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.

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.

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.

Facing Obama, Iran Suddenly Hedges on Talks  —  Since 2006, Iran's leaders have called for direct, unconditional talks with the United States to resolve international concerns over their nuclear program.  But as an American administration open to such negotiations prepares to take power …

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.

Saying anything about Sarah Palin  —  Mocking Sarah Palin has become a bit of a cottage industry, but it does seem worth pausing to doubt the quality of the information at this point.  Some of the details in the damaging Newsweek narrative of her candidacy were obviously false — notably …

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 …

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.

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.

Catholic Church cuts off ACORN funding  —  (CNN) — The Roman Catholic Church is cutting off funds to the community organizing group ACORN, citing complaints over its voter registration drives in the November 4 election as part of the reason.  —  The Catholic Campaign for Human Development froze …

8,000 Beduin stake their claim as the lost tribe of Barack Obama  —  A sheikh in Galilee says he has evidence that he and his family are linked by blood to the new President  —  He has a host of relatives in exotic locations from Hawaii to Kenya, and during his run for the American presidency …

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.

Blackwater likely to be fined millions in Iraq weapons case  —  WASHINGTON — The State Department is preparing to slap a multi-million dollar fine on private military contractor Blackwater USA for shipping hundreds of automatic weapons to Iraq without the necessary permits.

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 …

Bayh: Lieberman should apologize, keep chairmanship  —  Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) called on Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) to apologize for his attacks on Barack Obama, saying doing so would temporarily let him retain a key chairmanship position next Congress.  —  Bayh warned that stripping Lieberman …

Failure of auto industry could set off catastrophe  —  Advocates: Collapse of US auto industry could set off catastrophic chain reaction  —  DETROIT (AP) — Advocates for the nation's automakers are warning that the collapse of the Big Three — or even just General Motors …

Republican Governors Meet, Glumly  —  After Election Losses, Many See Bleak Future for Party  —  Republican governors were the brightest spot in an otherwise dispiriting election last week for the GOP, but the chief executives gathered here Wednesday provided a gloomy assessment …

Sacramento theater director resigns in Prop. 8 aftermath  —  More Prop. 8 fallout  —  Scott Eckern, the Sacramento theater director whose political donation in support of California's Prop. 8 ban on same-sex marriage turned into a lightning rod in the debate over gay rights, resigned Wednesday …