Newt Gingrich, speaking at the National Press Club today, said lawmakers in Washington and in statehouses around the country are completely out-of-touch with the American public.

"I think these capital structures have gone so out of sync with the country," he said. He cited recent polls done by American Solutions for Winning the Future, a nonpartisan organization founded by the former speaker of the House. "These pollings illustrate that. I look at these polls and see this campaign as someone begging to pick it up."

"I was driven to American Solutions by looking at Albany, Sacramento, Trenton, and by looking at Washington," Gingrich said.

Gingrich had been mentioned as a possible contender for the Republican presidential nomination earlier this year, but he said the ideas he is advocating through American Solutions should appeal to Democrats and independents, too.

American Solutions has polled 25,000 Americans on immigration and border security, religion and public life, energy, the environment, taxes, jobs, Social Security, and retirement.

"If you're truly serious about changing the country ... you can't just be talking about just the Oval Office or the White House like it's the center of the universe. It's an important piece of a much bigger story," Mr. Gingrich said.

-- Andrew Richards, intern, The Washington Times

Gregory Rodriguez, author of a recently published book on Mexican immigration, said today at the New America Foundation institute that Mexican-Americans have been "racially categorized" for centuries and that integration is a must for American society.

"Mexican-Americans have never fit in with the American racial system and will erode it and undermine it," said Mr. Rodriguez, director of the California Fellows Program at the New America Foundation.

Mr. Rodriguez is an op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times and has written for such publications as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal on issues ranging from national identity and ethnicity to social and political trends.

His book, "Mongrels, Bastards, Orphans, and Vagabonds: Mexican Immigration and the Future of Race in America," looks in-depth at the history of Mexican-Americans, or mestizos, and examines how integration is just as important as immigration.

"I wrote a book and essentially it's history hidden in argument," he said. "Integration matters. We can't just talk about immigration all the time. Now might be a good time to share, to circle around with your ethnicities and be American."

— Andrew Richards, intern, The Washington Times

On the front page of today's paper, David Sands and Sharon Behn report:

No one is declaring victory, but cautious optimists on the U.S.-led war in Iraq suddenly find themselves armed with a growing number of indicators that the fighting has taken a new, more hopeful turn.

U.S. military fatalities are down sharply, from 101 in June to 39 in October. Iraqi civilian deaths also were down sharply, from 1,791 in August to 750 in October, according to the Associated Press. Mortar rocket attacks by insurgents in October were the lowest since February 2006, as were the number of "indirect fire" attacks on coalition forces.

Iraqi officials say they plan to reduce checkpoints, ease curfews and reopen some roads in and around Baghdad because of the improving security situation. Sunni Arab tribal leaders in western Anbar province, now allied with the U.S. military, say al Qaeda is "almost defeated" in their once-chaotic region.

Are we winning the war in Iraq?

-- David Eldridge, managing editor, WashingtonTimes.com

Only one of President Bush's new slate of Justice Department nominees is likely to draw fierce opposition from Democrats and liberal opposition groups, says a Republican lawyer with close ties to the Bush administration.

Mr. Bush has nominated Grace C. Becker, who once clerked for conservative federal appellate Judge James L. Buckley, to be assistant attorney general for civil rights, elevating her from the deputy slot.

"She'll get hammered by posturing Democrats like Chuck Schumer and Ted Kennedy — that's my bet," the lawyer said.

Democrats reflexively tend to draw a bead on any Republican who has any job associated with civil rights and try to pound home the idea that Republican administrations don't enforce the law when it comes to protecting the rights of minorities.

The other Bush appointments announced today have had little to do with partisan politics.

The one selection that causes puzzlement in some quarters is that of Mark R. Filip of Illinois to be the No. 2 man at Justice. That means asking him to give up lifetime tenure as U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Illinois and go through yet another Senate confirmation process to fill a job that may last little more than a year.

Judge Filip gave up private law practice to accept his current judgeship.

— Ralph Z. Hallow, senior national correspondent, The Washington Times

Is good news from Iraq bad news for Democrats?

The Washington Times' S.A. Miller just filed this story from Capitol Hill:

House Democrats' point man in the war-funding showdown with the White House today dismissed U.S. military gains in Iraq and vowed to tighten the purse strings until President Bush accepts a pullout plan.

"Look at all the people that have been displaced, all the [lost] oil production, unemployment, all those type of things," said Rep. John P. Murtha, chairman of Appropriations defense subcommittee. "We can't win militarily."

I don't believe that. Most Americans don't believe that. I don't even think Mr. Murtha himself believes it.

And if he does, well ... then Democrats are in a lot of trouble.

-- David Eldridge, managing editor, WashingtonTimes.com