Say no to AP's shoddy work  —  When a company defrauds its customers, or delivers shoddy goods, the customers sooner or later are going to take their business elsewhere.  But if that company has a virtual monopoly, and offers something its customers must have, they may have no choice but to keep taking it.

Rumsfeld Memo Proposed 'Major Adjustment' in Iraq  —  Two days before he resigned as defense secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld submitted a classified memo to the White House that acknowledged that the Bush administration's strategy in Iraq was not working and called for a major course correction.

Lame-Duck Congress May Run Out the Clock  —  Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) wants legislation on President Bush's warrantless wiretapping program.  Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.) is sure the time has come for Congress to declare that aborted fetuses feel pain.

Re: This could kill New Orleans (Score: 1)  —  I have multiple ideas.  I'm thinking about official leverage, unofficial leverage.  Public PR and underground PR.  —  Also Counterintuitive across the crazysphere reaching  —  Official Public PR Leverage.  Someone who is a press darling needs to say something strong.

Move Over, Hoover  —  Shortly after Thanksgiving I had dinner in California with Ronald Reagan's best biographer, Lou Cannon.  Like many historians these days, we discussed whether George W. Bush is, conceivably, the worst U.S. president ever.  Cannon bristled at the idea.

Poloniumania: British cops eye shadowy group of former Russian agents; Update: Killer ID'd?  —  Loose cannons or Putin puppets with just enough independence to give him plausible deniability? … That article's five days old but the Telegraph has new info on Dignity and Honor in today's issue …

Democrats Face a Tough Job, Leader Says  —  The Democratic National Committee chairman, Howard Dean, warned party leaders on Saturday not to revel too long in the victories from last month's midterm elections or treat their Congressional majorities as a permanent directive from voters.

Gaza women warned of immodesty  —  A hitherto unknown group calling itself the Just Swords of Islam issued a warning to Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip over the weekend that they must wear the hijab or face being targeted by the group's members.  —  In pamphlets distributed in various parts …

Saudis lead Israel peace bid  —  THE Saudi Arabian government is emerging as a key player in talks to broker a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace agreement.  —  According to senior Israeli sources, Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister, will soon meet high-ranking Saudi officials to explore …

Sears, Valentino, and "Symbolic Racism"  —  Dave Noon writes more about race and southern politics following up on the discussion launched by Rick Perlstein's article on the subject: … I read the Valentino and Sears paper yesterday, and I think it's plausibly true that the authors are biased against Republicans.

Living Memories of Bound Feet, War and Chaos in China  —  WANG ZAIBAN, CENTER, WITH WU XIUZHEN, LEFT  —  AT ages 84 and 83, Wang Zaiban and Wu Xiuzhen are old women, and their feet are historical artifacts.  They are among the dwindling number of women in China from the era when bound feet …

Plan to Retire but Leave Out Social Security  —  USUALLY I do little more than skim my Social Security statement — the four-page folded newsletter that arrives periodically with updates about my benefits.  —  This time I read the whole thing, starting with the opening letter from Jo Anne B. Barnhart …

Rice Not Ready to Discuss U.S. 'Mistakes' in Iraq  —  Secretary of State Suggests Reflections on Likely U.S. 'Mistakes' in Iraq Will Have to Wait Until She's Out of Office  —  Although she is not yet ready to explain herself, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is admitting that the United States has made mistakes in Iraq.

The House of Death  —  When 12 bodies were found buried in the garden of a Mexican house, it seemed like a case of drug-linked killings.  But the trail led to Washington and a cover-up that went right to the top.  David Rose reports from El Paso  —  Janet Padilla's first inkling …

Jowell hints at tax rises as Olympics bill soars  —  Tessa Jowell raised the prospect of tax rises to fund the Olympics yesterday as a senior insider gave a warning that the final bill would be £12 billion, more than four times the original estimate.  —  The Culture Secretary …