The announcement that Reverend Rick Warren will be delivering the invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration has already drawn some harsh criticism.

High on the list of complaints is that Warren, pastor of the Saddleback mega-church in Orange County, California, is anti-gay-marriage and recently threw his support behind California's much-debated Proposition 8. The Human Rights Campaign has sent Obama a letter asking him to "reconsider."

Liberal bloggers also denounced Obama's selection. Ezra Klein at The American Prospect said:

There's a difference between reaching out to the evangelical community with respect and surrendering to it. Obama could have called on an Episcopalian or a Methodist or any number of more complicated and nuanced religious figures. Giving Warren this sort of political-religious opportunity effectively codifies his position as America's most politically important, and accepted, religious leader. That seems unwise, and unnecessary."

As Klein himself points out, Warren "is the author of the best-selling book of all time" and concedes an argument (albeit an unlikely one in his opinion), can be made that "Obama's demonstrated respect for the preacher might build some level of rapport, or at least openness, with that community."

But how surprised are we really by this invitation? Obama has reached out to America's most powerful evangelical before, sharing the stage with him for an event on AIDS prevention, (that time it was Warren who drew criticism from his followers) and participating in a campaign forum at Saddleback.

We've had our eye on Warren's rise in U.S. politics. In our World's Top Religious Power Brokers List from October, I wrote, "Whichever candidate wins in November, he’ll likely be making a regular pilgrimage to Orange County for counsel and support." It appears the back-scratching has begun.

Photo: David McNew/Getty Images

In his first televised interview since November's election that aired last night, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney talked to ABC's Jonathan Karl about his eight years in office. Being called Darth Vader never really "bugged" him and Cheney says he's going to miss being second in command. But does he share President Bush's regrets about the War in Iraq? Nope. Does he have any regrets? Hmm...not really.

Here are a few highlights.

On invading Iraq:

This was a bad actor and the country's better off, the world's better off with Saddam gone and I think we made the right decision in spite of the fact that the original NIE was off in some of its major judgments."

On the "American public [being] overwhelmingly against the war":

If we had responded to the polls I think the world would look very different today than it does. I think Saddam Hussein would still be in power. I think the progress that we've made in liberating 50 million people in Iraq and Afghanistan might well have not happened."

On the Bush administration's policies regarding interrogation:

On the question of so-called torture, we don't do torture. We never have. It's not something that this administration subscribes to."

Regrets?

Oh, not a lot at this stage....I think given the circumstances we've had to deal with, I think we've done pretty well."

On President George W. Bush's recent handling of the shoe-throwing incident:

I thought he had some good moves, the way he ducked and avoided the shoe."

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

According to Jeffrey Gettleman of the New York Times, the recent surge of U.N.-inspired naval patrols sent to thwart out of control piracy aren't having much of an effect on the Somali pirates.

More than a dozen warships from Italy, Greece, Turkey, India, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, France, Russia, Britain, Malaysia and the United States have joined the hunt.

And yet, in the past two months alone, the pirates have attacked more than 30 vessels, eluding the naval patrols, going farther out to sea and seeking bigger, more lucrative game, including an American cruise ship and a 1,000-foot Saudi oil tanker.

The pirates are recalibrating their tactics, attacking ships in beelike swarms of 20 to 30 skiffs, and threatening to choke off one of the busiest shipping arteries in the world, at the mouth of the Red Sea."

Outgunned and outnumbered, the pirates "seem to be getting only wilier."

While some ships have taken to alternative, and largely unsuccessful tactics -- the crew of a Filipino boat hurled tomatoes at assailants -- merchant vessels are now hiring private security guards, who offer more hands-on suggestions: "We should make 'em walk the plank," says one.

