How the Palin debate helps McCain  —  Want an idea of how popular Sarah Palin was among Southern Republicans?  You can check her numbers in exit polls or just see which element of the party is defending her the loudest.  GOP state chairs in North Carolina, South Carolina and now Tennessee …

Bush: ‘I regret’ some things 'I shouldn't have said'  —  NEW YORK (CNN) — As his presidency nears its end, a reflective President Bush suggested Tuesday he regrets some of his more blunt statements on the war on terror over the last eight years, and said he wishes he had not spoken in front of a …

Poll finds most Americans welcome Dem control  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — It was one of John McCain's closing arguments: “We're getting a glimpse of what one-party rule would look like under Obama, Pelosi, and Reid.  Apparently it starts with lowering our defenses and raising our taxes,” …

Al Gore, Colin Powell, Caroline Kennedy in Obama's Administration?  —  Obama transition team boss John Podesta threw open the curtains of his operation today to reporters, signaling that the president-elect wants to move quickly, but not hastily, to set up his government.

Anti-war camp urges Obama to dump Gates  —  Arms control advocates and anti-war activists are ratcheting up pressure on President-elect Barack Obama to dump Defense Secretary Robert Gates and replace him with a more strident anti-war voice.  —  Nominating Gates to stay …

Obama Lays Out Ethics Rules  —  President-elect Barack Obama today released a series of ethics guidelines for those working in the transition operation, a continuation of the anti-lobbying policies adopted by the Illinois senator during his primary and general election campaigns.

Presidential race not over in Missouri  —  The presidential contest is still not over in Missouri, even if President-elect Barack Obama is already sizing up the White House.  —  In fact, the vote count in Missouri is tightening.  —  Republican John McCain's statewide lead has shrunk …

Sources: Jarrett headed to White House, not Senate  —  (CNN) — Two Democratic sources close to President-elect Barack Obama tell CNN that top adviser Valerie Jarrett will not be appointed to replace him in the U.S. Senate.  —  “While he (Obama) thinks she would be a good senator …

Barone: Media wanted Palin abortion  —  A roomful of academics erupted in angry boos Tuesday morning after political analyst Michael Barone said journalists trashed Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republicans' vice presidential nominee, because “she did not abort her Down syndrome baby.”

Glory for Democrats, Riding on a Single Vote  —  OMAHA — Yes, county election officials here are certainly aware that the presidential race is considered over and done.  And they know that President-elect Barack Obama has already been warmly embraced by much of the world, held his first news conference and toured the White House.

Obama likely to escape campaign audit  —  The Federal Election Commission is unlikely to conduct a potentially embarrassing audit of how Barack Obama raised and spent his presidential campaign's record-shattering windfall, despite allegations of questionable donations and accounting that had the McCain campaign crying foul.

Responding to Obama's Win, Michael (Son of) Reagan Says, Go After Dems on Sex  —  The Obama win is driving some conservatives crazy.  On Tuesday, Michael Reagan, talk show host and son of Ronald, sent out an email announcing a new outfit called Reagan Action, which among other things …

It's Official: Full Dem Caucus Will Vote On Lieberman's Fate  —  The full Democratic caucus will vote on whether Joe Lieberman is allowed to keep his chairmanship of the Homeland Security committee at its caucus meeting next week, a leadership aide confirms to us.

Scarborough now guarded by a seven-second delay.»  —  Yesterday, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough accidentally dropped the f-bomb while live on air.  After apologizing, Scarborough said, “My wife is going to kill me when I get home.”  (Watch the incident here.)

Invidious comparisons  —  Why bail out Wall Street and not GM, demand many people.  Why do we care about bankers and not ordinary folks?  —  I think this misses the point of the financial bailout.  Whether or not it works—and I sure hope it will—I don't think very many people wanted …

Rejected Secret Service Names for the Obamas  —  The Secret Service code names for the First Family-elect are another odd assortment of seemingly random words, all starting with the letter R.  —  John McCain may have been a self styled Maverick, but Barack Obama's Secret Service code name is Renegade.

Jindal Says No  —  Interestingly, it seems Bobby Jindal was being seriously considered for the Veepstakes but decided to say no in part because they feared that he might “be caught up in what they believed to be a less-than-stellar campaign that could pin a loss on Jindal without much ability …

The End of ‘Objectivity’ in New Era: A Good Thing?  —  NEW YORK When Michael Paulson began covering religion for The Boston Globe eight years ago, the paper had no blogs or online video, he did almost no outside speaking work, and the paper's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Catholic church sex scandal was still years away.

Racism Rears Its Head in European Remarks on Obama  —  Europe erupted in cheers to celebrate Barack Obama's election as president, but the continent is seeing its share of insensitive racial blunders, too.  —  Over the past week, a number of European lawmakers and journalists have made foot …

Why Obama Looks Like a One Termer  —  Just “one and done” for Barack Obama's presidency?  Recall an ominous passage in his otherwise joyous election-night speech: “The road ahead will be long.  Our climb will be steep.  We may not get there in one year or even in one term.”

Rep. Broun regrets linking Obama, Hitler  —  Fellow lawmakers criticize remarks  —  WASHINGTON — Georgia Congressman Paul Broun Tuesday backed away from comparing the policies of President-elect Obama to those of Hitler or a Marxist dictator.  —  After stirring a controversy …

Uh, Sarah....You Sure You Want To Go There?  —  Sarah Palin seems to have a special place in her heart for bloggers: … For the record: … I have a masters' degree in film business from USC, produced major motion pictures and wrote a best selling book.

Steele Likely to Seek RNC Leadership Post  —  The former Maryland lieutenant governor is considering a run for the chairmanship of the Republican Party, a source close to the situation told FOX News.  —  FOXNews.com  —  Michael Steele, former lieutenant governor of Maryland …

Power Line advises Obama to be just like Bush when he speaks publicly  —  John Amato's virtual online magazine...OK, It's a blog!  — Home- Archives  — Tags Directory  — Contact Us- Donate … Wow, the right wing bloggers are really cracking up over Obama's victory.  You don't believe me?