President Obama, with a jobs refrain on the brain, uses the traditional Thanksgiving Day message to tell Americans that he feels their economic pain and is doing his best to make things better.

"As much as we all have to be thankful for, we also know that this year millions of Americans are facing very difficult economic times," he says in his weekly radio-Internet address, which usually arrives on Saturday. . Many have lost jobs in this recession – the worst in generations. Many more are struggling to afford health care premiums and house payments, let alone to save for an education or retirement.

"Too many are wondering if the dream of a middle class life – that American Dream – is slipping away. It’s the worry I hear from folks across the country; good, hard-working people doing the best they can for their families – but fearing that their best just isn’t good enough. These are not strangers. They are our family, our friends, and our neighbors. Their struggles must be our concern."

They are certainly the public's concern, helping drive down Obama's poll numbers. In a couple released this week, his job approval rating dropped below 50 percent for the first time in his presidency.

He touts the $787 billion economic stimulus, despite growing and gnawing doubts about the "saved or created" jobs figures put out by the White House, along with measures to stem home foreclosures and the proposed health care overhaul.

He also plugs the White House jobs summit next Thursday, when business and labor leaders, academics and economists, community activists and others will all put their heads together to come up with job-creating ideas.

"I will work with the Congress to enact them quickly," Obama vows. "And it is my fervent hope – and my heartfelt expectation – that next Thanksgiving we will be able to celebrate the fact that many of those who have lost their jobs are back at work, and that as a nation we will have come through these difficult storms stronger and wiser and grateful to have reached a brighter day."

The full address is below and can be viewed here.

Republicans say that Americans should be thankful for their blessings today -- but also very worried about the economy and the path that President Obama and Democrats are charting for the country.

"Millions of families have seen jobs and careers vanish in the midst of this recession," House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana says in the weekly GOP radio-Internet address, timed this time for Thanksgiving.

“Many are asking, ‘When will things get better?’ Many more are asking, ‘Where are the jobs?’ " he adds. "In the city and on the farm, as millions of American families struggle to balance their checkbooks this holiday season, they watch in astonishment as Washington spends billions of dollars it doesn’t have."

After trashing Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus package, which he said has failed utterly given the national unemployment rate has risen to a "heartbreaking" 10.2 percent, he ridicules the president's plans for a jobs summit next Thursday.

The likely product, Pence says: “Another proposal to grow government, raise taxes and place more debt on the shoulders of our children and grandchildren. The American people know we can’t borrow and spend and bail our way back to a growing economy. The Obama administration and the Democratic majority in Congress have taken our economy from bad to worse with their failed economic agenda and big government plans."

And he says the proposed health care overhaul -- especially a government-run public insurance option -- would make the situation worse.

Pence, however, does not offer any specific solutions from Republicans, beyond the tried-and-true letting "Americans keep more of their hard-earned money."

"With many families hurting during this holiday season, now is the time for us to focus on what makes America great, to join hands and work together on common sense solutions to the problems ailing our nation," he concludes. “Let us resolve to help where we can help, let’s give where we can give, and let’s work together to get this economy moving on the time-honored principles of fiscal responsibility, equality of opportunity and growth."

The full address is below and can be viewed here.

By Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff

On the eve of Thanksgiving, Stephen Pagliuca today released the most pointed television ad yet of the Senate race, calling out rivals Martha Coakley and Michael Capuano as potential obstacles to the passage of health insurance legislation.

Coakley and Capuano immediately denounced the ad, which highlights the only major policy difference among the four Democrats vying to succeed the late Edward M. Kennedy.

The ad, the first from any campaign to critique opponents by name, says Capuano and Coakley have "failed to make their commitment to pass health care reform clear," quoting a Globe editorial. In contrast, the narrator says, "We can count on Steve Pagliuca to vote for health care reform."

