President Obama will announce his new strategy for Afghanistan during a primetime address to the nation from the West Point Military Academy Tuesday at 8 p.m., the White House announced Wednesday. Obama is expected to explain how a surge of troops—estimated between 20,000 and 40,000—is vital for national security interests, according to Politico; he will also likely note that failure would create a lawless country vulnerable to al Qaeda. The choice of setting—which provides a backdrop of future military officers—comes as the public is losing confidence in Obama’s policy. A USA Today/Gallup poll out Wednesday found that his approval rating on the war has plummeted: half of the people surveyed support deploying additional troops, while four in ten want to withdraw forces. And in a reversal of Obama's 56 percent approval rating on Afghanistan taken four months ago, 55 percent of people now disapprove of his handling of the war and 35 percent approve. Obama's not doing so well on other issues either: by a 2-to-1 margin, Americans think the U.S. shouldn't close Guantánamo, as Obama intends; by 49 percent to 44 percent, Americans oppose passing a health-care bill this year; and six in 10 say that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind, should be tried in military court, not in Manhattan. However, Obama's overall approval rating remains steady at 50 percent, where it's been since early October.

Two attacks undertaken by men wearing the uniforms of the Iraqi Army in the last two weeks have raised fears that the sectarian violence that plagued the country several years ago has returned. Six members of a family in Baghdad, including children, were killed on Wednesday; nine days before, 13 civilians were murdered in the Abu Ghraib district. But hard details about the attacks remain difficult to discern: the victims' relatives, local officials and security officials all give different accounts, many of them seemingly sectarian. Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, currently in the midst of a campaign against an election law he believes disenfranchises Sunnis, described the attacks as "the return of the death squads"; the Shiite-led government's official statements, on the other hand, say the killings are "tribal disputes." Commander of American forces in Iraq Gen. Ray Odierno says there are "several different theories... That's what we have to work our way through."

The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that officials hadn't followed the law in adopting procedures for executions Wednesday and suspended the killing of prisoners. The ruling did not address whether the three-drug cocktail used in lethal injections is inhumane. The justices held that the state corrections department must follow state laws concerning administrative procedures and publish details of the death penalty procedure and have public hearings on the matter. An anti-death-penalty group lawyer said the decision “will shine light on the lethal injection process and create accountability for the procedures that are used.” But dissenting justices said the ruling was a stalling tactic that "turns on a sterile technicality" and will lead to more delays in death penalty cases. “Respect for our law erodes when timely punishment is not given its fair place upon the scales of justice,” wrote one dissenter.

The trademark “Obama cool” will be on hand to fight global warming: President Obama will in fact attend the beginning of the U.N. climate-change meeting in Copenhagen on December 9, before jetting off to Oslo to accept his Nobel Peace Prize. The president will apparently pledge to reduce American greenhouse-gas emissions by 17 percent of 2005 levels by 2020. He will not return for the end of the meeting, which runs from December 7 to December 18.

They say never judge a book by its cover—but is it okay to judge a candidate by his or her book? With three likely candidates for the 2012 Republican presidential nominations becoming published authors over the next few months, book sales may be one factor in pundits' predictions for the upcoming race. Both former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin are taking to the road right now, promoting their new books—for Huckabee, A Simple Christmas, his folksy account of Christmases past, and for Palin, Going Rogue, her folksy account of the 2008 election. The potential candidates' books reveal differences in their characters: Mitt Romney plans to release No Apology: the Case for American Greatness, by all accounts a much less folksy tome of policy issues and political analysis. What the three Republicans' adventures in writing point to is a banner era for conservative publishing: Penguin vice president Will Weisser says the niche has been "renewed with vigor."

It seems that two partygoers at last night's state dinner weren't actually invited. A DC socialite couple were able to get into the party honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, despite lacking invitations; the Secret Service, which says it will be looking into its security procedures, said that the President was never in danger, since the couple went through the same security screening as all the invited guests. The couple, identified as Michaele and Tareq Salahi, consists of a hopeful reality TV show star (Michaele is said to be hoping for a spot on an upcoming Real Housewives of DC) and the man who founded "America's Polo Cup." The service learned about the gatecrashers thanks to journalists asking about the revelers online boasts and the photos on their Facebook page. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn were not available for comment.

