Democrats assume control of the US House and Senate with President George W. Bush’s policies, starting with Iraq, weighing heavily on their agenda.

OCEANSIDE —- More than five dozen people, many of whom describe themselves as politically progressive, turned out at the Oceanside library Saturday night for a “Kiss ‘06 Goodbye” party, marked with a potluck, politically themed merchandise for sale, and a screening of the documentary “Jesus Camp.”

On January 1, 1989, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev wrote a shared New Years’ message.  I hope you find it as relevant today, as it was then!         
President Reagan’s Message
On behalf of the American people, I send you greetings on the coming of the New Year.
In your country and mine, the New Year is a time of hope […]

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Nicol Stephen says his party could be the largest party north of the border.

Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt, so I won’t argue that David Rohde has either a political agenda or his head up his ass. I’ll stick with the facts, which show that his article in the other day’s New York Times’ Iran Is Seeking More Influence in Afghanistan reveals little more than his breathtaking obliviousness. Rohde’s thesis dovetails with a Republican talking point: Iran views …

Remember Nancy Pelosi’s “most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history.” as you read this from the House Ethics Committee website:
December 29, 2006Statement of Chairman Doc Hastings and Ranking Minority Member Howard L. Berman Regarding Representative John Conyers
The Chairman and Ranking Minority Member, pursuant to Committee Rule 18(a), initiated an informal inquiry in December […]

What is the importance of this?  It is the States and not the Congress passing them.  From the Washington Times:

Raises for hundreds of thousands of minimum-wage workers across the country.
Musicians worried about copycats get some protection in Illinois. 
California takes steps to reduce the power-plant pollution that is thought to contribute to global warming.
States also dealt […]

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — On the eve of stepping down after 22 years as a Republican congressman, Jim Kolbe says the national Republican Party lost its control of Congress in part because of its emphasis on gay marriage, abortion, stem-cell research and other social issues.

This was by far one of the most moving eulogies I have ever listened to.  Here is a transcript of the eulogy given by VP Cheney to President Ford:
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Mrs. Ford, Susan, Mike, Jack, and Steve; distinguished guests; colleagues and friends; and fellow citizens:
 Nothing was left unsaid, and at the end of his […]

 See-Dubya calls them the Rainbow warriors:
The Royal Air Force has called in a gay pressure group to help solve its recruitment crisis. The Service will take advice from Stonewall on how to make itself more attractive to homosexual and bisexual men and women, and is aiming to spend tens of thousands of pounds on advertising […]

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A veteran Democratic lawmaker told colleagues Saturday he supports Republican John Perzel for speaker of the state House of Representatives, a dramatic move that could foil his own party’s hopes of assuming the leadership reins.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A veteran Democratic lawmaker told colleagues Saturday he supports Republican John Perzel for speaker of the state House of Representatives, a dramatic move that could foil his own party’s hopes of assuming the leadership reins.

WASHINGTON | A California Democrat newly elected to Congress promised Saturday that his party will restore integrity and civility to the House when it assumes control in January.

Thomas Caltagirone of Berks intends to cross party line. | A veteran Democratic lawmaker told colleagues Saturday he supports Republican John Perzel for speaker of the state House of Representatives, a dramatic move that could foil his own party’s hopes of assuming the leadership reins.

Suppose you’re a Republican thinking about running for office in Michigan. You believe opposition to abortion shouldn’t define the GOP and are concerned the issue undermines the party’s reach.

Via ALLAHPUNDIT

Click image to watch
AP Says: “His family’s going to bury him in Ramadi, ground zero of the Sunni insurgency, ostensibly to prevent Shiites from desecrating his grave but actually to give the local barbarians a little inspiration. It’ll work, too.”
Others blogging:

Blogs of War
Right on the Right » Saddam Hussein Coverage Part 2
Right on the […]

WASHINGTON - When it comes to the presidency, the Republican Party has a long tradition of nominating the next guy in line. That’s John McCain - and the failed GOP presidential aspirant of 2000 is positioning himself as the anointed 2008 nominee.

An American soldier ties a rope around a statue of Saddam Hussein shortly after the fall of Baghdad in April 2003 (Peter Nicholls)

 From see-dubya :
Word just in from al-Arabiya that Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti is dead.  Al-Hurra is reporting it too. Al-Hurra’s the American-backed Arab station, FYI, so their sources here are probably trustworthy. HuffPo “celebrates.”  […]

  
 
 
Picture blatantly stolen from 7.62mm Justice 
From Fox News:
“The final meetings have taken places,” the official said, adding in Iraqis have requested Sddam be turned over to them. “The process is now in the final stage.”
Earlier, the Associated Press reported via a top Iraqi official that Saddam would be hanged before 10 p.m. ET Friday night […]