"This is the biggest and most important difference among the candidates, on probably the most important issue -- along with job creation -- in this campaign,'' said Will Keyser, a spokesman for Pagliuca. "And the ad couldn't be more fact-based or rooted in reality than it is."

The TV ad reiterates a point Pagliuca has tried to make for more than two weeks in radio ads, interviews, and forums, but it drew more notice from opponents because of its visibility and timing, just as the campaigns were pausing for Thanksgiving.

The ad does not specify the underlying policy distinction that has divided the candidates: Coakley and Capuano say they would oppose final passage of a health care bill if it bars insurance payments for abortion; Pagliuca and Alan Khazei, the fourth Democrat in the race, say their support is not contingent on that provision.

Coakley, the state's attorney general, and Capuano, a US representative, today challenged the ad and reiterated their support for a health insurance overhaul.

"It’s unfortunate that Steve Pagliuca would choose to run a misleading negative ad that misrepresents Martha Coakley's position on health care," Coakley spokeswoman Alex Zaroulissaid via e-mail.

The ad shows a photo of Obama and Kennedy, as well as a clip of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi celebrating House passage of a health care bill.

A spokesman for Capuano noted that Pelosi has endorsed the congressman's bid for Senate, and attacked Pagliuca for having supported Republican Mitt Romney, then Pagliuca's boss at Bain Capital, against Kennedy in 1994.

"The new ad does have one thing right," Capuano's spokeswoman, Alison Mills, wrote in an e-mail. "We are closer than ever to passing real health care reform. And as Speaker Pelosi said earlier this month, it is Mike Capuano who has stood strongly with her to pass this historic legislation."

Pagliuca, a co-owner of the Boston Celtics, has been the heaviest advertiser in the race, producing more than a dozen TV ads thus far; through Nov. 18, he reported spending more than $5.4 million of his own money on the campaign. Keyser, his spokesman, declined to say when or how often the new ad would run, but said it would share air time with a job-creation ad for the foreseeable future.

Health care is the most important issue to voters in this election, according to a Globe poll of likely Democratic primary voters published earlier this week. In the poll, 43 percent said they would support passing a bill even with abortion restrictions, 32 percent said they would oppose the bill with restrictions, and 19 percent opposed the health care legislation either way. Six percent were undecided.

The four Democrats face off in a primary Dec. 8, as do two Republicans. The final election is Jan. 19.

By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- George Mitchell, the former US senator from Maine who helped hammer out a peace agreement in Northern Ireland, did not look daunted when he took the podium today to announce that Israel had agreed to a partial settlement freeze that fell far short of what the Americans had been asking for.

Rumors have swirled around the State Department for months that Mitchell might quit his job as special envoy for the Middle East out of frustration at the lack of progress at getting Israelis to halt settlements on the West Bank, getting the Arabs to make conciliatory gestures towards Israel, and even getting the Palestinians back to the talks.

"So we all thought you were going to come down here and say you were frustrated and you were going to resign, but I guess that’s not the case," Matt Lee, an Associated Press reporter, called out to him. "You’re going to keep at it?"

Mitchell talked awhile about how the proposed 10-month freeze on settlements might transform into long-awaited peace negotiations, and then he vowed not to quit, reminding his listeners how many naysayers there were when he was trying to get backing for the 1998 "Good Friday" agreement in Northern Ireland.

"Although there are many differences between the Middle East and Northern Ireland, in this respect, my experience there is relevant," he said. "Over a period of five years, I chaired three separate sets of discussions. The main negotiation lasted for nearly two years. For most of that time, there was little or no progress and our effort was branded a failure. The question you asked me today I was asked hundreds of times there. But then after two years of saying no, both sides said yes. In a real sense, we had 700 days of failure and one day of success.

