President Obama announced on Tuesday that he intends to "finish the job" in Afghanistan and that he'll announce his troop plan for the country on December 1 in a prime-time address. While he did not talk troop numbers, he hinted that the force would be large enough to “dismantle and degrade” the enemy and ensure that “Al Qaeda and its extremist allies cannot operate.” McClatchy is putting the troop number at 34,000, and General Stanley McChrystal could be in Washington as early as Sunday to help roll at the new plan. 

Less than two weeks after his controversial departure from CNN, Lou Dobbs affirmed his intentions to run for president in 2012—"Yes is the answer," Dobbs he replied on Fred Thompson's radio show—and third-party heavyweights are right behind him. Currently, Dobbs is without a party, and though his harsh words for Obama and conservative stance on immigration have led some to believe he would run as a Republican, third-party political operatives are already wooing him. Former Sen. Dean Barkley, the Reform Party member who managed Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura's winning third-party campaign, says he's urged Dobbs to run before and thinks him "a perfect candidate for us." Bay Buchanan, who ran Pat Buchanan's 2000 presidential campaign, says the "enormous movement" for third-party candidates is even stronger now than when Pat ran, adding "I think he can win." Bill Hillsman, who worked as a message man for famed third-party gubernatorial candidates Kinky Friedman and Chris Daggett, notes that Dobbs has "an audience" and national recognition. This leaves him uniquely poised to give the two-party system a run for its money, particularly in New Jersey, where Dobbs resides and Daggett ran. Skeptics, however, warn the the Electoral College won't be working in his favor.

This headlining act is surely to get tongues wagging. The National Tea Party Convention announced that it has booked Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN) to speak at their February 2010 event in Nashville. This is probably enough to get Tea Partiers excited, but Bachmann isn't even the highlight of the show: Top billing will go to Sarah Palin, who will be the event’s keynote speaker. The convention is the first ever of its kind, and will be sponsored by Nashville-based Tea Party Nation. The conference will be a place for Tea Partiers to network and strategize for 2010.

Though the White House provides full burial services to members of the military who have committed suicide, there's one thing they withhold: a letter of condolence from the president. Within the traditional mores of military code, suicide is still considered a sign of weakness. Last year's military suicides numbered 140, and this year is already on par with 2008. As suicides of armed servicemen rise, their families and lawmakers—including Indiana congressmen on both sides of the aisle—are rallying to get the archaic policy overturned in an effort to destigmatize mental-health issues. The administration has yet to respond to the call for change, except for saying that the policy was inherited from the Bush era. One White House spokesperson did say that they had begun an internal review of the matter.

President Obama has made a Ron Brownstein blog post at The Atlantic mandatory reading for his staff, according to Mike Allen. What does Brownstein’s article say? The blog post, from November 21, lauds Senate Majority Harry Reid’s bill’s cost-controlling measures. “I can’t think of a thing to try that they didn’t try,” one economist says, while another adds, “the bottom line is the legislation is sending a signal that business as usual is going to end.” Brownstein writes that the bill “represents a validation for Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus”—who was just a few months ago a whipping boy for liberals. Reid’s strategy to “bend the curve” of long-term health-care costs “almost completely follows Baucus’s path from September.”

Did anyone catch Adam Lambert flipping the bird during his already controversial American Music Awards performance Sunday night? Most viewers were probably too busy watching him grind and make out with fellow band member Tommy Ratliff, who plays keyboard. Lambert tells MTV.com that the gesture wasn't planned, but in the moment he was giving a big F-you to his critics, such as Out magazine editor Aaron Hicklin who accused Lambert’s management of pushing him back in the closet. "[I]t was to prove freedom of expression and to prove I am in control of my situation," Lambert explains of his actions. As for that kiss? Also unplanned. Ratliff is single and straight, but, says Lambert, "I guess he didn't mind getting kissed in the name of entertainment."

An employee from Oprah Winfrey's production company says the queen of daytime television is skipping her famous annual "Oprah's Favorite Things" episode this year. The episode, usually a consumer freebie free-for-all featuring Oprah gracing her audience with a smorgasboard of her favorite products, is a holiday tradition focused equally on conspicuous consumption and charity (she has filled her "Favorite Things" audiences with teachers and Hurricane Katrina volunteers, for instance). But in 2008, Oprah did a thrift-themed "Favorite Things" to acknowledge the economic collapse, and there may be no 2009 episode at all.

