One of the first promises the newly triumphant House Democrats issued after their election victory was to slash interest rates on educational loans–a move that heartened students and parents but frightened those who invest in lenders' stocks.
After months of hand-wringing about the risks of Rep. Charles Rangel's defunding the Iraq war or Rep. John Conyers's moving to impeach the president, Republicans unexpectedly have a batch of Democratic committee chairmen in the Senate to worry about as well. The lineup is nearly identical to the one Bush faced from 2001 to 2003, but the Democrats have renewed enthusiasm this time and a like-minded leadership in the House. Here are the future chairmen of the most powerful committees:
Business leaders love to emulate battlefield commanders as they deploy their troops and make critical decisions. That's why otherwise-arcane military books like The Art of War by Sun Tzu and On War by Carl von Clausewitz remain brisk sellers: They're considered obligatory titles on the bookshelf of any executive with a taste for corporate battle.
AP - President Bush marked Veterans Day by praising U.S. troops who have fought oppression around the world, yet spoke only briefly about Iraq, where U.S. commanders are re-evaluating strategy.
AP - Sunni gunmen ambushed a convoy of minibuses Saturday night at a fake checkpoint on the dangerous highway south of Baghdad, killing 10 Shiite passengers and kidnapping about 50. Across the country at least 52 other people were killed in violence or were found dead, five of them decapitated Iraqi soldiers.