"I know that if anything, the Middle East is more difficult and more complex," Mitchell added. "But no matter where the conflict is or what it’s about, if you’re serious about peace, you can’t take as final the first no, the second no, or even the hundredth no. You can’t get discouraged by setbacks and you can’t be deterred by criticism. You have to be patient, persevering, and determined. Neither the president, the secretary of state, nor I have ever promised anything other than a total commitment to comprehensive peace in the Middle East. That remains our commitment and our goal."

President Obama continued his outreach to the world's Muslims today, sending greetings to pilgrims to Mecca.

He also noted that his administration is assisting Saudi authorities in preventing the spread of swine flu.

"Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to all those performing Hajj this year, and to Muslims in America and around the world who are celebrating Eid-ul-Adha. The rituals of Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha both serve as reminders of the shared Abrahamic roots of three of the world’s major religions," Obama said in a statement.

"During Hajj, the world’s largest and most diverse gathering, three million Muslims from all walks of life – including thousands of American Muslims – will stand in prayer on Mount Arafat. The following day, Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid-ul-Adha and distribute food to the less fortunate to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son out of obedience to God," the president added in the statement, translated on the White House website into Arabic, Persian, Dari, Urdu, Pashto, Russian, and French.

"This year, I am pleased that the Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with the Saudi Health Ministry to prevent and limit the spread of H1N1 during Hajj. Cooperating on combating H1N1 is one of the ways we are implementing my administration's commitment to partnership in areas of mutual interest.

"On behalf of the American people, we would like to extend our greetings during this Hajj season – Eid Mubarak."

US leaders are urging Americans to join in the international call to stop violence against women on the 10th anniversary of a day set aside to raise awareness.

"Violence against women is found in every culture around the world. It is one of our most pervasive global problems, yet it is preventable. When gang rape is a weapon of war, when women are beaten behind closed doors, or when young girls are trafficked in brothels and fields - we all suffer. This violence robs women and girls of their full potential, causes untold human suffering, and has great social and economic costs," Vice President Joe Biden, who championed the issue while in the US Senate, said in a statement.

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John F. Kerry -- joined by Senators Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Barbara Boxer of California, and Ben Cardin of Maryland -- also marked the day. Kerry said that before year's end, he will introduce a bill to officially put the US on record backing the global effort.

“The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is an important reminder of just how many women and girls continue to be subjected to violence and discrimination around the world. I applaud the UN Secretary-General’s efforts to involve boys and men in this effort; women’s safety cannot be guaranteed without their involvement,” Kerry said in a statement. “Societies where women are safe and can pursue their aspirations will realize their full social and economic potential.”

He won't have a signed bill to bring with him, but President Obama is planning to attend the global warming summit in Copenhagen next month.

The White House announced today that Obama will join at least 65 other world leaders at the summit on Dec. 9. It had been planned for the signing of a new climate change agreement, superseding the Kyoto Protocol that the Bush administration refused to sign.

But with the US and other major polluters not on board, the meeting is now designed to come up with a framework for a new global warming treaty. While the US House passed a sweeping bill in June to cap carbon emissions, the legislation has stalled in the Senate as Republicans and other critics say it will lead to higher energy costs.

UPDATE: In its official announcement, the White House said that Obama -- "in the context of an overall deal in Copenhagen that includes robust mitigation contributions from China and the other emerging economies" -- is "prepared to put on the table a US emissions reduction target in the range of 17% below 2005 levels in 2020 and ultimately in line with final U.S. energy and climate legislation.

"In light of the President’s goal to reduce emissions 83% by 2050, the expected pathway set forth in this pending legislation would entail a 30% reduction below 2005 levels in 2025 and a 42% reduction below 2005 in 2030. This provisional target is in line with current legislation in both chambers of Congress and demonstrates a significant contribution to a problem that the U.S. has neglected for too long. With less than two weeks to go until the beginning of the Copenhagen conference, it is essential that the countries of the world, led by the major economies, do what it takes to produce a strong, operational agreement that will both launch us on a concerted effort to combat climate change and serve as a stepping stone to a legally binding treaty. The President is working closely with Congress to pass energy and climate legislation as soon as possible," the statement said.