Preeti Aroon

"Woman Blinded by Spurned Man Invokes Islamic Retribution" by Thomas Erdbrink in the Washington Post. In 2004, a rejected suitor dumped sulfuric acid on Ameneh Bahrami, blinding her and disfiguring her face. Bahrami, now 31, requested literal eye-for-an-eye retribution, and last month, her attacker was sentenced to five drops of the acid in each of his eyes, to be carried out whenever the judiciary decides.

Elizabeth Dickinson

"Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience." Odd as it sounds, this 513-page report, leaked to The New York Times over the weekend, is a page turner. It meticulously traces the steps leading up the Iraq War, the invasion itself, and the massively under planned reconstruction. Details and characters emerge from the chaos to paint a clear picture of how things went wrong, and where they did go right. (Keep an eye on Passport for some juicy highlights.)

Rebecca Frankel

"Faith Equals Fertility." In the Winter edition of Intelligent Life, Anthony Gottleib looks at the global geographical phenomenon of the "huddling of the faithful" explained by the fact that most people assume the religion of their parents. Noting that religious communities are growing significantly in population when compared to their non-religious neighbors, Gottleib wonders if "one might half-seriously conclude that atheists and agnostics ought to focus on having more children, to help overcome their demographic disadvantage."

Joshua Keating

"We Agree: Get Froze," by Robin Hanson on his blog Overcoming Bias. If FP ever does a "Think Again" on cryonics -- or "freezing folks in liquid nitrogen when the rest of medicine gives up on them" -- econo-blogger Robin Hanson would be the guy to write it. As a bonus, check out his post on "whole brain emulations," which prompted a lengthy discussion of robots and inequality in the comment thread.

Kate Palmer

"Marching Through Georgia." Wendell Steavenson (The New Yorker, Dec. 15). An excellent postmortem on this summer's war between Georgia and Russia, framed around a profile of the colorful Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili. My favorite bit? "Waiting for his car by the side entrance, Saakashvili was ebullient. He flipped through a copy of Newsweek with his picture in it and showed off his new watch: 'Kenneth Cole. I got it in Miami.'… He said that he didn't want to stay for the dinner after Bush's reception. 'First, they don't feed you well at this thing,' he said, 'and then they sit you next to Mugabe.'"

MOHAMMED SAWAF/AFP/Getty Images

Give Tzipi Livni some credit -- she's still keeping it real. Even with Israel's upcoming election looking ever-tight, with Likud narrowing the margin, Livni's not kowtowing to anyone. As a result, she's been pissing off, well, pretty much everyone, Arabs and Jews alike.

The Kadima party candidate might have made a misstep when, in an address students over the radio yesterday about her solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, said: "I will also be able to approach the Palestinian residents of Israel... and tell them: 'Your national aspirations lie elsewhere.'"

While Livni was merely expanding on her idea "to have two distinct national entities," she left the comment open ended. "Transferring" Israeli Arabs out of Israel is understandably a touchy subject, and one usually associated with hardline right-wingers. Needless to say, the Israeli Arab population took note and demanded that the PM hopeful define her position.

In true Livni style she clarified her statement on public radio but made no soft-ball apologies.

There is no question of carrying out a transfer or forcing them [Israeli Arabs] to leave.... I am willing to give up a part of the country over which I believe we have rights so that Israel will remain a Jewish and democratic state in which citizens have equal rights, whatever their religion."

All better, right? Not quite. Today it was the Jews turn to get offended at Livni truth-telling, this time over the return of Israeli soldier, Galid Shalit, who is being held by Hamas. "It's not always possible to bring everyone home," Livni said. Even as protestors piled up in front of her Tel Aviv home today, Livni would not take back her words.

Whether or not Livni is going to lose political ground here, she's not pandering to anyone. Perhaps Livni knows better than most that you can't please everyone all the time, especially in Israel.

Photo: Chris Hondros/Getty Images

In a spirit of reflection, as the UN's International Year of the Potato winds to a close, we present this monstrosity:

Lebanese farmer Khalil Semhat holds a giant potato in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on December 6, 2008. The farmer couldn't believe his peeled eyes when he discovered he had grown a massive potato weighing 11.3 kilos (24.9 pounds), he said today, adding that he now hopes to enter the Guinness World Records book.

