Cheat Sheet

The U.S. has spent $53 billion rebuilding Iraqi, and officials increasingly worry that a big chunk of that money will be wasted because Iraq can't maintain its tens of thousands of new facilities—and therefore provide basic services to its citizens—once Americans leave. Over the past two years, the Iraqi government has refused or delayed the transfer of U.S.-built projects because it can't staff or maintain them, the New York Times reports. Schools, hospitals and prisons built with American cash have been left vacant long after their completion due to the scarcity of trained workers. But even though Baghdad has often managed these facilities poorly, Washington can share some of the blame, because these projects haven't been followed up with adequate training. And thanks to declining oil prices, the Iraqi government needs $400 billion more to help fulfill pledges rebuild as its January elections approach. In the meantime, American reconstruction specialists continue to leave the country in large numbers, taking their expertise with them. The withdrawal of of large numbers of American forces begins next year.

Remember Roland Burris? Barack Obama’s replacement in the Senate was admonished on Friday by the Senate Ethics Committee for his actions related to his appointment by former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. In a “public letter of qualified admonition,” the Committee wrote, “You should have known that you were providing incorrect, inconsistent, misleading, or incomplete information to the public, the Senate, and those conducting legitimate inquiries into your appointment to the Senate.” Burris celebrated the committee’s action, noting that there were no “actionable violations of the law.”

Sarah Palin disappointed fans in Noblesville, Indiana, when she abruptly quit her book signing. The large crowd had heartily cheered the former vice-presidential candidate when she arrived holding youngest child Trig at 5:30 p.m. at a Borders bookstore. The store handed out wristbands so that the first 1,000 customers could get their books signed, but the event ended promptly at 9 p.m., leaving several wristbanded attendees' books without an autograph. One fan said, "We gave up our entire workday, stayed in the cold. My kids were crying... I feel like I don't want to support Sarah." Others were far less diplomatic: Video shows hecklers shouting, "Quittin' on the job!"

Army Major Nidal Hasan will have his first court hearing in his hospital room Saturday, his attorney said. Hasan has been recovering at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio since the Fort Hood shootings November 5 left 13 dead and more than 30 wounded. The hearing is to determine whether the Army psychiatrist will be put in pre-trial confinement. Usually that would mean jail, but because Hasan is paralyzed and still needs medical attention, he would remain in intensive care.

Mother Teresa's cardiac surgeon, Dr. Devi Shetty, keeps a photo of her on his desk that says "Hands that serve are more sacred than lips that pray." Shetty has kept that in mind, offering heart surgeries to those who couldn't afford them, but he's doing it with a business model that would make Henry Ford proud. The doctor has transformed Indian health care by opening huge hospitals (1,000 beds, compared to 160 on average in the U.S.) that offer procedures at sharply reduced prices. At his flagship hospital, an open-heart surgery costs about $2,000, while in the U.S., the surgery would cost between $20,000 and $100,000. And counterintuitively, the quality of care has increased, in part because doctors get more practice and specialize in just one or two types of surgery. Shetty plans to open four more "health cities" around India, and one in the Cayman Islands. More than 6 million Americans are expected to go overseas for affordable health care next year.

A day after Sarah Palin said she’d consider Glenn Beck as a running mate if she runs for president in 2012, Lou Dobbs tells Reuters “I am ruling nothing out” when asked if he would consider running for Senate in his home state of New Jersey or for president in 2012. “I have come to no conclusions and no decisions. Do I seek to have some influence on public policy? Absolutely. Do I seek to represent and champion the middle class in this country and those who aspire to it? Absolutely. And I will.”