The announcement appears to make it likely that any bill coming out of the Senate will have a near-term reduction target of no more than 17 percent -- the figure in the House-passed bill -- as compared to the 20 percent cut included in legislation recently passed by the Senate environment committee.

To emphasize Obama’s commitment on the issue, the White House also announced that several Cabinet secretaries and other top officials will go to Copenhagen: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, and Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner.

And, the White House said, for the first time the US delegation will have its own center at the conference, where interactive exhibits will show what the US is doing.

Obama will attend the Copenhagen summit on the way to Oslo, where he will formally receive the Nobel Peace Prize on Dec. 10.

Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, one of the two main sponsors of the Senate bill, applauded Obama's decision, in an unusually enthusiastic statement.

“This could be one hell of a global game changer with big reverberations here at home. For the first time, an American Administration has proposed an emissions reduction target and when President Obama lands in Copenhagen it will emphasize that the United States is in it to win it. This announcement matches words with action. The Obama Administration is now undeniably mustering bona fide leadership on climate change, not merely departing from Bush Administration intransigence and ideology,” Kerry said.

Kerry, who has taken on climate change as a security issue as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, is working with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Independent Joe Lieberman to pull together a coalition of 60 votes to successfully pass a climate bill.‪

“By announcing a provisional target, contingent on the support of Congress, the President has defined a path to an international agreement that challenges the developed and developing nations of the to fulfill their obligations. It lays the groundwork for a broad political consensus at Copenhagen that will strip climate obstructionists here at home of their most persistent charge, that the United States shouldn’t act if other countries won’t join with us. It is an enormous shot in the arm for those of us working overtime to get a comprehensive bill passed in the Senate. And the fact that the President will attend the Copenhagen talks underscores that the Administration is putting its money where its mouth is, putting the President's prestige on the line,” Kerry added in the statement.

Representative Edward J. Markey, a main sponsor of the House-passed bill, also said Obama's decision is a step forward.

"By putting a serious number for U.S. emission reductions on the table, the President just called the world's bet and then raised it for our negotiating partners. The President's attendance in Copenhagen demonstrates his personal commitment to getting a deal that is good for the U.S. and good for our clean energy future. It's a powerful statement that the U.S. is back, ready to lead the world," the Massachusetts Democrat said in a statement.

“In the effort to protect the planet from climate change, these are the most significant travel reservations ever made. With one trip to Copenhagen, President Obama will bring the United States to the climate table, putting U.S. leadership back on the map in the effort to fight carbon pollution."

By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- As the nation waits for President Obama to announce a new strategy in Afghanistan, International Crisis Group released a report today calling for sweeping reforms in the country, including the resignation of the top UN official in Afghanistan in the wake of widespread allegations of fraud in the Aug. 20 presidential election.

"Impending decisions about military strategies, troop levels, and state-building concepts may mean little if we do not cauterize the damage these fraudulent elections inflicted on Afghanistan," said Samina Ahmed, the well-known international conflict resolution organization's South Asia project director. "Only thorough reform can do that."

The report (read it here) said that UN Special Representative Kai Eide inability to handle the corruption issue effectively had led to a decline in morale, and distrust on the part of Afghans.

"The UN’s mission to bring stability to the country has been severely jeopardized," the report states. "His effectiveness as head of mission will always remain in doubt. If UNAMA’s credibility is to be restored, Eide must step down."

A UN spat over how tough it should be on election fraud, mainly by President Hamid Karzai's forces, burst into the open after the election when Peter Galbraith, a former American diplomat from Vermont who served as Eide's deputy, accused him of turning a blind eye to the fraud. Galbraith was then asked to resign.

The report also called for the formation of an impartial commission to conduct a thorough review of the election; vigorous pursuit by the attorney general and courts of criminal prosecutions of those involved in fraud; and restrictions on the size of the Afghan cabinet, as well as measures barring nominees with demonstrated links to armed groups or criminal activities from joining government.

