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 …

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.

Students chant ‘Assassinate Obama’ on school bus  —  REXBURG - Controversial words spoken by kids on a school bus have some Madison County parents concerned.  —  Matthew Whoolery and his wife aren't blaming the school district for what happened on the bus but they do think all parents need …

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.

Bayh: Lieberman Should Apologize For Obama Attacks, Keep Key Chairmanship  —  Evan Bayh, appearing on the Rachel Maddow show on MSNBC tonight, called for Joe Lieberman to apologize for attacking Barack Obama, a move which would, Bayh said, allow him to retain his chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee:

Klain accepts job as Biden chief of staff  —  Ronald A. Klain, former chief of staff and counselor to Vice President Al Gore, has accepted an offer to be chief of staff to Vice President-elect Joe Biden, Democratic officials said.  —  The position will put Klain, a seasoned political hand, at the heart of West Wing activity.

85,000 homes lost to foreclosure in October  —  As government and industry scramble to reverse the tide of foreclosures, filings jumped 25% in October.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — As government and industry scrambled to stem the housing crisis, another 84,868 homes were lost to foreclosure in October …

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.

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.

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 …

Unrepentant, anti-capitalist terrorist cashes in  —  Weather Underground bomber Bill Ayers is a busy bee.  —  The violence-embracing Marxist is on the lecture and media circuit, hawking his repackaged memoir, promoting a new book on race, and basking in all the post-Obama victory attention.

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.

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”.

Foley Speaks Out, Apologizes For Page Scandal  —  Former Rep. Mark Foley, the Florida Republican who resigned his seat two years ago after his sexually-explicit messages with underage male pages became public, has broken his silence, telling reporters that he's sorry and promising to “find my way back.”

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 …

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 …

Obama faces test on WH political office  —  CHICAGO — It was a standard applause line on the campaign trail: Barack Obama condemned the “perpetual campaign” that has consumed Washington, contending that the slash-and-burn politics practiced by the Bush White House had gotten in the way of governing.