AFP/Getty Images

If you were thinking the place Vladimir Putin calls home, you chose wisely, tovarisch. Russia topped the list of countries whose companies are most likely to pay bribes when doing business abroad. China and Mexico took the silver and bronze. India, dropping from first in the 2006 survey, took fourth followed by Brazil and Italy.

Transparency International, a worldwide coalition dedicated to fighting global corruption, based its 2008 Bribe Payers Index (BPI) on interviews with 2,742 senior business executives from companies "selected on the size of their imports and inflows of foreign direct investment."

Among those on the up and up, Belgium ranked the least likely to engage in bribery, followed by Canada, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The United States managed to squeak in with the top ten "good guys," ranking ninth.

Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

What happened to the good old days when kids just used to sniff glue to get high? The BBC reports that South African teens have turned the trend of substituting prescriptions drugs for recereational drugs -- like snorting Ritalin -- into an unexpected venture: smoking anti-retroviral HIV/AIDS drugs to get lit.

Aside from the obvious reasons why this recently discovered habit -- grinding up the pills into powder and then mixing it with pain killers or smoking it with marijuana -- is so distressing, teenage users are getting their "stash" from HIV/AIDS patients and health care workers responsible for distributing the medication.

This raises serious questions about the infrastructure for a crucial medical service already stunted by reluctant leaders and lack of funding. It also means that people who need these drugs to stay healthy aren't taking them as prescribed, while others, barely able to get these drugs as it is, have a new obstacle to contend with -- users who are willing to pay and the health care workers willing to sell what precious drugs they have to the highest bidder.

I hate to think that Barbara Hogan, South Africa's newly appointed health minister, upon whom many hopes have been pinned, will be wasting any energy or valuable dollars on keeping drugs away from a foolish few, when so many are in real need.

GEOFF ROBINS/AFP/Getty Images

Preeti Aroon

Mission: Black List #1. Saddam Hussein was captured five years ago this Saturday, Dec. 13. Leading up to that day in 2003, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Eric Maddox spent months chasing down leads and interrogating detainees to determine Saddam’s hiding spot. In his book, Maddox provides a behind-the-scenes, moment-by-moment account of the capture of the man known as "Black List #1." (Full disclosure: I haven’t actually read the book, but it's next on my list.)

Jerome Chen

"Obama’s Poetic Predecessor." Barack Obama is known to whip up eloquent speeches that rival even those Abraham Lincoln once delivered. But how is the president-elect when it comes to verse? The Atlantic's David Barber points us to a few examples of Obama and Lincoln's oeuvres so we can decide for ourselves.

Elizabeth Dickinson

"Be Nice to the Countries that Lend You Money." James Fallows of The Atlantic interviews the banker who manages some of the United States’s China debt. This piece offers fascinating insight into the way that Asian lending nations view American debtors, why they are willing to keep lending, and where the relationship will go in coming years. Of course, the title says it all: the United States will need to be nice if it wants to keep the credit lines open.

Rebecca Frankel

"In the Land of Cholera: Africans Finally Turn Against Comrade Bob." The Wall Street Journal discusses why, when little else has changed in Zimbabwe (where human rights workers are routinely abused, soldiers abuse their power and the "economy continues to sink and inflation to rise -- to the current insanity of 231 million percent"), all it's taking for African leaders to only now come together to push Mugabe out of power, is the rampant spreading of this intestinal disease.

David Kenner

"A Balanced Strategy." Robert Gates defines "balance" as the most important principle behind the Pentagon’s new National Defense Strategy. In this essay for Foreign Affairs, Gates worries that the Pentagon bureaucracy is predisposed to conventional warfare, at the expense of developing the capacity to fight "today’s wars," which requires promoting better governance and addressing the grievances that can lead to terrorism.

