Daily Briefing: The Plan

• Bush, showing emotion, urges patience with Iraq: "As the Iraqi forces gain experience and the political process advances, we will be able to decrease our troop levels in Iraq without losing our capability to defeat the terrorists." Sen.Reidresponds: "After nearly 1,000 days of war in Iraq, our troops, their families and the American people deserve more than just a Bush-Cheney public relations campaign." [ WP , NYT , WT ]

• Bushadmitted "some setbacks," but "offered nothing new substantively." [ WP , USAT ]

• Bush's advisors doubt that the war will be a "determining factor" in '06 House races; still unknown "is how Americans will be able to measure any progress, and whether it is realistic to believe his ambitious goals." [ NYT ]

• Bush"came much closer than he has before to matching the hard-nosed assessments of the war that have long been made by American commanders" in Iraq. [ NYT ]

• Bush"is staking the rest of his presidency on his conviction that the conflict can be won." [ USAT ]

• Alito, as member of theReaganadministration, designed a strategy for eventually overturning Roe v. Wade. [ WP , NYT , LAT , USAT ]

•Court of Appeals hints it might repealBush's power to detainJose Padilla. [ NYT , WT ]

•Military planted positive articles in Iraqi newspapers as a component of "'information war' against an insurgency adept at spreading its message through local and international media, largely with violent acts." [ WP , NYT ]

•Rep.Nancy Pelosi(D-Calif.) comes out in favor ofMurtha's plan for withdrawal. [ WT , USAT ]

•Pentagon directive mandates plan for post-conflict stability in the next war. [ WP ]

•Supreme Court begins parental notification case; advocates from both sides turn out. [ WP , WP , NYT , USAT ]

•Oil executives clarify their responses about energy task force. [ WP ]

• Bushhelps raise $500,000 for Viriginia Lt. Gov.Michael Steele, candidate for Senate. [ WP ]

•White House holiday decorations are simpler this year. [ NYT ]