Interesting Choice for 'Man of the Year'

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Singled Out

Time magazine chose Russian President Vladimir Putin over General David Petraeus for its person of the year — but London's Sunday Telegraph has given Petraeus the nod as its person of the year for 2007.

The paper credits Petraeus for leading the U.S. troop surge, calling him a man with a message of hope: "The critics said it couldn't be done, but the vision and determination of General David Petraeus have brought greater security and cause for optimism to the people of Iraq."

The Telegraph says the surge, "has achieved what many feared was impossible. Sectarian killings are down. Al Qaeda is on the run. And the 2 million Iraqis who fled the country are slowly returning."

And it adds: "The reason for picking Petraeus is simple. Iraq, whatever the current crises in Afghanistan and Pakistan, remains the West's biggest foreign policy challenge of this decade, and if he can halt its slide into all-out anarchy, General Petraeus may save more than Iraqi lives."

Pulling the Plug

A popular blogger in Saudi Arabia is in his fourth week of detention following arrest for what the government calls "violating non-security regulations.

Media reports say the arrest of Fouad al-Farhan is believed to be the first-ever in that kingdom targeting the author of a Web journal. Farhan told friends he was being investigated for his support of Saudi academics who were arrested in February and held without charges or a trial. He says he was asked to write and sign a letter of apology.

Members of Farhan's family say they still have not been informed of any charges filed against him. Farhan is called "the dean of Saudi bloggers" and is one of the few who writes under his own name in a kingdom that does not allow political parties, civil rights groups or public gatherings.

Blast From the Past

The FBI is asking for your help in solving one of its most enduring mysteries: the case of D.B. Cooper.

Thirty-six years ago, Cooper became a folk hero when he hijacked an airplane, demanded $200,000 and got it and then parachuted out somewhere above southwest Washington state. He was never found.

Now the FBI is releasing new information and pictures on its Web site — such as a shot of the tie cooper took off before jumping and part of the $5,800 in cash discovered by a young boy along the Columbia River in 1980.

The Bureau says new techniques such as DNA testing have "re-ignited" the search for Cooper, who would be 80 years old now — if he survived.

Banned Words

A word we've used several times already — "surge" — is on a Michigan college's annual list of words and phrases that deserve to be banned.

Lake Superior State University says "surge" — along with "post 9/11" — has outlived its usefulness. The list also complains about what it calls the absurd comparisons such as "50 is the new 40" and "chocolate is the new sex." And, it also calls for the banning of "back in the day."

But the No. 1 most-hated phrase was "a perfect storm" — which it says is numbingly applied to virtually any notable coincidence.

— FOX News Channel's Martin Hill contributed to this report.