U.S. Not Winning War in Iraq, Bush Says for 1st Time  —  President Plans to Expand Army, Marine Corps to Cope With Strain of Multiple Deployments  —  President Bush acknowledged for the first time yesterday that the United States is not winning the war in Iraq and said he plans to expand …

The Blog Mob  —  "Written by fools to be read by imbeciles."  —  Blogs are very important these days.  Even Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has one.  The invention of the Web log, we are told, is as transformative as Gutenberg's press, and has shoved journalism into a reformation, perhaps a revolution.

'Old Europe' Can Gloat, but Then What?  —  BERLIN — On the day James Baker's Iraq report was published, I gritted my teeth and waited for the well-earned, long-awaited, Franco-German "Old Europe" gloat to begin.  I didn't wait long.  "America Faces Up to the Iraq Disaster" read a headline in Der Spiegel.

The Robert Gates Riddle  —  Will Defense Secretary Robert Gates be a voice of realism within the Bush administration?  Or will he bend his knee to the ideologues?  —  Gates offered hints to support both possibilities yesterday at his swearing-in ceremony.  But his true allegiance will soon be put to a very public test.

UK report says robots will have rights  —  The next time you beat your keyboard in frustration, think of a day where it may be able to sue you for assault.  Within 50 years we might even find ourselves standing next to the next generation of vacuum cleaners in the voting booth.

Top Iraqi Shiite Cleric Is Inching Toward a Coalition  —  Iraq's most venerated Shiite cleric has tentatively approved an American-backed coalition of Shiite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties that aims to isolate extremists, particularly the powerful Shiite militia leader Moktada al-Sadr, Iraqi and Western officials say.

Bush Sees 'Opportunities' on Social Security, Immigration  —  President Bush said yesterday that he intends to work with the new Democratic majority in Congress on a broad range of domestic issues, declaring that despite the impending power shift there are "some wonderful opportunities" …

Blair to urge Middle East states to rein in Iran  —  DUBAI (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair will call on Wednesday for Middle East states to rein in what he calls the threat from Iran and to help advance peacemaking between Israelis and Palestinians.

Syria in Bush's Crosshairs  —  Exclusive: A classified document suggests the Administration is considering a plan to fund political opposition to the Damascus government.  Some critics say it would be an unwarranted covert action  —  The Bush Administration has been quietly nurturing individuals …

Webb slams Bush's actions in Iraq war  —  WASHINGTON — Virginia Sen.-elect Jim Webb said President Bush is a "failed president" who should use his last two years in office to repair America's image abroad by ending the Iraq war through intensive diplomacy.  —  In an interview Tuesday …

Abramoff's Holiday Cheer  —  His 2001 Shopping List Included Lavish Gifts for Congressmen  —  These days he makes no more than 40 cents an hour for his labors at the federal prison camp at Cumberland, Md. But Christmas 2001 was a far more high-flying holiday for Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff …

Gilmore, Courting Conservatives, Explores 2008 Bid  —  James S. Gilmore III, a former Virginia governor and chairman of the Republican National Committee, announced today that he would form a committee to explore a presidential bid in 2008, saying the Republican field lacked a "committed conservative" …