The lone surviving terrorist from last week's devastating attacks in Mumbai has been in police custody since he was captured last week (his exact name is a matter of dispute, but let's call him Ajmal Amir Kasab for now). He's given up some information, according to press accounts, but the Times of London now reports that Indian interrogators are prepared to take a drastic step to get more answers -- giving him truth serum.

While it sounds like something that only exists in bad spy flicks, or in the pages of a Harry Potter volume, administrating truth serum, or narcoanalysis, is an actual technique used by Western intelligence agencies during the Cold War. The interviewee is typically drugged with barbiturates and then undergoes a form of psychotherapy by interrogators. It's a questionable tactic given that the drugs can cause hallucinations and psychotic episodes.

According to Mumbai's joint commissioner of police, much of the information Kasab gave has been accurate (it was Kasab who told where to find the boat the terrorists hijacked). Questions about his background and nationality remain, however. On Tuesday, Mumbai Police Chief Hasan Gafoor told reporters that Kasab admitted he is a Pakistani and comes from a village in the Punjab province.

But some journalists, like the BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan, who are following up on these details by visiting Faridkot, the terrorist's alleged hometown, find the information conflicting.

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari told CNN that he "very much" doubts that Kasab is Pakistani, but pressure is building in India to prove that he is and unravel his links to Lashkar-e-Taiba, the militant organization U.S. and Indian investigators believe is behind in the attacks.

Hence, truth serum. Though it may be effective in getting Kasab to spill the beans, I'd rather that drugs and psychotherapy not become a substitute for good, old-fashioned intelligence.   

As the world continues to mourn those killed in last week's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, U.S. news agencies reported yesterday that the United States had passed intelligence to the Indian government warning of possible attacks, not once but twice.

U.S. officials are saying that they delivered intelligence reports to Indian government officials in mid-October that specifically detailed the threat of an attack "from the sea against hotels and business centers in Mumbai" and named the Taj Mahal hotel.

The Indian Navy is now shifting blame around while it sorts out where the "systematic failure" of security and intelligence actually occurred. On Sunday, the Mumbai fishermen's union claimed it reported suspicions that "explosives were being smuggled in by boat" to police.

But the Indian government (which believes the militant group thought responsible, Lashkar-e-Taiba, has ties to the Pakistani government), insists these warnings were minded. Alerts were raised and precautions were taken 10 days before the attack occurred and the measures, officials believe, did postpone the attacks, even if only for a few days.

Ratan Tata, owner of the Taj Mahal hotel, has said in interviews that while they beefed up security in the days before the attacks, even the information they had was not enough to "have stopped what took place."

In an interview with Charlie Gibson excerpted online and set to air on ABC tonight, George W. Bush will discuss his two-term presidency as it comes to an end. Not all his days in office were happy ones, he concedes, but overall the 43rd U.S. president says that "every day has been pretty joyous."

When Gibson asked himif he felt responsible for what's happening with the economy, Bush replied that he was "a little upset" about not pushing reform on insurers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in time because "it would have helped a lot."

His biggest regret? As he told Gibson, it "has to have been the intelligence failure in Iraq. ... And, you know, that's not a do-over, but I wish the intelligence had been different, I guess."  

And while President Bush doesn't "spend a lot of time really worrying about short-term history," here are 10 other things he should regret:

1. September 11, 2001

While many rate the image of Bush standing on the rubble of the World Trade Center as a strong point in his presidency, he was not the first to appear in front of television cameras that day to address the nation -- New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was. It's difficult to watch the footage of Bush as he waited for seven minutes, frozen in that elementary school classroom after hearing the second tower had been hit.

2. Ignoring Al Qaeda

The 9/11 Commission determined that indeed on August 6, 2001, after months of intelligence reports warning of al Qaeda's growing sophistication, Bush received a Presidential Daily Brief titled, "Bin Laden Determined To Strike in US."