AIG has agreed to settle all legal disputes with its former chairman Hank Greenberg, its former chief financial officer Howard Smith and the two companies run by Greenberg. Government-controlled AIG had a $1 billion claim pending in a civil suit against Greenberg and Smith; under the settlement, both parties agree to release each other from all claims. Greenberg said he hopes to help AIG "in trying to preserve and restore as much value as possible for all of AIG's stakeholders." After Greenberg left AIG four years ago, the company settled with the New York attorney general in 2006. That investigation precipitated Greenberg's leaving. Greenberg denied the charges (some have been dropped), and is fighting the case. AIG has agreed to give Greenberg some of his personal items, including photos and a Persian rug, plus some documents that will help him write his memoirs. The two parties have agreed to not publicly disparage each other.

A federal judge ordered the 14 firefighters who won a lankmark reverse-discrimination case in the Supreme Court to be promoted. The New Haven, Connecticut, firefighters said their civil rights had been violated when city officials threw out the results of a 2003 promotion exam because not enough minorities performed well. Six firefighters will be made captain, eight lieutenant.

As the population of rural villages in Alaska shrinks thanks to a growing number of natives moving to cities, more village schools are facing extinction, unable to enroll enough students to meet tougher state enrollment standards. Since the 1970s, when a court settlement ordered the construction of high schools in many villages, most rural Alaskans could depend on local educational institutions to teach their children. But with falling oil revenue comes a legislature hungry to cut the budget, and in 1998 a ruling came down requiring that a school must enroll 10 students to receive state funding. Four schools closed this fall, and with 30 more at risk, some schools have resorted to posting ads on Craigslist, begging families with children to move to their villages. "Schools may close, but the fact of the matter is, we're in the education business," says former state senator Gary Williken, who supported the higher enrollment standard. But many disagree: Allowing schools to close would mean "the death of the community," said Georgianna Lincoln, another former state senator.

As Libya has made nice with the West, its political royalty has adopted the traditional pastimes of the British upper class. Or at least, one of them has. Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi and the man who escorted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al Megrahi to a hero's welcome back in his country, recently enjoyed a charming gathering with some of Britain's most respected politicians, according to Charles Moore at the Spectator. Tony Blair's wife Cherie was at the partridge shoot, plus other unnamed guests with "double-barreled or European princely names." Gaddafi likes the sport so much he's blown away nearly 40,000 partridges in Tripoli, once in the company of a Formula 1 driver. Moore writes that shooting birds is preferable to "blowing up airliners," but it’s odd that British leaders would associate with "a member of the family responsible for the biggest terrorist atrocity ever committed against British citizens."

In March 2003, then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. However, new testimony from Parliament’s inquiry into the war reveals that, 10 days before the invasion, Blair was told Saddam had dismantled his chemical weapons. "We did, I think on March 10, get a report that chemical weapons might have remained disassembled and Saddam had not yet ordered their assembly,” said Sir William Ehrman, then the director of international security at the Foreign Office. “There was also a suggestion that Iraq might lack warheads capable of effective dispersal of agents." Ehrman said, however, that the intelligence made no difference. "From the counter-proliferation point of view it just proved that he had been lying and that he had prohibited items."

