Obama vs. Pelosi  —  The president-elect meets the enemy.  —  Barack Obama obviously has thought carefully about mistakes made by previous Democratic presidential winners who wrongly believed a Congress controlled by their own party would help make them a success.

Obama Positioned to Quickly Reverse Bush Actions  —  Stem Cell, Climate Rules Among Targets of President-Elect's Team  —  Transition advisers to President-elect Barack Obama have compiled a list of about 200 Bush administration actions and executive orders that could be swiftly undone …

Pelosi: Prop 8 supporters might have been too dumb to grasp what they were doing  —  Evidently, it's now somehow illegitimate to vote on the substance of an issue without being fully informed of the legal posture first.  Sure, a majority opposes gay marriage — but did they know that four justices …

McCain Campaign Autopsy  —  Chief strategist Steve Schmidt talks about the moment—back in September—when he knew McCain was doomed.  Plus, his surprising view on gay marriage, and more scoop on leaks.  —  Reached on a long-planned vacation outside the country, former McCain campaign chief …

America's First Transgender Mayor  —  Stu Rasmussen Became Mayor With Implants, Dresses and Ideas for Improving Her Town  —  The first time Stu Rasmussen was elected mayor of Silverton, Ore., he wore shirts and pants.  This time around, after a landslide victory, he will be stepping into office donning a dress and makeup.

It Still Felt Good the Morning After  —  ON the morning after a black man won the White House, America's tears of catharsis gave way to unadulterated joy.  —  Our nation was still in the same ditch it had been the day before, but the atmosphere was giddy.  We felt good not only because we had breached …

We Blew It  —  A look back in remorse on the conservative opportunity that was squandered.  —  Let us bend over and kiss our ass goodbye.  Our 28-year conservative opportunity to fix the moral and practical boundaries of government is gone—gone with the bear market and the Bear Stearns …

High Court May Consider Legality of Detention  —  Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri was close to going on trial for fraud when prosecutors marched into an Illinois courtroom with a demand.  Dismiss the charges, they said, because President Bush had just designated the defendant an enemy combatant.

Obama Team Weighs What to Take On in First Months  —  WASHINGTON — With the economy in disarray and the nation's treasury draining, President-elect Barack Obama and his advisers are trying to figure out which of his expansive campaign promises to push in the opening months of his tenure and which to put on a slower track.

Dodd Says Obama Wouldn't Want Messy Fight Over Lieberman  —  U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd said Friday that President-elect Obama would not want one of his party's first major post-election issues to be a messy fight over Joseph Lieberman's status as a Democrat.

How McCain lost me.  —  As promised, I'm mining my archive — beginning in late August — to try to understand how I turned against John McCain.  —  August 25: “Nicely done.  I'm glad to see the return of the light touch,” I say about an Obama ad that uses the song “What a Wonderful World” …

Coleman campaign requests halt of absentee ballot count  —  Republican Sen. Norm Coleman sought an injunction to stop the opening and counting of 32 absentee ballots in Minneapolis, according to a copy of the court documents filed today provided to the Pioneer Press by Democrat Al Franken's campaign.