3. Weapons of Mass Destruction

In 2004, the CIA released a report that found that there were no WMD in Iraq at the time of the U.S. invasion and that Saddam Hussein had relinquished any plans for a nuclear program after the 1991 Gulf War. More disturbing were reports that CIA Director George Tenet had delivered secret intelligence to the president in September 2002 revealing that, in fact, there were no WMD. Bush dismissed the intel and pushed ahead. 

4. Declaring Mission Accomplished in Iraq

On May 1, 2003, Bush announced victory in Iraq. "The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September 11th, 2001, and still goes on," he told those present on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. Nearly six years later, there are still 146,000 U.S. troops stationed in Iraq.

5. Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo

Few in Iraq or elsewhere will forget the images of American soldiers abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib. And the U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay has proved to be the recruiting tool of Osama bin Laden's dreams.

6. Not Firing Donald Rumsfeld Sooner

This one is a no-brainer -- since Bush's first secretary of defense left the scene, his successor has had to clean up one mess after another.

7. Waiting Too Long on Israeli-Palestinian Peace

President Bush waited seven years to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Annapolis process he initiated -- called a charade by some -- was unlikely to succeed given the short time frame allotted and the degree to which the situation had deteriorated.

8. Botching Hurricane Katrina

The timeline leading up to Hurricane Katrina leaves much room to blame Bush. Afterwards, he was little better. The photograph of Bush surveying the devastation from Air Force One speaks volumes about his distant, botched handling of the disaster. The 600-plus-page report put together by a bipartisan committee, "A Failure of Initiative," determined that "earlier presidential involvement could have speeded the response."

9. Ignoring Afghanistan

However misdirected, the Bush administration put all of its eggs in the Iraq-war basket. But the worst part? Despite warnings from the military, Bush diverted key resources away from the fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda in order to invade Iraq. Iraq may be stabilizing, but we're now paying the price for the neglect of Afghanistan.

10. Strengthening Iran

Today, David Ignatius gives the Bush administration an "F" for its handling of Iran. "The strategic balance between the two countries is the opposite of what Bush had hoped to accomplish: Iran is stronger than it was eight years ago, and the United States, fighting costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is weaker."

Preeti Aroon

"Anti-Terror Law Requires God Be Acknowledged," by John Cheves in the Lexington Herald-Leader (it's not online, but a related AP story is here). In my home state of Kentucky, state law requires that annual reports from the state's Office of Homeland Security credit God for Kentucky's security. No joke: The Emergency Operations Center must post a plaque that begins, "The safety and security of the Commonwealth [of Kentucky] cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God."

TONY KARUMBA/AFP/Getty Images

Jerome Chen

"The United States of Africa." Newsweek's Jason McLure interviews Jean Ping, chairman of the African Union Commission, an administrative branch of the African Union. Ping remains optimistic that promoting democracy in individual countries across Africa can eventually lead to some form of centralized governence of the continent. "We are 53 countries, and if your image of the continent is that of Zimbabwe or Somalia, it's not fair," he writes.

Elizabeth Dickinson

AIDS Accountability Country Scorecard Report. The world's richest countries tend to be strong advocates for treating and monitoring the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the developing world. But as this report by AIDS Accountability International finds, the same wealthy nations rarely meet their reporting standards at home. Released today on World AIDS Day, the report offers a frank assessment of how much we don't know about progress in the fight against this deadly disease.

Rebecca Frankel

"A Teflon Putin for Your Grandkids to Admire." In this Moscow Times op-ed, Yevgeny Kiselyov envisions an "entirely plausible" scenario in which Vladimir Putin -- who still has an 86 percent approval rating -- could be president until 2024. Even then, Putin "would still be younger than former U.S. President Ronald Reagan was when he left the White House." 

