The contentious and quarrelsome Iraqi parliament got its act together this past week long enough to approve a deal that, if it stands, would get most U.S. forces out of Iraq in three years and perhaps even earlier.

It may upset some of the Democratic Party's more amped up liberals who want us out of Iraq now, but Barack Obama did the wise thing in asking the Bush administration's defense secretary, Robert Gates, to stay on in that post.

Lost in the furious reaction to its referendum on same-sex marriage was the approval by California voters of a reform that Massachusetts and other states should emulate. By a small but sufficient margin, voters took control of legislative redistricting away from the politicians.

Speed traps have long been a way for jerkwater towns to raise revenue. In New York City, and especially Manhattan, the traffic is too congested to make speed traps productive. So the Big Apple, which you would think would be above the small-town antics, has turned to another source - parking tickets.

With a $100 million Mass. Pike toll increase getting closer by the day, a House committee is wasting no time looking at alternatives. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Gov. Deval Patrick, who continues to accuse others of doing exactly what he's guilty of.

President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to systematically scour the federal budget to eliminate wasteful spending and to help offset the cost of a huge new stimulus package. (Congressional Democrats don't want us to use "stimulus" and "bailout" anymore. Too negative. They prefer "economic recovery.")

For months, a bizarre standoff has paralyzed the state House of Representatives, one that makes the case for several reforms on Beacon Hill.

The day after Thanksgiving is now, at least semi-officially, Black Friday. It is not funeral name like Black Tuesday in October, 1929, when the stock market crashed. No, Black Friday is, as Martha Stewart would say, a good thing because it is the day when retailers, like perhaps Stewart herself, hope their businesses start turning a profit for the year, i.e., go into the black.

This is a day for counting our blessings, not least of which is the bounty of food that will grace most of our tables. Thanksgiving has its origins in the harvest feast of the Pilgrims, whose pleasure in full plates owed much to their recent memories of empty stomachs.

Hybrids are all the rage for auto-buyers - to the extent there are any buyers in America's auto showrooms - and it might be the best option for the automakers as well.