"Karzai's retaining power under these circumstances has bolstered the impression that the international community is disinterested in or incapable of checking corruption," said Candace Rondeaux, a crisis group senior analyst. "It handed the Taliban a huge public relations victory".

There's now a time and place for President Obama's long-awaited announcement on Afghanistan.

He will address the nation at 8 p.m. Tuesday from the US Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., the training ground for many officers who have served -- and died -- in the eight-year war.

Obama said on Tuesday that he is confident the public will support him, once he explains his rationale for sending what is expected to be 25,000 to 30,000 more US troops into the conflict, and for when American forces can come home.

Obama held his ninth and final war council on Monday night, after having rejected all the options laid before him at the previous gathering. While he didn't disclose his decision to his senior advisers, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Tuesday that the president had all the information he needed to make a decision.

"I think that the review that we've gone through has been comprehensive and extremely useful, and has brought together my key military advisors, but also civilian advisors," Obama said Tuesday in his most recent remarks on the issue. "It is in our strategic interest, in our national security interest to make sure that al Qaeda and its extremist allies cannot operate effectively in those areas. We are going to dismantle and degrade their capabilities and ultimately dismantle and destroy their networks. And Afghanistan's stability is important to that process.

"I've also indicated that after eight years -- some of those years in which we did not have, I think, either the resources or the strategy to get the job done -- it is my intention to finish the job. And I feel very confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we're doing there and how we intend to achieve our goals that they will be supportive."

Obama has been criticized for taking too long to make a decision, most notably by former Vice President Dick Cheney, who called it "dithering." Public support for the war has plummeted as US casualties have risen over the past few months.

President Obama fulfilled a Thanksgiving tradition today, granting a pardon to a turkey from North Carolina.

Flanked by daughters Malia and Sasha and a top official of the National Turkey Federation, Obama said the lucky 45-pound gobbler called "Courage" -- "a good-looking bird" -- would earn a reprieve from a "terrible and delicious fate."

There was a stand-by for "Courage," and the Obamas took two more turkeys to a food program for the poor and homeless, "so today, all told, I believe it's fair to say that we have saved or created four turkeys," he said, making fun of himself by alluding to criticism that his stimulus program has done the same for jobs.

Continuing to chuckle, the president said there are days when he is reminded why he ran for the nation's highest office, "then there are moments like this when I pardon a turkey and send it to Disneyland.

But, more seriously, he said he is thankful for the opportunity to serve the country and urged Americans to thank service members overseas and to be thankful, despite the economic doldrums.

"When my family and I sit around the table tomorrow, just like millions of other families across America, we'll take time to give our thanks for many blessings," the president said. "But we'll also remember this is a time when so many members of our American family are hurting. There's no question this has been a tough year for America. We're at war. Our economy is emerging from an extraordinary recession into recovery. But there's a long way to go and a lot of work to do.

"In more tranquil times, it's easy to notice our many blessings," he added. "It's even easier to take them for granted. But in times like these, they resonate a bit more powerfully." (His full remarks are below.)

His web-savvy administration went a nontraditional route for the ritual.

Not only did it air the entire ceremony live from the North Portico of the White House, it put together a tongue-in-cheek video, a parody of sorts of a movie trailer.

"One turkey gets a second chance," the narrator intones.

In the overheated political culture of Washington, it's the hottest ticket in the nation's capital -- an invite to President Obama's first state dinner tonight.

So many people wanted to be there that the White House moved the black-tie event outdoors into a huge party tent on the South Lawn.

Senator John F. Kerry, as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, will be in attendance. So will Governor Deval Patrick and his wife Diane, close friends of the Obamas, according to the Associated Press.

Since the soiree is in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, prominent Indian-Americans are on the invite list, including Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, CNN medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, and actor-turned-White House staffer Kal Penn.