Blake Hounshell

"The Hugo Chávez Show" on Frontline. The best documentary show on TV strikes again with an in-depth look at the caudillo of Caracas and his weekly television spectacle, Aló Presidente. Believe it or not, this buffoon is in charge of one of the world’s most important oil suppliers.

Joshua Keating

The Power Vertical. The blogosphere has been badly in need of an obsessive Kremlinology blog. This new one by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Brian Whitmore and Robert Coalson is off to a promising start, offering exhaustive analysis of Russian politics. Check out Coalson's analysis of how the newly extended parliamentary terms will enhance the Kremlin's credibility by requiring it to stage-manage "elections" less often.

David Kenner

"Rockland Man Allegedly Posed As Agent to Board Plane." Boston's Logan Airport, the hub from which the 9/11 terrorists departed, still doesn't have its act together. The Boston Herald reports how a medical supply salesman, who told airport personnel he was an armed federal agent, got around security checkpoints by flashing an assistant harbormaster's badge. Logan security even brought him onto multiple planes and, on one occasion, let him into the cockpit.

The juxtaposition of two of today's headlines pertaining to AIDS in Africa is glaring. One touted a new strategy for HIV testing that could slow, if not altogether halt the spread of the virus, while the other released the devastating findings of a Harvard University study which linked 365,000 premature deaths to former South African President Thabo Mbeki's refusal to acknowledge scientific evidence of HIV/AIDS's viral capability.

The study's findings, published in The New York Times yesterday, blamed the South African government and, in particular Mbeki, for not only being lax in making the anti-retroviral drugs widely available but for flatly denying their importance. Mbeki's claimed that AIDS was caused by malnutrition and that treatments were toxic.

The promising new treatment model, which proposes a combo of HIV screening of every adult and treatment for all those who test positive, was published this week in the British journal Lancet.

If employed successfully, the study predicts that "transmission rates would fall from 20 new cases per 1,000 people per year to 1 case per 1,000 in about a decade." A biostatistician at WHO, Reuben M. Granich, said that if aggressively pursued, the testing-and-treatment approach could be "the greatest strategy for reducing transmission" of HIV.

While the method and implication of such widespread, regular testing (even if on a voluntary basis) has raised eyebrows and serious doubts about its viability, at least it offers a certain rational and sense of control. Treatments of this kind are part of the reason why the World Health Organization predicts fewer AIDS fatalities in the next two decades. Previous attempts at prevention techniques in many African countries -- sex education, abstaining, information about circumcision -- haven't proved successful.

And in the face of blatant ignorance like Mbeki's, why would anyone be surprised?

Preeti Aroon

Physics for Future Presidents. Physics Professor Richard A. Muller writes that everyone expects the U.S. president to know the difference between Sunni and Shiite. But knowing physics will lead them to understand that a nuclear attack isn't the greatest danger posed by terrorists and that getting the United States to "go green" shouldn't be the focus in halting global warming. If you don't have time to read the book, check out the List that Muller wrote for FP: "Five Physics Lessons for Obama."

Jerome Chen

"The End." In Portfolio, Michael Lewis, author of Liar's Poker, retraces the path of a brave hedge fund manager, Steve Eisman, who bet against the subprime mortgage mania. Eisman, as Lewis tells it, was a voice of reason that fought the delusions of Wall Street. And though his warnings fell on deaf ears, he profited handsomely from the industry's downfall.

Elizabeth Dickinson

Michel Agier's On the Margins of the World, recently translated from the original French, takes an anthropological look at what it means to be a refugee today. While noting there is literally a nation of refugees (nearly 50 million people), Agier's most profound conclusion is about all humans: that how we "quarantine" the world's victims exposes our own alarming insecurity.

Rebecca Frankel

"End of an Aura." In The Economist, Ann Wroe reminisces about George W. Bush's most telling attribute -- his nostrils. While able to "sniff out WMD in Iraq as snappily as hot dogs at a football game" they could not "smell the putrid mud that covered the ninth ward of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina passed." Alas, the nose did not know very much at all.

