International:
Appeals Court Upholds Saddam Hussein's Death Sentence. An Iraqi appeals court has upheld the death sentence imposed on Saddam Hussein at his first trial, Iraq's national security adviser said Tuesday, and a tribunal official said the verdict will be carried out even if the presidency doesn't ratify it.

"The appeals court approved the verdict to hang Saddam," Mouwafak al-Rubaie told The Associated Press.

On Nov. 5, an Iraqi court sentenced Saddam to the gallows for the 1982 killings of 148 people from a Shiite Muslim town after an attempt on his life there.

Iraq's highest court said the former dictator must be hanged within 30 days for his role in the slayings. "From tomorrow, any day could be the day" Saddam is sent to the gallows, the chief judge said. More on this story here.

Iran may declare major enrichment feat Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki reportedly told members of the Iranian parliament on Tuesday that Iran would soon announce that it had managed to enrich uranium using 3,000 centrifuges, an Iranian MP told the FARS News Agency on Tuesday. Developing story here.

National:
US Space Command: Vision 2020 If you haven't read it yet, you better get moving on this document. It is the plan for United States' domination of the Earth from space. The first page calls for, "dominating the space dimension of military operations to protect US interests and investment."

When you read the document, you will find such phrases as, "full spectrum dominance;" "control of space is the ability to assure access to space…and an ability to deny others the use of space, if required."

Compare the above to the Outer Space Treaty [Declaration of Legal Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space], which can be read on the United Nations site, here. I highlight the word "Treaty" above because the US Constitution states that "treaties are the law of the land".

Another interesting fact is that our current Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts seems to agree with this Constitutional fact. Here is an excerpt from a dialogue between Roberts and Feinstein that relates to the above.

FEINSTEIN: Let me turn to something else that Senator Leahy asked a number of questions on, and that's the Constitution and executive power. I'm looking for the section, but the Constitution very clearly says that any treaty is treated as the supreme law of the land, right, and that no state or official can abrogate it?

ROBERTS: Right.

Military considers recruiting foreigners? The armed forces, already struggling to meet recruiting goals, are considering expanding the number of noncitizens in the ranks -- including disputed proposals to open recruiting stations overseas and putting more immigrants on a faster track to US citizenship if they volunteer -- according to Pentagon officials. Read more here.

In Other News…
James Brown, 1933-2006: Harry Allen describes how "JB Revolutionized PopularMusic", Provided the Soundtrack to the Civil Rights Movement and Created theBlueprint for Hip-Hop. Musical legend James Brown died on Christmas at the age of 73. He was one ofthe most significant musical pioneers of the past 50 years. Much more here

“President Bush is bracing for what could be an onslaught of investigations by the new Democratic-led Congress by hiring lawyers to fill key White House posts and preparing to play defense on countless document requests and possible subpoenas.”

British and Iraqi soldiers raided a police station in Basra on Monday, uncovering “appalling” detainee conditions. “More than 100 men were crowded into a single cell, 30 feet by 40 feet, he said, with two open toilets… A significant number showed signs of torture. Some had crushed hands and feet…, while others had cigarette and electrical burns and a significant number had gunshot wounds to their legs and knees.”

“Supplies of highly potent Afghan heroin in the United States are growing so fast that the pure white powder is rapidly overtaking lower-quality Mexican heroin, prompting fears of increased addiction and overdoses.” Heroin-related deaths in Los Angeles County “soared from 137 in 2002 to 239 in 2005, a jump of nearly 75% in three years.”

From the Right: Bruce Bartlett:

Of debts and deficits
In the real world, of course, people measure their progress not against some incorrect forecast, but against actual results.

From The Left: US Military Dead In Iraq Surpasses 9/11: the milestone came on Christmas The US military on Tuesday reported the deaths of six soldiers in three separate roadside bomb attacks in Iraq.

Quote Of The Day: "What James Brown was to music in terms of soul andhip-hop, rap, is what Bach was to classical music." Rev. Al Sharpton

(Sources: TownHall, TruthOut, FOXNews, DemocracyNow, DrudgeReport, Center For American Progress, AP, TPMmuckraker, LittleGreenFootballs, NYT, LATimes, Breitbart, PoliticalCartoons.com, JerusalemPost, BostonGlobe)