Clinton to testify on Benghazi report on December 20

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will testify on December 20 before the House of Representatives and Senate foreign affairs committees on a report on the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, the committees said on Wednesday.

The attack on September 11 killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, and raised questions about the adequacy of security in far-flung posts.

Republicans have criticized Democratic President Barack Obama's administration for its flawed early public explanations of the attack.

They have also criticized shifting explanations of why talking points given to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice were changed to delete a reference to al Qaeda. Some Republicans have used that criticism to question Rice's suitability as a candidate to replace Clinton, if Obama were to nominate her.

Clinton has said she planned to retire from her post at State after Obama's first term.

An accountability review board convened by the State Department is expected to release a report on the Benghazi attack before Clinton testifies.

The board, led by veteran diplomat Thomas Pickering, is expected to consider whether enough attention was given to potential threats and how Washington responded to security requests from U.S. diplomats in Libya.

Democratic Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement: "We ask our diplomats and development personnel to operate in some of the most dangerous places on the planet. We owe it to them, and we owe it to the memory of Ambassador Chris Stevens and his three fellow Americans who lost their lives in Benghazi to get past the politics and focus on the substance of what happened and what it tells us about diplomatic security going forward."

Maneater: ‘Hall and Oates’ in alleged face-biting feud

Rock 'n' roll feuds are as storied as the musical genre itself. But when we saw that Oates is accused of biting Hall in the face, it appeared one of the '80s biggest powerhouse bands would be silenced.

But rest assured, the auteurs behind  soft rock hits such as "Maneater" have not turned on each other. The pair at the center of this jaw-dropping story just happen to share the same surnames as the pop duo.

Local ABC affiliate NewsChannel5 reports that Robert Oates of Virginia was charged with biting his neighbor, Scott Hall, in the face.

According to police, the altercation stemmed over Hall's refusal to testify on Oates' behalf as a character witness in an upcoming trial.

Oates reportedly resisted arrest, leading police to use the Taser on the 48-year-old. Police say Oates and a friend who contributed to the alleged assault were both "highly intoxicated and yelling." Both men have been charged with felonious assault and resisting arrest.

Hall, 40, suffered wounds to his face, with a "chunk of skin" reportedly torn from his face after being bitten by Oates.

Conservative leaders to GOP: Stand firm in this ‘period of testing’

As Republican House Speaker John Boehner is negotiating with President Barack Obama on a deal to avoid sending the country over the "fiscal cliff" come Jan. 1, conservative leaders are publicly urging Republicans in Congress to resist pressure to compromise.

An open letter circulated on Wednesday and signed by more than 100 conservatives never explicitly addresses the "fiscal cliff" talks but warns Republicans that they are "entering into a period of testing." It says they have "a mandate to fight for conservative principles" because they maintained firm control of the House on Election Day.

Among the signers are Al Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union; Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas; Foster Friess, a Wyoming businessman who helped bankroll a super PAC supporting Rick Santorum's presidential bid; and longtime conservative activists Richard Viguerie and Phyllis Schlafly.

Saying that Democrats want to "fundamentally change" America," the letter appeals to Republicans to stand "united" and not vote with their Democratic colleagues on legislation that "violates the principles you publicly committed to support."

It also warns of possible primary challenges for Republicans who might consider compromise.

"Let us also remind you that a great many potent conservative organizations and millions of conservative and liberty-loving voters do not believe in the divine right of incumbents to be re-nominated. Conservatives know how to recruit and support candidates," the letter reads.

Taking the long view, the letter predicts a firm stance in favor of conservative principles will eventually pay off: "If Republicans provide a consistent, conservative alternative, the time will come, probably sooner than later, when most Americans will become fed up with the left's failed agenda and be ready for a change to 'throw the bums out' and restore limited, Constitutional government."