Stinging Talk About Obama?  Never Mind Now  —  That whole anti-American, friend-to-the-terrorists thing about President-elect Barack Obama?  Never mind.  —  Just a few weeks ago, at the height of the campaign, Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota told Chris Matthews of MSNBC that …

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 …

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 …

Palin and Africa, Etc.  —  I talked to Steve Biegun, the former Bush NSC aid who briefed Sarah Palin on foreign policy, and he considers the leaks against her on the international stuff “absurd.”  —  He says there's no way she didn't know Africa was a continent, and whoever is saying she didn't must be distorting “a fumble of words.”

Pelosi says voters misunderstood Prop.  8  —  (11-08) 04:00 PST Washington - —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed deep disappointment on Friday that California voters approved Prop. 8, the measure banning same-sex marriage, and defended her ally, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom …

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.

Memo to the POTUS-elect  —  Congratulations, Senator Obama.  You ran a good campaign, and you racked up an historic victory.  As you get ready for your new responsibilities, let me suggest four ways for you to become a reliable steward of the economy:  —  Listen to your economists.

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.

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.

‘Do What You Got Elected to Do’  —  The incoming chief of staff says expect a pragmatic White House.  —  Detroit  —  In Rahm Emanuel's telling, the Democratic victories on Tuesday were a continuum of what began in the 2006 midterm elections, when his party won majorities in the House and the Senate for the first time in 12 years.

Real Time: The Hard Core Republican Base Is Like A Stalker-Rejection Just Makes Them Crazier  —  From Real Time Nov. 7, 2008.  New Rules.

Back Home, Palin Finds Landscape Has Changed  —  ANCHORAGE — Gov. Sarah Palin has returned to Alaska fully recast and amplified.  —  Adored by many national conservatives, Ms. Palin is a prospect for a presidential run in 2012, supporters say.  Caricatured by opponents, she is a candidate for political oblivion, say others.

Reid, Pelosi Urge Treasury to Extend Aid to Automakers  —  With the nation's automotive industry hemorrhaging cash, congressional leaders called on the Bush administration yesterday to offer government assistance to the car companies as part of the Treasury Department's $700 billion emergency rescue program.

Obama aide denies missile plan report  —  (CNN) — U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has made “no commitment” to plans for a missile defense program in eastern Europe, despite a report on the Polish president's Web site, an Obama adviser said Saturday.  —  Obama spoke to President Lech Kaczynki …

C&L Movie Review: Che by Steven Soderbergh  —  Che … There is a silent fragment of a scene in Guerrilla, the second part of Steven Soderbergh's epic cinematic experience, Che that is very telling.  Che Guevara, portrayed brilliantly by Benicio Del Toro, is trying to motivate a group …