Al-Qaeda tells British cells to carry out wave of beheadings  —  ISLAMIC terror cells in Britain have been instructed to carry out a series of kidnappings and beheadings of the kind allegedly planned by the nine terrorist suspects arrested in Birmingham last week.

Iranian nuclear scientist 'assassinated by Mossad'  —  A PRIZE-WINNING Iranian nuclear scientist has died in mysterious circumstances, according to Radio Farda, which is funded by the US State Department and broadcasts to Iran.  —  An intelligence source suggested that Ardeshire Hassanpour …

A Fourth Branch?  —  We have all discussed the unprecedented power of Dick Cheney in this administration ad nauseum, but this post from David Kurtz at TPM introduced a whole new element I hadn't been aware of.  —  I assumed that Cheney believed the power of the Vice President (such as it is) derived from the executive branch.

Kristol: Iraq Chaos Shows That Insurgents Are 'Worried,' Recent News Is 'Slightly Optimistic'  —  Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol said on Fox News this morning that the recent surge in Iraqi violence is a sign that the extremists are "worried."  Kristol said, "If I were a Sunni extremist and was worried …

McCain Flip-Flops In 47 Seconds: Claims Success Is Not Realistic In 'A Few Months,' Then Says It Is  —  On ABC's This Week, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said it is unrealistic to expect the escalation strategy to change the situation in Iraq in "a few months":

What's so hot about fickle science?  —  From the "Environmental News Network": "Science Is Solid on Climate Change, Congress Told."  "The science is solid," says Louise Frechette, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations.  —  "The science is solid," says Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

The Trouble With Contracting  —  The trouble with government work, as opposed to the private sector is that there's a lack of efficiency.  It's important to understand, however, that there's nothing intrinsically efficient about private sector work.  No magical "it's the free market" …

Irresolution  —  The Congressional Democrats' misstep.  —  Giddy with joy at their sudden good fortune, the Democrats have set out to embarrass the president, pushing resolutions of less-than-no-confidence, clubbing his Iraq surge plan as it lies in its cradle, and declaring defeat in advance.

Edwards continues swipes at Senate White House rivals  —  Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards continued to move to the left of his leading presidential rivals Friday, saying Senate Democrats' efforts at passing a non-binding resolution are "not enough."  —  Saying repeatedly that …

Super Bowl XLI  —  Two hours until kickoff and the pre-game show's already two and a half hours old.  Consider this your official HA SBXLI open thread, although its real purpose is to act as a repository for commercials I'll be posting throughout the game.  Expect the updates to start coming fast and furious around 7 p.m. ET.

The polar-bears-on-the-melting-ice- cap photo.  —  You've all seen it.  This photo atop all the articles about the new report on global warming.  —  (Go to the article to see the larger size.)  —  Here's my question.  How many people look at that picture and think the polar bears were living …

No I-Told-You-Sos  —  Opponents of the Iraq War Voice Pain, Not Vindication, At Predictions They Could Only Hope Would Be Wrong  —  Sweet vindication.  Who wouldn't want it?  To be right.  To be free of criticism and upheld by evidence, by actual proof, that one's predictions about a controversial war were correct.

Iraqi Interior Ministry estimates 1,000 killed in one week … BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — The Iraqi Interior Ministry estimates that about 1,000 people have been killed throughout Iraq in the past week due to gunbattles, drive-by shootings and bomb attacks, a ministry official said Sunday.

Soldiers in Iraq view troop surge as a lost cause  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Army 1st Lt. Antonio Hardy took a slow look around the east Baghdad neighborhood that he and his men were patrolling.  He grimaced at the sound of gunshots in the distance.  A machine gunner on top of a Humvee scanned the rooftops for snipers.