Congressional Leaders Call on President to Reject Flawed Iraq Troop Surge  —  Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi today sent the following letter to President Bush urging him to reject his reported plan to escalate the war in Iraq by increasing troop levels …

The Adults take Charge  —  The Reality Based Community Strikes Back in Iraq  —  The professionals take charge.  Bush is bringing in Ryan Crocker, a distinguished career foreign service officer, as the new US ambassador to Iraq.  And Gen. David Petraeus will replace Gen. Casey as top ground commander in Iraq.

Barney Frank accuses Bush of genocide "ethnic cleansing" Major Update  —  There's no other way around it: When you accuse someone of perpetrating "ethnic cleansing" in any way, shape or form, you are accusing them of genocide.  —  Genocide.  Let that word work its way around your mind for an moment.

Jihadist Website: Al-Zawahiri Urges Somalis, Muslims To Fight Ethiopian Forces  —  A jihadist website is observed on 5 January to post several links to 5-minute and 30-second audio message by Al-Qa'ida's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri entitled "Rise up and Support Your Brothers in Somalia."

AP's Editor Criticizes Those Who Questioned Iraq Source  —  NEW YORK Associated Press Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll on Friday criticized those who questioned the existence of an AP Iraq source, who was proven this week to be real, saying the scrutiny has now endangered the man's life.

Grit and guts for Navy corpsmen in a Fallujah police station  —  WASHINGTON - Editor's note: Blogger Bill Ardolino is embedded with a U.S. Marine unit in Iraq.  He's there to find out the truth about the U.S. war effort on the ground in Iraq.  Unlike the vast majority of mainstream media journalists …

Lott: I May Oppose Troop Escalation  —  Yesterday on MSNBC, Trent Lott (R-MS), the second ranking Republican in the Senate, said that he may oppose troop escalation in Iraq.  Watch it:  —  Lott's comments are particularly significant because, as the Minority Whip, he's responsible for bringing …

White House Postponing Loss of Iraq, Biden Says  —  Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said yesterday that he believes top officials in the Bush administration have privately concluded they have lost Iraq and are simply trying to postpone disaster …

Washington's Freshman Talk Iraq Policy  —  Charles Gibson Meets With Three Incoming Democrats  —  Charles Gibson spoke with three new House Democrats today, who said that while they're not satisfied with the president's handling of Iraq they are inclined to go along with it.

"It's Like a Phish Concert for Terrorists"  —  BEIRUT - While Hezbollah occupied the Beirut city center in an attempt to bring down the government, I teamed up with my American friend Noah Pollak, who works as assistant editor at Azure Magazine in Jerusalem, and took a trip to Hezbollah's stronghold in South Lebanon.

Navy to cut its fleet by half  —  Royal Navy commanders were in uproar yesterday after it was revealed that almost half of the Fleet's 44 warships are to be mothballed as part of a Ministry of Defence cost-cutting measure.  —  Senior officers have said the plans will turn Britain's once-proud Navy …

The Hanging: Beyond Travesty  —  Of the 6 billion people on this Earth, not one killed more people than Saddam Hussein.  And not just killed but tortured and mutilated — doing so often with his own hands and for pleasure.  It is quite a distinction to be the preeminent monster on the planet.