Google an image of Michelle Obama, and the top hit will be a racist caricature. Though Google won't be removing the image because it doesn't violate the company's Webmaster Guidelines, it did feel the need to explain itself because "the image is offensive to many," a spokesperson said. Google issued a statement explaining that the image was purely a result of the company's search algorithm, and was not in any way a reflection of the beliefs or preferences of Google employees. A Google spokesperson hypothesized that the image could be top hit if people were linking to it to condemn it. The image had been removed once before after a complaint was filed, but not because Google had issued a judgment that the content was racist, rather because the original host site was also serving malware.

Will Facebook soon be going public? It'd be the hottest stock on Wall Street, and if the social-networking giant's move to establish a dual-class stock structure is any indication, then it appears the company is readying itself for its initial public offering. But an official statement issued by the company said, "This revision to the stock structure should not be construed as a signal the company is planning to go public... Facebook has no plans to go public at this time." The change in voting structure means that all current shareholders will now hold greater voting power, including Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, who is already the company's largest shareholder. Zuckerberg has indicated in the past that the company will eventually go public, and its current move seems to be modeled after Google Inc., which also adopted dual-class stocks when it went public in 2004.

Good Morning America watchers apparently prefer to get their kicks from coffee: The morning show on ABC canceled a performance by Lambert scheduled for America after his controversial and sexually charged performance at the American Music Awards on Sunday night, in which he kissed a man and simulated oral sex. “Given the controversial American Music Awards performance, we were concerned about airing a similar concert so early in the morning,” said an ABC News spokeswoman. Lambert will instead appear as a guest on the CBS Early Show.

The rain poured on the night of President Obama's first State Dinner, which honored Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The show went on in spite of the storm, with Obama noting "the high esteem in which I and the American people hold your [Singh's] wise leadership." Obama and Singh both stressed the value of their nations' "friendship": "India and America are separated by distance, but bound together by the values of democracy, pluralism, rule of law, and respect for fundamental human freedoms," Singh said. The guest list included the requisite Cabinet members and congressmen (Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden were both on hand) as well as a much-buzzed-about Hollywood contingent including Steven Spielberg, M. Night Shyamalan, and David Geffen. The Washington Post's Robin Givhan reports that Michelle Obama's office worked local Girl Scouts into the arrival ceremony, and that the first lady began her day in J. Crew, and ended with a gown by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan. The meal used ingredients from the White House garden (which Singh's vegetarianism naturally played to) and offered American and African-American favorites, such as collard greens and cornbread, alongside nan and Indian dishes. Pumpkin pie dessert gave a nod to Thanksgiving. After the meal, classical and jazz musicians will share the stage with Jennifer Hudson and A.R. Rahman, who won an Academy Award for Slumdog Millionaire tune "Jai Ho."

In the midst of Cold War panic, who better for the CIA to turn to than those schooled in the art of deception: magicians. Decades ago, the CIA paid John Mulholland, a famous magician at the time, $3,000 to write a manual on misdirection, concealment, and stagecraft. The results were thought to have been destroyed but are now being republished as The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception, which includes tips on shoelace patterns that mean “follow me” as well as tips on how to appear dumb and non-threatening. The manual was reportedly compiled as part of a bigger project known as MK-ULTRA, the aim of which was mind control. MK-ULTRA also led to heavy experimentation with LSD within the organization, and David Hambling wrote that while “unwilling clients at CIA brothels” were slipped the drug, members of the agency itself were also “fair game for secret testing,” resulting in a memo requesting that the punch bowls at CIA Christmas parties remain un-spiked.

Authorities are saying that the Kentucky Census worker who was found hanging from a tree in September with the word “fed” scrawled on his chest committed suicide, but staged the death to look like a homicide. Bill Sparkman, 51, was found with his mouth gagged and his hands duct taped. Shortly before dying, he took out two insurance policies that would not pay out for suicide. His case drew national attention when it appeared to some as though it may have been an act of right-wing extremist violence.

