Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State?  —  Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) looks up during a Veterans Day event at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City.  (Chris Hondros/Getty Images)  —  By Al Kamen and Philip Rucker  —  There's increasing chatter in political circles …

GOP governors unhappy with Palin press conference  —  Some GOP governors weren't happy with how Palin's press conference unfolded.  (Getty Images)  —  MIAMI (CNN) — Some Republican governors tell CNN they were not particularly happy with the way the Republican Governors Association press conference …

Bill Ayers: Barack Obama a ‘family friend’  —  Bill Ayers, former 1960s radical activist turned college professor, listens to Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. speak at Northwestern University during an event hosted by Northwestern's Black Student Alliance.  Ayers' name gained prominence during …

Schumer: GOP trying to stop Minn. recount  —  Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday accused Republicans of trying to halt the Minnesota Senate recount through intimidation and vowed the process “won't be another Florida.”  —  Schumer, the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee …

Dennis Miller: Liberal women hate Sarah Palin because ‘she has a great sex life.’  —  On the O'Reilly factor last night, Dennis Miller declared that liberal women hate Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) because “she has a great sex life”: … Watch it:  —  Male pundits seem obsessed with Palin's sex life.

Vindication  —  At one moment, in one speech, I tried to explain to a frustrated audience member why the institution of marriage matters to us gay people, and why nothing else will ever do.  —  I think a huge amount of the future of the GOP is less up to the Republican leadership and …

Breaking: EPA Appeals Board Strikes Down Construction Of New Coal-Fired Power Plant  —  The Wonk Room  —  Breaking: EPA Appeals Board Strikes Down Construction Of New Coal-Fired Power Plant»  —  In a landmark action, the Environmental Protection Agency's final decision-making board …

Stevens Pollster: Race Is Over, Begich Will Win  —  Alaska-based GOP pollster David Dittman, who worked for Sen. Ted Stevens during this year's primary race, believes Democratic challenger Mark Begich is all but certain to expand his current razor-thin lead and snatch the seat.

Obama will resign Senate seat Sunday  —  President-elect Barack Obama said today he will step down from his Senate seat effective this Sunday.  —  The decision adds to the pressure on Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a fellow Democrat, who under state law has the sole responsibility for naming a successor to Obama …

El Coyote Boycott?  Mormon Manager's Faith Overrides “Love” For Customers  —  About 70 people gathered at the legendary El Coyote Cafe in Los Angeles' Fairfax District Wednesday morning for a community sit down/brunch to hear Marjorie Christoffersen speak about why she gave $100 to Yes on 8 via the Mormon Church.

Lieberman's A Scold, Not A Ken Starr  —  This is a fun distraction, but isn't the bloggy left having a major overreaction to the idea of keeping Lieberman in his current position?  —  It's true that he'll have subpoena power over the new administration, but the idea that he'll …

SC priest: No communion for Obama supporters  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. - A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest has told his parishioners that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama because the Democratic president-elect supports abortion, and supporting him …

Chances Dwindle on Bailout Plan for Automakers  —  WASHINGTON — The prospects of a government rescue for the foundering American automakers dwindled Thursday as Democratic Congressional leaders conceded that they would face potentially insurmountable Republican opposition during a lame-duck session next week.

Depression Economics Returns  —  The economic news, in case you haven't noticed, keeps getting worse.  Bad as it is, however, I don't expect another Great Depression.  In fact, we probably won't see the unemployment rate match its post-Depression peak of 10.7 percent, reached in 1982 (although I wish I was sure about that).

Haggard: Scandal grew from childhood sex abuse  —  New Life Church founder and former evangelical leader Ted Haggard returned to the pulpit to give two sermons in a small Illinois church on the second anniversary of his scandal-forced exit from a high-profile ministry at his megachurch in Colorado Springs.

Welcome to My World, Barack  —  On Jan. 20, Barack Obama will inherit a world very different from the one his predecessor found in January 2001.  Over the past eight years, the Bush administration has faced great challenges and nurtured grand ambitions; it has tried hard to remake the world.