife, Rosalynn …

MO-Senate: Bond to Retire  —  Missouri Sen. Kit Bond (R) will retire in 2010, a decision that hands Democrats a prime pickup opportunity in a state where the party has made strides in recent years.  —  “In 1972, I became Missouri's youngest Governor,” Bond said this morning in an address to the Missouri General Assembly.

Barack Obama asks longtime University of Chicago professor Cass Sunstein to join his administration  —  Law scholar will handle regulation issues, transition official says  —  WASHINGTON — Cass Sunstein, a longtime University of Chicago legal scholar and prominent author …

Why Obama Will ‘Own’ the Recession  —  For eight decades, Democrats have successfully blamed Republican Herbert Hoover for the decade-long Great Depression.  That, even though Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal failed to restore prosperity or dramatically lower unemployment, and his tax increases in 1937 snuffed out a nascent recovery.

Obama Builds Powerful Team of White House Advisers  —  Influential Advisers May Compete With Cabinet  —  President-elect Barack Obama is assembling a new and influential cadre of counselors just steps from the Oval Office whose power to direct domestic policy will rival, if not exceed, the authority of his Cabinet.

NBC's Matthews Won't Run for Senate  —  Chris Matthews, the host of the MSNBC program “Hardball,” told his staff on Wednesday night that he would not run for the Senate in 2010 from Pennsylvania.  —  For much of the last year, Mr. Matthews had been considering entering the Senate race …

Daschle to Face Tough Questions on Competition in Health Insurance  —  WASHINGTON — When Tom Daschle shows up for a confirmation hearing on Thursday, senators are likely to grant him all the courtesies due a former Senate majority leader.  —  But that does not mean Mr. Daschle should expect only softball questions.

Obama Digs In for His BlackBerry  —  WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama has yet to relent, but he conceded that he might be losing the battle to keep his independent lifeline to the outside world.  —  “I'm still clinging to my BlackBerry,” Mr. Obama said Wednesday.  “They're going to pry it out of my hands.”

Americans miffed at Howard bumping Obama  —  John Howard's decision to stay at the luxurious Blair House mansion in Washington DC has sparked a firestorm of protest in the US.  —  Outraged American taxpayers are demanding the former Australian prime minister book a hotel or stay at the Australian embassy.

President Bush Tried to Rein In Fan and Fred  —  Democrats and the media have the housing story wrong.  —  Mythmaking is in full swing as the Bush administration prepares to leave town.  Among the more prominent is the assertion that the housing meltdown resulted from unbridled capitalism under a president opposed to all regulation.

SPECTER'S DELICATE SENSIBILITIES.... Sen. Arlen Specter's (R-Pa.) angry crusade against Eric Holder's A.G. nomination seems petty, pointless, and counter-productive.  Facing a difficult re-election campaign next year in a “blue” state Obama won by double digits, Specter may even be undermining his career with his odd tactics.

THE BUSH YEARS — THEN AND NOW  —  From NBC's Mark Murray  —  With President Bush set to leave the White House less than two weeks from now, here's a “Then and Now” to show what the United States looked like when Bush was entering office and what it looks like now as he's leaving.

Army Sends ‘Dear John Doe’ Letters to Families of Fallen Troops  —  The Army mistakenly sent letters addressed “Dear John Doe” to 7,000 family members of soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan, unleashing calls from troubled relatives and prompting a formal apology yesterday from the Army's top general.

Fire control expected today; U.S. 36 re-opened  —  Olde Stage Road Fire has burned about 1,400 acres  —  Please download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player, or enable JavaScript for your browser to view the video player.  —  Please download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player …

McConnell Urges Coleman To Fight On, Despite Urging Gore To ‘Be A Statesman’ And Concede In 2000  —  On Monday, the Minnesota State Canvassing Board certified Democrat Al Franken as the victor in the U.S. Senate race recount, beating incumbent Republican Norm Coleman by 225 votes.

“It Goes with the Turf”  —  Cheney still doesn't take it personally.  —  Vice President Dick Cheney believes he hasn't “fundamentally changed” since he came to Washington 40 years ago.  Only his job has changed.  As vice president, he doesn't talk freely to the press about what he's doing.

U.S. Plans Border ‘Surge’ Against Any Drug Wars  —  The soaring level of violence in Mexico resulting from the drug wars there has led the United States to develop plans for a “surge” of civilian and perhaps even military law enforcement should the bloodshed spread across the border …

L.A. may restrict outdoor smoking  —  Lighting up on patios and other areas near restaurants could be illegal by summer if the City Council acts.  —  Lighting up on the outdoor patios of cafes and coffee shops may soon be a thing of the past in Los Angeles.