Was the invasion of Iraq in 2003 a foregone conclusion? Testimony from Sir Peter Ricketts, then the chairman of Britain’s Joint Intelligence Committee, says that British and American officials began discussing overthrowing Saddam Hussein in 2001, two years before the invasion of Iraq. In fact, British officials began reviewing Iraq policy as soon as Bush was elected because there was already “background noise” of discussion in the U.S. about overthrowing the Iraqi regime. The Iraq Inquiry chaired by Sir John Chilcot is expected to include testimony from witnesses like Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

After reports that India was annoyed by President Barack Obama’s rapport with China, the president appears to be trying to make amends. At a joint press conference on Tuesday with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Obama hailed the relationship between their two countries as one of the “defining partnerships” in the world. Obama said that he and Singh had agreed to “work even closer” on sharing information between law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

According to one of John McCain's top advisers on Hispanic issues, Sarah Palin was so uninformed about Latino issues and Latin American policy that she had to pull out of a scheduled Univision interview at the last moment. Ana Navaros, a GOP consultant, told Univision anchor Jorge Ramos that Palin "did not feel comfortable speaking about issues regarding Hispanics and Latin America" when she was to be interviewed by Ramos alongside McCain last year. Another source says that the interview cancellation was a "near-crisis situation," as McCain staffers hoped that Ramos wouldn't say why Palin had decided not to appear. Navarro says that after the cancellation, she was asked to travel with the vice presidential candidate and "brief her on those issues." Ramos eventually did sit down with Palin in an interview where the former governor of Alaska admitted that she didn't know how many illegal immigrants were in Alaska. Palin aide Jason Rechner says that Navarro was there "not to prep on Hispanic issues... [but] to prep on John McCain's stance on Hispanic issues."

Jennifer Hudson, the American Idol-contestant-turned-Oscar-winner, will sing at Tuesday’s state dinner at the White House, according to her label. Hudson, who like the Obamas hails from Chicago, also performed at the Democratic National Convention in Denver last year. The singer has maintained a somewhat lowered profile since the murders of her mother, brother, and nephew in 2008, but she'll be fully in the spotlight with this gig, performing in front of a crowd including former DreamWorks partners Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, and Jeffrey Katzenberg; Sony Pictures chair Michael Lynton; super-agent Ari Emanuel; director M. Night Shyamalan and actor Kal Penn—not to mention the guest of honor, Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. The event is the Obamas' first state dinner in the White House.

Who knows what kind of influence this could have on Barack Obama's approval ratings, but Us Weekly reports that Angelina Jolie isn't a fan of the president. "She hates him," a source tells the magazine. The U.N. goodwill ambassador reportedly opposes Obama's lax policies on welfare and handouts, and thinks he's "a socialist in disguise." Brad Pitt, the actress' paramour and an Obama supporter, attended the president's 2008 election party in Chicago, sans Jolie. The opposition between the power couple is reportedly a point of contention, and Us Weekly's source says that Jolie doesn't respect Pitt's political views.

A new muse for Woody Allen? Carla Bruni, the first lady of France, has confirmed that she will star in Allen’s next film. “He asked me to be in his next film. I don’t know for what role, but I said yes,” she told a French news program. “I’m not an actress at all,” she went on. “Maybe I’ll be totally horrible but I can’t in my life miss an opportunity like this.” Allen’s next project has not yet been announced but he has expressed interest in shooting in France.

Placing a firm bet on the future of fashion and retail, François-Henri Pinault, chief executive of PPR SA—the French luxury giant that owns brands like Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Puma—revealed to The Wall Street Journal his plans to sell off the company's retail divisions and refocus on its global brands. "We have a major weakness—retail," Pinault says. "It is a business that cannot develop quickly abroad." Analysts say that selling off its retail holdings, which include the electronics chain Fnac and the furniture retailer Conforama, could net the company some $6 billion, enough for Pinault to then double-down on apparel brands to create and shore up a new mass-market division to complement its luxury-goods family. Pinault, whose father built PPR on the back of the family's lumber business, buying Gucci in 1999, started the move away from retail in 2005; after buying Puma in 2007, the company is now actively looking for a buyer for Fnac and Conforama, while also looking for available mass-market brands to join Puma in the new division.

Those worried that Monday’s ham-in-Paula-Deen’s-face incident would ruin their holiday meals can relax: The T.V. chef is okay after the accident in which someone tragically misaimed a ham at a storage bucket at a charity event in Atlanta. “[Deen]quickly regained focus and kept her humor," says her rep. Speaking later on the radio, Deen laughed, saying the ham “hit me full long in the face and 'bout knocked me cuckoo, but I'm fine."

Wal-Mart and Amazon.com are staring each other down this holiday season as a price war between the two retailers has spread from books and DVDs to consumer electronics and Easy Bake Ovens ($17 from Wal-Mart; $18 from Amazon.com, as of last Wednesday.) But it's not just about the dough: "[T]he price-sniping by Wal-Mart is part of a greater strategic plan," says Fiona Dias of GSI Commerce. "They are just not going to cede their business to Amazon." In a tough economic climate for retailers, who are facing a predicted 1 percent decline in sales this holiday season, Wal-Mart is trying to aggressively stake out its online position—and look to the future of retailing. Amazon, though smaller than Wal-Mart overall, dominates the growing online retail market, and is expanding while others contract: its sales last quarter went up 24 percent, even as regular retail dropped 4 percent.

