John Kerry Meets the Dopes Stuck in IraK  —  Oh, to be a fly on the wall!  —  (Do you suppose that it's too late to enter this in any contest?  —  This was the best picture Reuters did all year- and you know it wasn't Photoshopped!)  —  Is everyone enjoying themselves?...

Shots Fired at Palestinian Leader's Home  —  GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Fighting between Hamas and Fatah escalated Sunday, as the foreign minister's convoy and the president's Gaza residence came under attack.  Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Hamas will boycott an early election called by the president.

US accused of using aid to sway votes in UN security council  —  The US uses its aid budget to bribe those countries which have a vote in the United Nations security council, giving them 59 per cent more cash in years when they have a seat, according to research by economists.

Gingrich: Imams should have been arrested  —  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told an audience in New Hampshire Muslim clerics pulled off a plane for praying should have been charged criminally.  —  Gingrich made the remark Friday night, as he delivered the keynote speech …

The Time Machine  —  Are we this good or is Time just that predictable?  On October 9, the day Google announced its acquisition of YouTube, we wrote: … At left, our Photoshopped prediction from two months ago.  At right, Time Warner's actual latest cover, announced this weekend:

And Justice Wept...  The NYTimes has an in-depth examination of the criminal justice system in Iraq.  It is a very painful read.  No matter which side of the criminal system you stand on — defense or prosecution — the ultimate goal on all sides is some attainment of justice.  Or at least, it ought to be, anyway.

Stubborn or Stalwart, Bush Is Loath to Budge  —  In the late 19th century, the queen of England sent the president of the United States a desk made from the timbers of a decommissioned ship, the HMS Resolute.  Almost every occupant of the White House since then has made the Resolute his desk.

The President In the Room  —  Hillary Clinton's Biggest Issue?  A Certain Someone in Her Background.  —  NEW YORK He stood far behind, hiding in plain sight, though his glowing white hair and ruddy complexion rendered him as inconspicuous as a face on Mount Rushmore.  —  The spotlight was not Bill Clinton's.

Jews far more likely to be victims of faith hatred than Muslims  —  Jewish people are four times more likely to be attacked because of their religion than Muslims, according to figures compiled by the police.  —  One in 400 Jews compared to one in 1,700 Muslims are likely to be victims of "faith hate" attacks every year.

Russia defies West and goes ahead with nuclear fuel sale to Iran  —  RUSSIA is to begin supplying Iran with nuclear fuel early next year despite mounting concern in the West that this could accelerate Tehran's plans to build a nuclear bomb.  —  Sergei Shmatko, head of Atomstroyexport …

Jamil Hussein, Disputed AP Source, Finally Located?  —  NEW YORK Has the mysterious and much-disputed Associated Press source in Iraq, a police captain named Jamil Hussein — finally been found?  His existence has been challenged in the past three weeks from the U.S. military, some Iraqi officials and conservative bloggers in the U.S.

Episcopalians Are Reaching Point of Revolt  —  For about 30 years, the Episcopal Church has been one big unhappy family.  Under one roof there were female bishops and male bishops who would not ordain women.  There were parishes that celebrated gay weddings and parishes that denounced them …

The Capital Awaits a Masterstroke on Iraq  —  SOMEONE in Vice President Dick Cheney's office has gotten everybody on this city's holiday party circuit talking, simply by floating an unlikely Iraq proposal that is worthy of a certain mid-19th century British naturalist with a fascination for natural selection.

New manual at odds with key Iraq tactics  —  The counterinsurgency doctrine warns about practices still in use, such as big bases that may signal occupation.  —  WASHINGTON — The U.S. military's new counterinsurgency doctrine takes issue with some key strategies that American commanders …