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 …

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 …

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.

GOP to file suit to undo McCain rules  —  McCain-Feingold limits hurt presidential efforts  —  The Republican Party will file federal lawsuits Thursday seeking to overthrow the McCain-Feingold federal campaign finance regulations, Republican National Committee Chairman Robert M.

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.

After Taking Some Shots, She Fires Back  —  Palin Aims at Detractors In Remaking Her Image  —  Sarah Palin is fighting back against the “jerks.”  —  Cooking moose chili and slicing sandwiches for Matt Lauer and Greta Van Susteren, chatting up Larry King and Wolf Blitzer …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

Bush Warns Against Dismantling Free Market System  —  Nov. 13 (Bloomberg) — President George W. Bush today will urge leaders of the world's biggest industrial and developing economies not to abandon principles of free-market capitalism as they seek an escape from the international financial crisis …

Gingrich says GOP is outmatched  —  How bad off is the Republican Party right now?  Ask Newt Gingrich.  —  “The Republican Party right now is like a midsize college team trying to play in the Superbowl,” Gingrich told me Wednesday.  “It is pretty hard to say our losses were because of John McCain's campaign.

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.

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.

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 …

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”.

Few Will Miss Following Campaign News  —  Public's Favorite - and Least Favorite - Campaign Journalists  —  By all accounts, the public liked Campaign 2008 and followed election news avidly.  But enough is enough.  Fully 82% say they will not miss following election news, while only 17% say they will miss it.

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.

Lawsuit seeks to bankrupt Klan group  —  (CNN) — It was a mismatch from the start: a 16-year-old boy, 5-feet, 3-inches tall and 150 pounds, against two reputed Ku Klux Klansmen, the biggest standing 6-feet, 5-inches and tipping the scales at 300 pounds.  —  Jordan Gruver, an American citizen …