UPDATE: The White House this afternoon released the full guest list, which is below:

The barrage of Republican attacks on climate change legislation appears to be having an impact: the GOP rank and file is more skeptical that global warming is real.

A Washington Post/ABC News poll released this afternoon said that the belief that climate change is happening has plummeted among Republicans to 54 percent now from the 76 percent peak in 2006.

Along with more skepticism among independents, that is driving an overall drop in the percentage of Americans who believe in global warming to 72 percent from 80 in the past year, the poll found.

A majority of all respondents still support a national cap on greenhouse gas emissions, the key piece of the sweeping climate change legislation that Democrats are trying to push through Congress. And 55 percent of respondents believe the United States should curb its carbon output even if major developing nations such as China and India do less.

Republicans say the legislation would dramatically raise energy costs, threatening to stall the economic recovery.

Keeping up their attack on the Obama administration's stimulus plan, top House Republicans today urged the man in charge to stop claiming jobs that haven't been confirmed.

House GOP leader John Boehner and Representative Darrell Issa, the senior Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, sent a letter to Vice President Joe Biden telling him to stop using jobs "saved or created" figures. The administration claimed nearly 650,000 saved or claimed by last month, and said that figure put the stimulus on track to reach Obama's goal of 3.5 million by the end of next year. Read the letter here.

"Washington Democrats claimed the $787-billion ‘stimulus’ would keep unemployment below eight percent and create jobs ‘immediately.’ Instead, three million more Americans have lost their jobs, and unemployment is over ten percent. The American people are asking, ‘where are the jobs?’ but rather than work with Republicans on common-sense solutions to get our economy moving again, the White House is pressing ahead with a job-killing agenda, including a ‘cap-and-trade’ national energy tax and a trillion-dollar government takeover of health care." Boehner said in a statement.

"Worse, they are attempting to disguise the fact that the ‘stimulus’ isn’t working by releasing a stream of questionable - or outright inaccurate - statistics, including the number of jobs ‘saved or created’ – a metric the Obama Administration seems to have made up out of thin air. It’s time to bring facts back to this debate, and a good first step would be for Vice President Biden to stop citing these fictitious figures."

UPDATE: For their part, Democrats are pointing out that more than a few House Republicans -- 67 and counting, they say -- have tried to reap the political benefits of stimulus projects, though they all voted against the package.

"Given that House Republicans helped create the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and not a single one voted for the Recovery Package, it's hardly surprising that they root for failure while working to distract from the mess they created. We will continue going District by District to set the record straight and expose House Republicans and their Right Wing allies' shameless hypocrisy," Ryan Rudominer, a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman, said in a statement.

The administration's jobs count from the $787 billion stimulus has been widely questioned, with some numbers inflated and others impossible to verify and recipients of grants complaining that the forms are difficult to fill out.

Independent congressional watchdogs testified last week that while the stimulus has helped, they could not confirm any count. Many economists also agree that the stimulus has helped slow job losses, though it is exceedingly difficult to quantify.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Victoria Reggie Kennedy, widow of the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy, says she is not interested in running for the Senate.

In an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" slated to air Wednesday, Winfrey tells Kennedy, "There's been talk that you might" run for Senate.

"No. No. Not for me," Kennedy says, according to a transcript provided by the show.

"Not for you?" asks Winfrey.

"Not for me," replies Kennedy.

Pressing a little further, Winfrey asks, "Never ever?"

"No. No," says Kennedy. "We had Senator Kennedy in our household and, no, not for me."

Kennedy also discusses her husband's life, their life together, and his memoir, "True Compass," the show said, in what is her first TV interview since the senator's death.

Her children, Caroline and Curran Raclin, and her stepson, Ted Kennedy Jr. joined her in the interview, the show said.

Abortion rights groups today announced a lobbying campaign to strip restrictions out of the health care legislation in Congress.