Tom Daschle is not registered as a lobbyist, and yet he works for a big-time lobbying firm. How does he get away with it? The Huffington Post calls his practice “influence peddling.” By never picking up a phone directly on his clients’ behalf, Daschle doesn’t have to disclose who they are or how they pay him. But in the past, he has worked “indirectly” through other lobbyists, passing on information from his political sources to registered lobbyists at his firm, who, in turn, pass it on to the clients. Daschle remains close with Obama, having met with him at the White House 11 times in the first six months of 2009.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his country will be scaling back on construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank for the next 10 months, an attempt to ease tensions and further peace negotiations with Palestine. "It enables us to present the world with a simple truth: The Israeli government wants to enter into negotiations and it is very serious about its intentions to advance peace," said Netanyahu of the move, which has also been described as an attempt to put public pressure on Palestinian authorities to re-enter negotiations. Things have not gone smoothly so far, and Israel’s partial suspension of construction is a far cry from the total cessation sought by Palestine. "Any return to negotiations must be on the basis of a complete settlement freeze, and in Jerusalem foremost," said a spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

She may have never held national executive office, but when it comes to book sales, Sarah Palin can hang with the presidents. In its first week of sales, Going Rogue sold 469,000 copies which is more than any memoir by current or past president or presidential contender, save Bill Clinton. Clinton’s My Life sold 606,000 copies in 2004; Hillary Clinton’s Living History sold 440,000 copies in 2003. Palin’s memoir also beat out new books by James Patterson and Stephen King in sales.

Dick Cheney may have been the most powerful vice president in American history, but could Joe Biden give him a run for his money? A new profile in The New York Times Magazine declares Biden the “second-most powerful vice president in history.” Biden is Obama’s right-hand man on foreign policy. He attends the president’s daily briefing every morning with National Security adviser James Jones, has a weekly one-on-one lunch with Obama, and sits on meetings with top national-security officials. It is also his duty to settle disputes among the so-called team of rivals, so he meets at least once a week with cabinet officers like Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates, and Jones. Of course, Dick Cheney may have made his job a bit easier: “Biden point out that he benefits from Cheney’s self-aggrandizement: Biden can reduce the scope of the office to something like its historic dimensions and still be the second-most powerful vice president in history.”

Even though her show will be expiring in two years, that doesn't mean Oprah is receding to the sidelines just yet. She's about to add President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama to the A-listers she has interviewed over the years on her show. The episode, "Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special," will air December 13, and will take audiences behind the White House doors to peek at the holiday preparations. Oprah came out as a loud supporter for the president during his 2008 campaign and was credited with getting him out in the lead for the primaries. It will be Oprah's first sit-down with the man in the White House since he took office.

Eight years after the fact, Wikileaks is releasing a series of unencrypted messages that were sent between pagers (many of them belonging to police and other officials) in the 24 hours surrounding the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The document-leaking site began releasing the 500,000 messages collected, beginning at 3 a.m. Eastern time Wednesday, and will continue for 24 hours, in order to follow the timeline in which they were sent on the day itself. Some of the messages to be released came from the Pentagon, FBI, FEMA and New York police. The pages include official information, as well as personal messages—“Eddie and Paul are OK. Paul is still trapped in his building which is next to the WTC.” Such messages have long been easy to hack, but Wikileaks maintains that its sources are organized and legitimate.

Woody Allen and other Polanski apologists can give thanks for this on Thursday night: The Associated Press is reporting that a Swiss court has approved Roman Polanski’s offer to be released on $4.5 million bail. According to the agreement, Polanski will be kept under house arrest and electronic monitoring at his Swiss chalet. Polanski will remain in prison, however, until the Swiss Justice Ministry decides whether or not to appeal the ruling to the country’s supreme court.

Adam Lambert defended his controversial AMA performance on CBS’s Early Show Wednesday morning, saying he’s “not a babysitter. I’m a performer.” He said the controversial moves—simulated oral sex and kissing a man—were impromptu, though he did admit “I do see how people got offended and that was not my intention.” He went on to say that “it didn't cross my mind, children. It was almost 11:00. It was a nighttime show. I was there in the audience full of mostly adults.” He also noted, "If it had been a female pop performer ... I don't think there'd be nearly as much of an outrage at all."

