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 …

Chancellor prepares to forecast ‘short, sharp’ recession that will be harsh but over by 2010 … Chancellor Alistair Darling is set to forecast a ‘short, sharp’ recession when he presents his pre-Budget report later this month.  —  He predicted the economy could shrink by 1 per cent next year and that the recession would be harsh.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

Afghanistan's Korengal Valley  —  Yesterday was Veteran's Day (or Armistice or Remembrance Day, depending on where you live), a day set aside to honor those who have served in the military.  Today, on the day after, it seems appropriate to share some photographs of U.S. soldiers currently in the thick of war in Afghanistan.

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.

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 …

7-Year-Old Political Blogger Gets Obama Thank You Letter  —  Edison Park 2nd grader supported President-elect  —  Watch out Politico and First Read.  Competition is on the horizon, albeit a distant one.  —  Stanislaw “Stas” Gunkel may soon be a big name in the political blogosphere.

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 …

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 …

At Last Manmohan Singh Gets Call From Barack Obama  —  New Delhi (ABC Live): At last Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh got call from US President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday.  —  In his telephonic talks with PM, Obama termed US-India strategic relationship is a “very important partnership”.

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.

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 …

Bailout Lacks Oversight Despite Billions Pledged  —  Watchdog Panel Is Empty; Report Is Unfinished  —  In the six weeks since lawmakers approved the Treasury's massive bailout of financial firms, the government has poured money into the country's largest banks, recruited smaller banks …

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 …

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 …

Audio: The obligatory “Rahm Emanuel talks about compulsory civil defense service” clip  —  We already knew this, but it's one thing to know it and another thing to hear it.  I hope he presses Obama to implement it, as the weeks of fun we'll have with “Imagine if Bush had proposed this” …

KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN, SARAH  —  CBS anchor Katie Couric thinks Sarah Palin has a thing or two to learn about politics before she contemplates a White House run in 2012.  “I think she should keep her head down, work really hard and learn about governing.  But I'm not anyone to give advice …

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.