Joshua Keating

Backstabbing for Beginners: My Crash Course in International Diplomacy by Michael Soussan. A dark and surprisingly funny insider's account of the U.N. oil-for-food scandal.

David Kenner

The Times Online reports that U.S. Army is testing a "throwable robot," named Dragon Runner, designed to be thrown into caves or buildings for reconnaissance before soldiers enter. The robots, which are controlled with a laptop at distances of up to 800 meters, transmit back video and audio recordings of their journey.

Who would dare challenge Google, the superman of the Internet age?

India, that's who.

Fresh off the high of its recent lunar achievements, India is taking on the powerful Internet search company on a playing field a little closer to home: Google Earth. 

The Indian Based Research Organization (ISRO) plans to launch its Web-based mapping system, Bhuvan (Sanskrit for Earth), by spring. The data comes from India's network of 50 satellites.

So, why does India think its program can compete? For starters, Bhuvan users will be able to zoom in on areas as small as 10 meters wide (Google's zoom limit is 200 meters). ISRO will replenish its high-resolution images each year, unlike Google, and its additional GPS component could lead to partnerships on navigation devices for cars.

While initially the program only covers India, if successful, Bhuvan will extend across the globe. ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair also hopes that the online software will lead to improvement India's notoriously bad offline hardware -- potholed road, clogged cities, and degraded environment. "This will not be a mere browser," he says. "but the mechanism for providing satellite images and thematic maps for developmental planning."

If you thought the rigors of applying for a job with the future Obama administration were outrageous, you haven't signed up to be a Canadian Mountie lately.

In the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's 47-page questionnaire, which seems designed to get applicants arrested or shame even the most virtuous of boy scouts, queries range from standard to peculiar to seriously unexpected. Among the 160 questions one will find:

How many days have you been absent from work without just cause (e.g. non-legitimate illness, etc)?

Have you ever paid or asked anyone to set a fire for you?

Have you ever illegally shot or killed an animal for another hunter?

Has anyone ever seriously told you that you drink too much?

Have you ever hacked or attempted to hack into any Canadian or foreign government computer systems?

Have you ever had sex with someone against their will or without their consent (includes persons unable to give permission due to a medical condition, mental health issue, alcohol or drug, or other reason)?

Have you ever engaged in bestiality?"

Did I mention interviewees answer these questions during a polygraph?

Apparently, this commitment to thoroughness by the RCMP came after 9/11 out of concern that "terrorists and other serious criminals are trying to infiltrate the police force." The Canadian press recently uncovered the questionaire through Canada's Access to Information Act.

I'm going to guess that after this hits the streets, Mountie recruiting parties are going to be short a few guests.

(Hat tip: Fark)

TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images

In an unexpected and inspired move yesterday, Baghdad's mayor, Sabir al-Issawi, announced that he would be bringing a metro system to his city.

Plans for the train line, which were first drafted under Saddam Hussein in the '70s but shelved in the early '80s because of the conflict with Iran, will need to be remapped and modernized. Atta Nabil Hussain Auni Atta, an engineer with the transport ministry, said they are planning to start work as "early as next year."

The metro will cover 24 miles, have 20 stations, and will consist of two lines. The first is said to begin in Shiite Sadr City and run up north to the mostly Sunni section of Adhamiyah. The second line is set to begin in the south, run through the commercial area Karrada, cross the Tigris River and end in Sunni West Baghdad .

The government is ponying up some big change for the project, apparently having already set aside three billion dollars. Global companies have been invited to bid on the project.

Since the United States invaded Iraq in 2003 transportation (and traffic) in Baghdad has bee a nightmare. In addition to the swath of road known as "bomb alley" there are now securtiy walls, check points, and road and bridge closings.

Many are skeptical about this new proposal. Baghdad's new commuter train, which kicked off this past October and is the first of its kind in the city, is said to be "struggling" and "ridership has been spotty."

