Begich leads Stevens in latest tally  —  Mark Begich made a dramatic comeback Wednesday to overtake Ted Stevens for the lead in Alaska's U.S. Senate race.  —  Begich, who was losing after election night, now leads Stevens by 814 votes — 132,196 to 131,382 — with the state still …

What Just Happened  —  WHAT JUST HAPPENED....Despite all the grief she's gotten, I continue to think that the selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate represents the breaking of a consensual cultural barrier far more fundamental than most people realize.

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.

Bush, Out of Office, Could Oppose Inquiries  —  WASHINGTON — When a Congressional committee subpoenaed Harry S. Truman in 1953, nearly a year after he left office, he made a startling claim: Even though he was no longer president, the Constitution still empowered him to block subpoenas.

The Democrats of 2002 and 2007 haven't gone anywhere  —  (updated below)  —  Though it hasn't happened yet, it is appearing increasingly likely that Senate Democrats — led by Barack Obama (who seems to be playing a much more active role in all of this than his spokesperson yesterday suggested) …

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 …

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 …

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.

Obama's Fascinating Interview with Cathleen Falsani  —  The most detailed and fascinating explication of Barack Obama's faith came in a 2004 interview he gave Chicago Sun Times columnist Cathleen Falsani when he was running for U.S. Senate in Illinois.  The column she wrote about the interview …

Royal Navy in firefight with Somali pirates  —  Michael Evans, Defence Editor and Rob Crilly  —  Pirates caught redhanded by one of Her Majesty's warships after trying to hijack a cargo ship off Somalia made the grave mistake of opening fire on two Royal Navy assault craft packed with commandos armed with machineguns and SA80 rifles.

For a Washington Job, Be Prepared to Tell All  —  WASHINGTON — Want a top job in the Obama administration?  Only pack rats need apply, preferably those not packing controversy.  —  A seven-page questionnaire being sent by the office of President-elect Barack Obama to those seeking cabinet …

The Chutzpah of Bill Ayers  —  I did not intend to write about Bill Ayers again.  The man has already had far more than his allotted 15 minutes of fame, and he didn't even deserve that.  But Michael Moynihan of Reason magazine alerted me to his latest travesty.

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 …

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.”

Hard Times, But Big Wall Street Bonuses  —  The Early Show: Mystery Shrouding How Much Of The Money Will Come From The $700B Gov't.  Bailout  —  (CBS) It's no secret that investment bankers are well-compensated, mostly through year-end bonuses, especially during bull markets.

G.M.'s Troubles Stir Question of Bankruptcy vs. a Bailout  —  DETROIT — Momentum is building in Washington for a rescue package for the auto industry to head off a possible bankruptcy filing by General Motors, which is rapidly running low on cash.  —  But not everyone agrees that a Chapter 11 filing …

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.

Obama's plans for probing Bush torture  —  WASHINGTON — With growing talk in Washington that President Bush may be considering an unprecedented “blanket pardon” for people involved in his administration's brutal interrogation policies, advisors to Barack Obama are pressing ahead with plans …

Will Obama Appoint A “Car Czar”?  From Politico.com: … I don't know about you, but I really look forward to purchasing my new U.S. Government Model 1 Car when the new models are introduced in 2011.  Of course, the Model 1 will be the only car legally sold in America by then, so if you want a car, that will be the only one to buy.

A Senior Fellow at the Institute of Nonexistence  —  It was among the juicier post-election recriminations: Fox News Channel quoted an unnamed McCain campaign figure as saying that Sarah Palin did not know that Africa was a continent.  —  Who would say such a thing?