They plan a national week of action next week, including a lobbying day in Washington on Dec. 2, to stop the provision, sponsored by Representative Bart Stupak, in the bill that the House passed this month that would not only ban a government-run public plan from covering elective abortion services, but would also ban any private insurer accepting federal subsidies from doing so. The bill being considered by the Senate includes a less restrictive provision.

Supporters of the Stupak provision say it would guarantee that current law barring the use of taxpayers money for abortion would stay in place during a health overhaul, but abortion rights groups say it would go much further, stopping women from using their own money for elective abortions.

"The Stupak amendment is a radical proposal that upends current law on abortion coverage in the United States," the Coalition to Pass Health Care Reform and Stop Stupak said in a statement. "It goes far beyond the Hyde amendment, which has unfairly prohibited the use of federal funds for abortion in most cases for more than 30 years. The Stupak amendment goes beyond Hyde because it would restrict abortion coverage by private health insurance plans in an unprecedented and dangerous manner."

The list of coalition members is below:

Several media organizations are reporting this morning that President Obama plans to announce his long-awaited decision on Afghanistan next Tuesday, probably in a prime-time speech.

Obama huddled with his war council Monday night for what was expected to be the ninth and final time before deciding how many additional US troops to put into the eight-year war. His top commander on the ground has requested 40,000 more as part of a beefed-up counterinsurgency campaign against the Taliban and al Qaeda.

But some expect Obama to settle on an option that would deploy 32,000 to 35,000 more US troops.

UPDATE: Asked at a joint press conference with India's prime minister about his Afghanistan decision, Obama said this afternoon he will make an "announcement to the American people" soon after Thanksgiving, but declined to divulge any specifics.

He said that the "comprehensive" review of Afghanistan strategy has been useful. When he offers a "clear rationale" to the public about what the US has at stake in the country, its goals, and how to get there, the public will be supportive.

The previous administration left the mission unaccomplished, he said, adding, "It is my intention to finish the job." (His full remarks are below.)

In a new poll released this morning, Americans were evenly divided -- 50 percent for and 49 percent against -- when asked about sending 34,000 more troops.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey found 56 percent opposed to sending a smaller number of additional troops.

Public support for the war has plummeted as casualties rose to record levels this fall. In the poll, 66 percent said they believed the war was going badly.

President Obama welcomed India's prime minister to the White House this morning, kicking off the first official state visit of his presidency.

Obama called India a leader in Asia and around the world and an "indispensable partner" for the United States.

He declared that as the world's two largest democracies, the two nations have a responsibility to push for progress on global economic growth, nuclear weapons, climate change, poverty, and other issues. The president also said that as victims of terrorism -- the Sept. 11 attacks in the US, the Mumbai attacks and others in India -- the two countries must also tackle extremism.

The visit includes a series of meetings, a joint press conference, and a formal state dinner tonight. The visit also comes during a time some dissension in the relationship as the US focuses on Afghanistan and Pakistan -- to the exclusion, some say, of India.

But Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also accentuated the positive, saying the two countries are "bound together by democracy" and are significant strategic partners.

"This is a moment of great opportunity for our relationship," Singh said, concluding his remarks with, "God bless America, God bless India."

Their full remarks are below, followed by White House summaries of the agreements that were signed, and a joint statement:

President Obama isn't expected to announce his decision on Afghanistan until after Thanksgiving. But that doesn't mean the choice won't be weighing on him heavily during this holiday week.

The White House announced this morning that he will hold his ninth war council tonight to discuss the best way forward. At the previous meeting, Obama rejected all the options on the table, reported to include a range of 10,000 to 40,000 additional US troops.

UPDATE: As Obama weighs his troop decision, some key Democrats are more loudly sounding the alarm on the war's cost -- and floating the idea of a "war tax" to pay for any expansion.

