Bomb Iran  —  Diplomacy is doing nothing to stop the Iranian nuclear threat; a show of force is the only answer.  —  WE MUST bomb Iran.  —  It has been four years since that country's secret nuclear program was brought to light, and the path of diplomacy and sanctions has led nowhere.

Kissinger Says Victory in Iraq Is Not Possible  —  Former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger, who regularly advises President Bush on Iraq, said today that a full military victory was no longer possible there.  He thus joined a growing number of leading conservatives openly challenging …

Kerry: Botched Joke Won't Affect 2008  —  Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry insisted on Sunday his "botched joke" about President Bush's Iraq policy would not undermine a possible White House campaign in 2008.  —  "Not in the least," Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee in said when asked …

Calif. Couple Calls for Orgasm for Peace  —  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Two peace activists have planned a massive anti-war demonstration for the first day of winter.  —  But they don't want you marching in the streets.  They'd much rather you just stay home.  —  The Global Orgasm for Peace …

'Free to lose' isn't good philosophy for the right wing  —  If Milton Friedman had to die, then a week after the defeat of a Republican Congress that had apparently forgotten every lesson Friedman taught in Free To Choose is eerily apt timing.  As it happens, had ill health not intervened …

Pentagon Review Sees Three Options in Iraq  —  More Training of Iraqi Troops a Likely Focus  —  The Pentagon's closely guarded review of how to improve the situation in Iraq has outlined three basic options: Send in more troops, shrink the force but stay longer, or pull out, according to senior defense officials.

Republicans plot to bring down Pelosi ... and Clinton with her  —  New Speaker's embarrassing week has made it easier for her opponents to attack  —  Republican strategists plotting their party's comeback after it lost control of Congress have identified the "first lady" …

A Somber Annual Meeting for Conservative Lawyers  —  For the last 20 years, the Federalist Society, a conclave of conservative lawyers, has steadily flourished, even when there was a Democrat in the White House.  But the recent election results, along with increased partisan bitterness …

Dead soldier's parting gift: $100,000 party  —  LAS VEGAS — Shortly after Jeffrey "Toz" Toczylowski's last mission in Iraq a year ago this month, friends received a message.  —  "If you are getting this e-mail, it means that I have passed away," the missive said.

Time for a Heavier Footprint  —  More American troops are needed to break the cycle of violence in Iraq.  —  General John Abizaid, the commander of U.S. Central Command and the man with overall statutory responsibility for conducting the war in Iraq, testified last week in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

112 die in Iraq as bloodbath continues  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Syria's foreign minister called Sunday for a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces to help end Iraq's sectarian bloodbath, in a groundbreaking diplomatic mission to Iraq that comes amid increasing calls for the U.S. to seek cooperation from Syria and Iran.

Dems Take Aim at Oil Company Tax Breaks  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats are targeting billions of dollars in oil company tax breaks for quick repeal next year.  A broader energy proposal that would boost alternative energy sources and conservation is expected to be put off until later.

Saddam trial 'flawed and unsound'  —  The trial of Saddam Hussein was so flawed that its verdict is unsound, the advocacy group Human Rights Watch says.  —  HRW said "serious administrative, procedural and substantive legal defects" meant the 5 November trial for crimes against humanity was not fair.

A Captain's Journey From Hope to Just Getting Her Unit Home  —  Capt. Stephanie A. Bagley and the military police company she commands arrived in Iraq in December 2005 brimming with optimism about taking on one of the most urgent tasks in Iraq: building a new police force.

Antimilitary bigotry  —  "IN THE FIRST place God made idiots," observed Mark Twain.  "This was for practice.  Then he made school boards."  The San Francisco Board of Education's 4-2 vote last week to abolish the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program, which has been active …