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Sweeping security is set for Iraq vote. BAGHDAD — Iraqi authorities announced sweeping security measures yesterday designed to prevent suicide bombings and other attacks during the national election scheduled for Jan. 30, including a three-day ban on car travel between major cities and wide cordons around thousands of polling places. [Boston Globe — Front Page]

WP. Global guerrillas in Iraq are getting more effective….“What they're doing is focusing efforts on intelligent attacks on infrastructure, especially oil and electricity,” said a senior U.S. diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “The number of attacks is down, but the effectiveness of the attacks is up significantly.” “When I see where some of… Continue reading WP

T. Saudi Arabia continues to crush the political community that could provide them a level of immunity to a bloody coup d'etat. Fifteen anti-monarchy demonstrators, including a woman, have been sentenced to public lashings and jail terms in Saudi Arabia. The sentences are a signal that the government will not tolerate open opposition despite undertakings… Continue reading T

Rising Violence and Fear Drive Iraq Campaigners Underground. In large swaths of Iraq, campaigning is done in the shadows by candidates who are often too terrified to say their names. By DEXTER FILKINS. [NYT > Home Page]

Social Security Agency Is Enlisted to Push Its Own Revision. The Social Security Administration is preparing a campaign to convince the public that private accounts are needed. By ROBERT PEAR. [NYT > Home Page]

Bush. Iraq, and the Election. President Bush said the public's decision to reelect him was a ratification of his approach toward Iraq and that there was no reason to hold any administration officials accountable for mistakes or misjudgments in prewar planning or managing the violent aftermath. (Link) Somebody needs to tell the President that a… Continue reading Bush. Iraq, and the Election

GOP seeks exemption to bias law. WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders want to exempt members of Congress from laws against discrimination that apply to private employers, despite the Republicans' Contract With America pledge that ''all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress” and a decade-old law that… Continue reading GOP seeks exemption to bias law