"There ain't going to be no money for nothing if we pour it all into Afghanistan," House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey told ABC News today. "If they ask for an increased troop commitment in Afghanistan, I am going to ask them to pay for it."

"That's what happened with the Vietnam War, which wiped out the Great Society," Obey added. "That's what happened with the Korean War, which wiped out Harry Truman's Square Deal. That's what happened with the end of the progressive movement before the twenties when we went into World War I. In each case, the cost of those wars shut off our ability to pay for anything else."

Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also said last week that higher-income Americans should be taxed to pay for a troop surge.

White House budget officials have estimated each additional soldier in Afghanistan could cost $1 million.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said today that while the idea of a so-called war tax hasn't come up, the president has told his military brain trust that "we have to take into account how much all of this is going to cost over a five-year, 10-year period."

Gibbs said the president will not announce his decision until next week at the earliest.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. EST and is expected to last at least an hour.

The attendees, either in person or via videconference: Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, United Nations ambassador Susan Rice, Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke, Under Secretary of Defense Michele Flournoy, Joint Chiefs chairman Michael Mullen, Joint Chiefs vice chairman General James E. Cartwright, US Central Command chief David Petraeus, top US commander in Afghanistan Stanley McChrystal, US ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry, US ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson, National Security Adviser General James Jones, Deputy National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, counterterrorism adviser John Brennan, and special assistant to the president Douglas Lute.

After huddling today with his full Cabinet for the first time in weeks, President Obama made clear that of all the issues clamoring for attention on his crowded agenda, his eye is squarely on jobs.

"Our economy is growing for the first time in more than a year, and we know that economic growth is a prerequisite for job growth," he said after the meeting. "But, having said that, what I emphasize today is we cannot sit back and be satisfied, given the extraordinarily high unemployment levels that we've seen. We have only taken the first step in curing our economy and making sure that it is moving on the right track. And I will not rest until businesses are investing again and businesses are hiring again and people have work again."

Obama said he was soliciting ideas in advance of a Dec. 3 jobs summit at the White House, bringing together business and labor leaders, academics and economists, and others. In advance of the summit, fellow Democrats and friendly advocacy groups have been chiding the administration for not more aggressively trying to stem unemployment, especially among African Americans and Hispanics.

"Now, this is going to be a challenging task," Obama added. "It's challenging because of the extraordinary blow that the financial crisis delivered to the economy as a whole. It is particularly difficult because both the financial sector and the housing sector were the biggest drivers of economic growth prior to the financial crisis, and so the severity of their pullback means that things are moving slower than we would like them to move."

His full remarks are below:

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

US Representative Michael Capuano was endorsed today by the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters, a boost that came after the candidates last week held a virtual green-off during a campaign forum.

“He is a proven environmental leader who understands the need to leave our children a healthier world,” said Lora Wondolowski, the league's executive director. “We are at a critical juncture on issues like global warming and green energy and we need leaders like Mike in the Senate who will fight for our future.”

Capuano has compiled a 95 percent voting record during his career from the League of Conservation Voters.

The Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters also cited Attorney General Martha Coakley, but didn’t mention the other two candidates in the Democratic primary, Alan Khazei and Stephen Pagliuca.

“We are fortunate to have two candidates in the Senate race that are strong environmental advocates, Mike Capuano and Martha Coakley, and it was a very difficult choice between the two of them,” Wondolowski said. “But in the end, Congressman Capuano’s proven track record made the difference.”

Capuano today was also endorsed by Veterans and Military Families for Progress, a group that raises awareness about veterans issues. US Representative Patrick Murphy, a Pennsylvania Democrat and veteran of the Iraq War, is planning to formally make the endorsement this afternoon in Cambridge.

Coakley, meanwhile, was endorsed today by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

“Martha Coakley will be a leader in the Senate,” Dianne Luby, president and chief executive of the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts, said in a statement. “She has repeatedly demonstrated her commitment to protecting access to sexual health services.”