Who knew flipping the bird could be so profitable? David Hackbart, a one-time waiter from Pittsburgh, has won a $50,000 lawsuit from the city after protesting a police officer’s citation for using the middle finger. Frustrated that a car behind him would not move one day in April 2006, Hackbart started flipping off people around him. "I heard a voice outside the car telling me not to do that and that frustrated me too. So, I flipped that person off and that turned out to be a police officer," Hackbart said. "I tried to explain to him it was constitutionally protected, what I did. He did not want to hear it and gave me a citation." The disagreement went federal, becoming a civil rights case, which Pittsburgh is now settling for $50,000. Hackbart said he’s only getting $10,000—the rest is going to his lawyers and the American Civil Liberties Union.

One sign that Lou Dobbs is seriously considering a political run? He’s softening his immigration stances. In an interview with Telemundo on Friday, Dobbs appeared to embrace a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. "What isn't working is a penalty to those who are in this country illegally for whom we can both be building a bridge to the future in which there is legalization and at the same time constructing an environment in which everyone is clear and unequivocal about the need for boarder security and a regulated flow of immigration," Dobbs said. Just for good measure, Dobbs added that he is one of the Latino community’s “greatest friends.”

President Obama made his first pardon as president Wednesday morning—to a turkey named Courage, who’s now headed off to live in Disneyland. "Thanks to the intervention of Malia and Sasha, because I was planning to eat this sucker, Courage will also be spared this terrible and delicious fate,” Obama said at the Rose Garden, continuing a Thanksgiving tradition in place since Harry Truman was in the White House. His daughters, Malia and Sasha, also attended the event.

Something to be thankful for? Last week, the number of Americans filing unemployment claims fell to 466,000 from 501,000 the previous week, according to the Labor Department—the lowest level since September 2008—in a sign that layoffs may be slowing as the economy recovers. One economist explained the "falling claims suggest that fewer workers are losing their jobs," possibly because companies have cut back so much that further firings could threaten their capacity to ramp up production as the recession ends. That's not all the good news: Consumer spending rose above the expectation of economists in October. Purchases increased 0.7 percent in October after they decreased by 0.6 percent in September. Incomes also climbed 0.2 percent, according to Commerce Department figures.

Obama's first State dinner went off without a hitch, although rain forced the welcoming ceremony for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inside. Nearly everything about the dinner was symbolic, from the use of bipartisan Clinton and Bush presidential china to the sustainably harvested decorations of magnolia (native to both India and the U.S) to the meatless menu featuring arugula grown in the White House garden and pumpkin tart as an homage to Thanksgiving. The 338-member guest list was studded with celebrities like Stephen Spielberg, famous Indian-Americans such as writer Jumpa Lahiri and Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi, as well as policy wonks and members of the media. The event was held in an outdoor tent to accommodate the large number of invitees, which included Hillary Clinton, but not her husband. The first lady dazzled in a gold strapless gown by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan, while Washington's most eligible bachelor, Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau (one of People's 100 Most Beautiful People of 2009) attended the festivities without a date, and Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania experienced a wardrobe malfunction on the red carpet when his cummerbund dropped to the ground as he posed before a coterie of photographers.

Did Gitmo get him? Phillip Carter, the Obama administration official who, as assistant secretary of defense for detainee policy, was in charge of closing Guantánamo Bay, resigned last Friday. The Pentagon cited “personal issues” for his departure only seven months into the job. His resignation comes on the heels of the resignation of White House counsel Gregory Craig, who was in charge of detainee policy.

Keeping emotions bottled up inside could lead to health problems, according to a Swedish study. The survey, which involved 2,755 men with an average age of 41, confirmed previous findings and found that bottling up frustration and anger at work made men two to five times more likely to suffer a heart attack or die from heart disease. Men who held in their feelings or let off steam once they got home experienced a doubled risk of heart attack and death, while men who walked away or let things pass without saying anything experienced heart risks five times greater than those who vent frustration openly. More studies are needed to confirm the connection between anger and heart problems, but if validated, confronting unfair treatment may become an important factor in reducing the rates of heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide.

