President Confronts Dissent on Troop Levels  —  Bush Indicates Military Won't Dictate Numbers; Top General to Retire  —  The debate over sending more U.S. troops to Iraq intensified yesterday as President Bush signaled that he will listen but not necessarily defer to balky military officers …

Congressman Criticizes Election of Muslim  —  In a letter sent to hundreds of voters this month, Representative Virgil H. Goode Jr., Republican of Virginia, warned that the recent election of the first Muslim to Congress posed a serious threat to the nation's traditional values.

Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmen Leader, Dies at 66  —  ASHGABAT (Reuters) - Turkmenistan's President-for-life Saparmurat Niyazov died suddenly on Thursday after 21 years of iron rule, raising a risk of political instability in the energy-rich country that some feared could have an impact on Europe's gas supplies.

Troops to Gates: Extra forces would help  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the rest of the Bush administration may be undecided on whether to send more troops to Iraq, but several soldiers he met with at Camp Victory here on Thursday morning here said extra forces would help.

Top British Army aide accused of spying  —  A military aide to the commander of British forces in Afghanistan appeared in court yesterday accused of spying.  —  Cpl Daniel James, 44, is charged under the 1911 Official Secrets Act with "prejudicing the safety of the state" by passing information …

Shiite Clerics' Rivalry Deepens In Fragile Iraq  —  BAGHDAD — In the quest to create a new Iraq, two powerful clerics compete for domination, one from within the government, the other from its shadows.  —  Both wear the black turban signifying their descent from the prophet Muhammad.

Full Esteem Ahead  —  Time magazine asked a large number of people to name the Person of the Year.  They were in a populist mood and named the largest possible number of Persons of the Year: Everybody.  —  Of course.  The most capacious modern entitlement is not to Social Security but to self-esteem.

Muslims Mark Solidarity With Jews  —  Event Held Days After Iranian Meeting That Denied Genocide  —  Local Muslim leaders lit candles yesterday at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to commemorate Jewish suffering under the Nazis, in a ceremony held just days after Iran had a conference denying the genocide.

London Braces for Attack; 'Miracle' If There Isn't One  —  Brian Ross and Richard Esposito Report:  —  British intelligence and law enforcement officials have passed on a grim assessment to their U.S. counterparts, "It will be a miracle if there isn't a terror attack over the holidays in London …

A MORMON PRESIDENT?  NO WAY.  —  Someone who refuses to consider voting for a woman as president is rightly deemed a sexist.  Someone who'd never vote for a black person is a racist.  But are you a religious bigot if you wouldn't cast a ballot for a believing Mormon?

Mass. Governor's Rightward Shift Raises Questions  —  As he prepares for a 2008 presidential campaign, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) has championed the conservative principles that guided President Ronald Reagan, become an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage and supported overturning …

Federal Subsidies Turn Farms Into Big Business  —  The cornerstone of the multibillion-dollar system of federal farm subsidies is an iconic image of the struggling family farmer: small, powerless against Mother Nature, tied to the land by blood.  —  Without generous government help …

How an Ex-Aide to President Clinton Stashed Classified Documents  —  A former national security adviser to President Clinton, Samuel Berger, stashed highly classified documents under a trailer in downtown Washington in order to evade detection by National Archives personnel, a government report released yesterday said.

Scarborough Sees The Light—Barnicle: "Bush is delusional"  —  Scarborough has made a definite turn-around on Bush over the past year, but it hasn't been as evident as it was on Wednesday's Scarborough Country.  Joe appears to be totally fed up with the non-stop spin and ignorance coming …

Trump To Rosie: You're Sued!  —  Donald Trump is set to sue "The View" host Rosie O'Donnell, Access Hollywood can reveal.  —  Earlier this afternoon Trump announced he is filing suit against the TV talk show host.  "She says things that come to her mouth, she's not smart, she's crude …

Huge Southern Baptist Church rocked by sexual abuse charges  —  A church whose former pastor was president of the Southern Baptist Convention has been rocked by allegations of child abuse, PageOneQ has learned.  —  Pastor Paul Williams, who directs prayer programs and special projects …