* Democrats plan to pass what bills they can in the first 100 hours of the new Congress. Other, more complex issues like Iraq, may not be finished in the first 100 days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. [WP]

* King Abdullah of Jordan tells George Stephanopoulos, "We're juggling with the strong potential of three civil wars in the region." [WP]

* Bipartisan commission today begins debating establishment of diplomatic initiatives with Iran and Syria. [NYT]

* Members of Congress from both parties lament the training standards of Iraqi military and police. [WP]

* President Bush don't sleep here no more; he just deals with his "funk" over midterms by globetrotting and considering his legacy.[WP, NYT]

* Whither the New England Republican? [NYT]

* Newspaper whose readership is almost entirely Medicaid patients reports that state spending on Medicaid declines for the first time ever. [USAT]