Latest tally: Begich leads Stevens by 3 votes  —  The elections division still has over 10,000 ballots left to count today and thousands more through next week, but the latest numbers show Mark Begich leading Sen. Ted Stevens 125,019 to 125,016.  —  The new numbers, reflecting nearly 43,000 …

Why Palin Still Matters  —  Some readers think my continuing attempt to expose all the lies and flim-flam and bizarre behavior of Sarah Palin is now moot.  She's history - they argue.  Move on.  I think she probably is history.  Even Bill Kristol and his minions in the McCain-Palin campaign …

Dem senators try to save Lieberman  —  Several top Democratic senators have launched a behind-the-scenes effort to save Sen. Joe Lieberman's chairmanship, despite calls from a Democratic base seeking retribution for Lieberman's vocal support of John McCain's presidential campaign.

The Biggest Lesson Obama Learned From The Clinton Transition  —  Democrats who survived the transition from George H.W. Bush to William Jefferson Clinton are a bit in awe these days of what Barack Obama is doing and how he is doing it.  —  Of the Clinton transition, one very senior …

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: CINDY MCCAIN CAUGHT CHEATING ON J-MAC!  —  The ENQUIRER's exclusive bombshell expose as Sen. John McCain's wife, Cindy, is caught with another man!  —  Not only that but multiple witnesses have caught the pair lip locking on several other occasions.

Hopeful signs on health care  —  This is very big news.  One of the key questions about the new Democratic majority was whether Congress would try to play it safe, backing down on big ideas about reform, especially on health care.  You can view the whole chorus about how we're still a …

MN Secretary of State: Coleman's goal ‘to win at any price’  —  The Democratic Secretary of State of Minnesota, Mark Ritchie, was just on MSNBC talking about the recount in the Minnesota Senate race between Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) and Democrat Al Franken, and his comments will likely upset Coleman's campaign.

Rino Season Is Now Open  —  Like any entity that abandons basic quality control, political parties rot from within.  It happened to the Democrats long ago, and now has become the case with the Republican Party, which has strayed from its conservative underpinnings.

Cleland ad causes trouble for Chambliss  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  With Sen. John McCain returning to the campaign trail on Thursday on stump for Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss in his runoff race in Georgia, Democrats are reminding voters and donors …

Maddow wears pajamas on air in solidarity with bloggers, says she sees herself as ‘a blogger on TV.’  —  Last night, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow showed a clip of Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) complaining about being criticized by “some blogger” sitting “in their parents' basement.”

U.S. Shifts Focus in Credit Bailout to the Consumer  —  WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department on Wednesday officially abandoned the original strategy behind its $700 billion effort to rescue the financial system, as administration officials acknowledged that banks and financial institutions …

Local Newspapers Cover Rising Number of Racist Anti-Obama Actions in Small Towns  —  NEW YORK Many conservative pundits and Republican officeholders on the national stage have reacted to the election of Barack Obama as a promising step forward in the history of race relations and democracy …

Allergists' dander up about Obama quest for dog  —  CHICAGO - Not to put a damper on the Obama family's canine quest, but allergists have a news flash: There's no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog.  —  So Malia and Sasha, how about a fish instead?  —  President-elect Barack …

Pelosi's power reigns supreme  —  After delivering a 20-seat pickup for House Democrats on Election Night, Rep. Chris Van Hollen wanted out of his grinding campaign job and into a more powerful leadership post.  —  “The one option I am not exploring is continuing as the chairman” …

The Good Life of a New-Media Guru  —  Is Jeff Jarvis gloating too much about the death of print?  —  Take a look at this, from Jeff Jarvis' blog BuzzMachine: … Jeff Jarvis is living the good life.  (But he's still humble—he says so himself!)  Jeff Jarvis is the very model of a modern new-media guru.

Obama Transition Team Staffs Up Internet Outreach Crew  —  Now this is a good sign: The Obama transition team has just signed up two leading Web types for the transition's Internet outreach team, a welcome indication that the Obama team is moving to transfer its astonishing online successes during …

Idaho students chant ‘assassinate Obama’ on school bus: Report  —  Madison County, Idaho was once dubbed “the reddest place in America” by Salon, but that didn't make it any less shocking when elementary school children started chanting “assassinate Obama on the school bus.