A new report on AIG by Special Inspector General Neil Barofsky "reads like a case study in failed negotiation" and suggests that then-New York Fed President and current Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner "grievously damaged the nation and capitulated to the very banks [he] should have been supervising" according to New York ex-Governor Eliot Spitzer's column in Slate. Spitzer says that the decision by Geithner and the Fed to pay AIG's counterparties—the leading Wall Street banks—100 cents on the dollar while demanding concessions from other entities makes no sense. As Spitzer puts it, "pressuring Goldman and other counterparties to offer concession would have forced them to absorb the consequences of making suspect deals with an insurance company that was essentially a Ponzi scheme."

Donny Osmond knows how to shake what his momma gave him. The former teen idol won Season 9 of Dancing With the Stars last night after a steamy tango with professional partner Kym Johnson. Osmond beat out Kelly Osbourne and Mya, who respectively danced a waltz and jive with their partners, for the honor. Unlike American Idol, Dancing With the Stars scoring is evenly split between the judges and audience. While judge Len Goodman praised Mya as having "the most natural ability of any finalist" she couldn't marshal enough fan support to win the competition. Although Kelly Osbourne came in third, hers was the story of the season. She used the show as therapy, crediting it with helping her see for the first time "everything that's right about me instead of everything that's wrong."

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.

AIG CEO Robert Benmosche isn’t going anywhere: He has signed a non-compete agreement—a sign he’s planning on staying on top at the troubled insurer. The price tag? $7 million: $3 million in salary and $4 million in stock. Benmosche had told the board in recent weeks that he was tempted to quit after Obama’s pay czar slashed his executives’ salaries, but then reversed himself in a letter to employees saying he was “totally committed” to the company.

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."

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.

At least it’s not Growing Up Gotti? UNICO, a national Italian-American service organization based in New Jersey, has asked MTV to cancel Jersey Shore, its upcoming reality show depicting Italian-American beachgoers that is set to air on December 3. The show bills its subjects as the "hottest, tannest, craziest Guidos" who "keep their hair high, their muscles juiced, and their fists pumping all summer long." UNICO says the show is "trash television" that relies on offensive stereotypes and highlights bad behavior and violence among renters at a Jersey beach house. An MTV spokeswoman said the show continues the channel's history of documenting subcultures and youthful rites of passage, adding that the Italian-American cast "takes pride in their ethnicity."

A little something for everyone...to attack? According to The Washington Post, not only will President Obama’s primetime address on Afghanistan next week announce a plan for escalating the war—25,000 to 30,000 troops, says The New York Times—but it also “outlines plans for ending it.” In order to placate war skeptics, Obama will lay out a “modest endgame” and set a general timeframe for exit, says the Post. The remarks will last 40 minutes.

So much for being a national newspaper. The Washington Post is going to close all of its U.S. bureaus outside of Washington D.C., effective December 31. That means no more Post bureau for Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. “At a time of limited resources and increased competitive pressure, it's necessary to concentrate our journalistic firepower on our central mission of covering Washington and the news, trends and ideas that shape both the region and the country's politics, policies and government," the newspaper's top editor, Marcus Brauchli, wrote in a memo to employees.

The Toyota Prius may save the world … if it doesn’t kill you first. Some of the popular hybrids are among the 3.8-million cars whose gas pedals the Japanese auto maker will replace after its September recall. The recall was after a Lexus's accelerator become stuck in August, leading to a crash that killed a highway patrol officer and three of his family members. As a temporary step, Toyota dealers will begin shortening gas pedals in January until the new gas pedals are ready.

Rudy Giuliani may be the least of New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s problems. Glenn Thrush at Politico reports that former Tennessee congressman Harold Ford Jr. is considering a primary challenge against Gillibrand. Ford moved to New York City after losing the Tennessee senate race by a hair in 2006 and has apparently been polling New Yorkers about a possible candidacy. Ford’s currently the head of the Democratic Leadership Council and his positions—including opposition to gay marriage and some abortions—put him to the right of Gillibrand.