Home sales may have risen in October, but this ought to damp any celebration: The proportion of U.S. homeowners who owe more than their homes are worth rose to 23 percent. With nearly 10.7 million households having negative equity in their homes in the third quarter, a sustained housing recovery is unlikely. Economists from J.P. Morgan Chase said on Monday that they don’t expect the housing market to bottom out until 2011.

The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that the economy expanded at a 2.8 percent rate in the third quarter, slower than the government's original estimate of 3.5 percent, and that consumer spending grew at 2.9 percent. The smaller-than-expected GDP growth figure is nonetheless the strongest third-quarter growth in two years, according to the government. Corporate profits, spurred in part by large job cuts, increased by 11 percent in the third quarter, the fastest rate since 2004, but economists expect joblessness to remain high through next year, with unemployment figures above 10 percent.

Who would believe that Mariah Carey is a diva? According to Kate Garraway, the host of British morning talk show GMTV, Carey's recent appearance on the show was filled with unreasonable demands and bizarre requests. Garraway said that Carey had more entourage at GMTV than GMTV had crew, and that the pop star had some of her retinue members watch the taping to make sure she was being captured at her best angle. Carey also brought her own roll of toilet paper, and needed two attendants to lower her onto the sofa to speak. Carey, who has in the past said she's "baffled, shocked and appalled" by accusations of diva-like behavior, was not actually in the studio at the same time as Garraway. Carey's publicist said that Garraway's charges are a "clear, gross exaggeration."

The bodies of at several dozen political supporters and journalists have been recovered from a mass grave in the southern Philippines, according to the Philippine police. Eleven new bodies had been unearthed late Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 46. Police said that around 40 people had been traveling on Monday to register Buluan township vice mayor Ismael Mangudadatu as a candidate in the elections for provincial governor, when the convoy was stopped. Police found 24 bodies later in the day, including those of Mangudadatu's wife and two sisters.

Something for the banks to give thanks for: Bloomberg reports that the Federal Reserve has asked Bank of America and eight other banks to give plans including timetables for the repayment of TARP funds. It’s a sign that that the banks have been able to raise equity and exceed the capital buffers set for them in the stress tests. The nine banks that have yet to pay back TARP funds, which also include Citigroup and Wells Fargo, received about $142 billion in bailout money.

China executed two people on Tuesday for their roles in the tainted-milk scandal that killed six babies and sickened 300,000 more. Zhang Yujun was executed for endangering public safety and Geng Jinping was executed for producing and selling toxic food. The two men produced and sold the powder to the producers of the tainted milk. It contained the industrial chemical melamine, which causes kidney stones and kidney failures.

Iraq's effort to keep its parliamentary elections on schedule fell apart Monday when the current Parliament disregarded a vice presidential veto and pushed through new elections-related legislation that the veep swore to veto as well. The legislative deadlock has watchers wondering whether the troubled nation will be able to handle the challenges of America's coming troop withdrawal—or whether political and constitutional crises are on the horizon. The terms of the ethnically charged election were recently thought resolved, but deep-seated mistrust between Shiite leadership and Sunni underclass—as well as the Kurdish minority—have caused earlier deals to fall apart, and January's elections will likely be delayed. The current Parliament's constitutional mandate ends on March 15, and an election is supposed to happen 45 days before that; if elections fail to occur before the expiration date, it is unclear how the nation would proceed.

Paralyzed from the chest down, a groggy Maj. Nidal Hasan wavered in and out of consciousness during an hour-long hearing in his hospital room this weekend and lawyer John P. Galligan claims these circumstances that do not meet the accused's due-process rights. As pretrial proceedings for the most infamous military psychiatrist-turned-gunman begin, Army officials say Hasan requires "unique and tailored" proceedings, but Galligan doesn't trust it. "What does that mean?" Galligan, a retired colonel, asked. He continued, "Already on most basic fundamental parts of pretrial process, I am not saying it is totally derailed, but they need to do some maintenance to make sure we stay on track." Galligan says the military has ignored procedural requests and his request to question Hasan's unit commander, noting also that Hasan was transferred between units last week (while still in the hospital) for unclear reasons.