But even in a city still recovering and rebuilding basic infrastructure -- electricity, sewer systems, postal service -- such grand plans have many waxing hopeful about Baghdad's future.

(Hat tip: The Daily Beast)

Preeti Aroon

The Antelope's Strategy: Living in Rwanda After the Genocide. How would you feel if the men who killed your family moved back to your town? Jean Hatzfeld interviews Rwanda's genocide survivors and killers released from prison in the early 2000s in an exploration of the difficulty of reconciliation. (Note: The book will be out in March 2009; I'm reading a review copy.)

Jerome Chen

"The New York Times' Lonely War." In Vanity Fair's December issue, Seth Mnookin looks at one of the few U.S. media outlets to maintain a presence in Iraq -- the Times' Baghdad bureau. Remarking that "135 journalists have been killed there since 2003," the Iraq War, he says, "has been, by any measure, one of the most dangerous conflicts to cover in the history of modern journalism."

Elizabeth Dickinson

Closing Guantánamo is on the short list of top priorities for the incoming Obama administration. In Harper's "Justice after Bush: Prosecuting an Outlaw Administration," lawyer Scott Horton imagines Bush officials standing trial and suggests a Truth and Reconciliation Commission that would trade confessions for amnesty.

Rebecca Frankel

"All Options Are on the Table." Der Spiegel talks to Israeli Air Force Maj. Gen. Ido Nehushtan about his country's biggest military challenges and what Israel would be willing to do should Iran manage to develop nuclear weapons. "The Air Force is a very robust and flexible force," Nehushtan says. "We are ready to do whatever is demanded of us."

Blake Hounshell

Four active-duty officers -- Lt. Col. Robert A. Downey, Lt. Col Lee K. Grubbs, Cdr. Brian J. Malloy, and Lt. Col. Craig R. Wonson -- explain how a surge in Afghanistan might work for the Small Wars Journal (pdf). The bad news? It's going to require eight brigades, or up to 40,000 additional troops.

David Kenner

"Disney Set to Entertain Middle East." The Financial Times reports that Walt Disney is making its first film marketed towards the Middle East. Because of the large number of young people in the region, and the limited number of films made targeting an Arab audience, Disney is hoping to produce a family movie that "will play to families from North Africa to the Gulf states."

Photo: JOSE CENDON/AFP/Getty Images

The world isn't lacking in politicians caught in love scandals, but Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has embroiled himself in a drama so juicy it feels scripted for daytime soaps.

His ex-wife, Marisabel Rodriguez -- a blond haired, blue-eyed former television anchor (now married to her tennis coach) -- has been mirthlessly needling her ex-husband while she herself campaigns to become mayor of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, on an opposition ticket.

The couple divorced in 2004 after seven years of marriage and made headlines last year when Chávez rather publically sued over custody issues pertaining to their daughter, Rosines. Though the president withdrew the suit, Rodriguez claimed it was a ploy to sabotage her newly announced political pursuits -- a ruling against her, under Venezuelan law, could have legally kept her from running for public office.

Chávez has good reason not to want his ex to run. Aside from any personal embarrassment the Venezuelan leader might endure over Rodriguez's outspoken campaigning style and her public criticisms of his presidency, he could suffer politically. His high approval ratings are said to be slipping, and the opposition stands to gain significant ground -- as many as one third of the country's governorships -- in regional elections Sunday.

Venezuelans are keen to hear the former Mrs. Chávez's insights on her ex-husband's intentions for his country:

[T]he Chávez of today ... doesn't have much in common with [the Chávez] of 1997,” she said. "If he is not a dictator, at least he seems it."

What's more, Ms. Rodriguez is proving hugely popular among women voters. In general, these women are turned off by the president's "testosterone-pumped politics" and can relate to the former first lady's emotional suffering.

Photo: ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP/Getty Images