Rumsfeld Reaction: 4 Policy Battles That Could Shape Our Military  —  When President Bush appointed former CIA Director Robert Gates (right) to the Defense Secretary post today, several of Donald Rumsfeld's pet projects began to enter the political crossfire.

"He certainly was a reporter's reporter."  —  (CBS) Veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley died Thursday at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan of complications from leukemia.  —  Bradley joined the staff of the venerable news magazine 26 years ago.  His consummate skills as a broadcast journalist …

The Thumpees Try Their Luck at the Blame Game  —  President Bush had many explanations for what he called the "thumping" his party took on Tuesday, but the most creative was the notion that his chief strategist, Karl Rove, had spent too much time reading books.

Democrat Vilsack launches run for White House  —  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa took the initial step in his long-shot bid for the White House Thursday, establishing a presidential campaign committee and seeking an early jump on 2008.  —  "Americans sent a clear message on Tuesday.

Allen to Concede Election This Afternoon  —  Virginia Sen. George Allen (R) will concede that he has lost the election to Democrat James Webb at a 3 p.m. news conference in Alexandria, according to a source close to the campaign with direct knowledge of the senator's intentions.

Dist. 13 voting analysis shows broad problem  —  SARASOTA COUNTY — A review of Sarasota County voting results shows that in almost every precinct a high percentage of voters didn't cast ballots in the hotly contested 13th Congressional District, a trend that likely affected the outcome of the race.

John Bolton Likely to Depart U.N.  —  New York — NewsMax has learned that U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton will likely leave his post next month.  —  After a rocky series of Senate confirmation hearings, Bolton was sent to the U.N. by President Bush in August 2005 under a recess appointment.

Poll: Afghans express confidence in country's direction, security  —  Most of the 6,200 surveyed say they are satisfied with democracy, but corruption is a major problem  —  Despite a raging pro-Taliban insurgency, the people of Afghanistan say they are optimistic about the future …

CENSORED BY CNN: BILL MAHER SUGGESTS RNC CHAIR MEHLMAN IS GAY....  From CNN: … Partial transcript of Bill Maher's Live appearance on Larry King Live:  —  BM: A lot of the chiefs of staff, the people who really run the underpinnings of the Republican Party, are gay.

Sen. Burns concedes Montana race  —  HELENA, Mont. - U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns (news, bio, voting record) conceded defeat to Jon Tester on Thursday, acknowledging that a tight election had gone to the Democrats' favor, Burns' campaign told The Associated Press.

Speaker Pelosi's Impending Intelligence Failure  —  Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is in line to make history as the first female Speaker—and second in line of succession for the presidency—when the new Congress convenes in January.  As with any election, a wide variety of issues factored into the dynamics of this year's midterms.

Still A Democrat, Joe Says, To Preserve Seniority  —  Now that he's won re-election as a petitioning candidate, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman is pledging to remain a Democrat, if for no other reason than to keep his 18 years' seniority in the Senate.  —  "I'll sign up with the caucus to protect my seniority," Lieberman said Wednesday.

A Come-to-Daddy Moment  —  Poppy Bush and James Baker gave Sonny the presidency to play with and he broke it.  So now they're taking it back.  —  They are dragging W. away from those reckless older guys who have been such a bad influence and getting him some new minders who are a lot more practical.

Election Day trickery infuriates homeless man  —  YUSUF EL-BEDAWI is no fool.  He knows politicians can play dirty.  —  He's just livid at being tricked into playing dirty with them on Election Day.  All because he's homeless - and therefore, apparently, considered too unprincipled to give …