GOP senator: McCain betrayed Republican principles  —  MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (CNN) - South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint on Friday became one of the first high-profile Republicans to publicly criticize John McCain following his electoral defeat, blaming the Arizona senator …

Barack Obama is warned to beware of a ‘huge threat’ from al-Qaeda  —  Security officials fear a ‘spectacular’ during the transition period  —  Barack Obama is being given ominous advice from leaders on both sides of the Atlantic to brace himself for an early assault from terrorists.

What Happens If You're on the Gay “Enemies List”  —  Ever since a slim majority outlawed gay marriage in California, opponents have waged national protests and petitions, urging the judicial system to reconsider the results of the Nov. 4 referendum.  (Proposition 8 overturned an earlier decision …

Some Former Lobbyists Have Key Roles in Obama Transition  —  Some Members of Team Shaping New Administration Had Recent K Street Ties  —  Barack Obama campaigned on a pledge to change Washington, vowing to upend the K Street lobbying culture he encountered when he joined the U.S. Senate.

Spam Turns Serious and Hormel Turns Out More  —  AUSTIN, Minn. — The economy is in tatters and, for millions of people, the future is uncertain.  But for some employees at the Hormel Foods Corporation plant here, times have never been better.  They are working at a furious pace and piling up all the overtime they want.

Change You Can Conceive In  —  Could euphoric Obama fans be sparking a baby boom? … From the magazine issue dated Nov 24, 2008  —  The theory is almost too perfect to be true.  Barack Obama, the son of politically progressive parents, was born Aug. 4, 1961—almost nine months …

Obama-Biden Transition: Agency Review Teams  —  Obama-Biden Transition: Agency Review Teams  —  The Agency Review Teams for the Obama-Biden Transition will complete a thorough review of key departments, agencies and commissions of the United States government, as well as the White House …

Blame to Go Around  —  I was ranting the other day about the evils of the finance sector and its denizens, and one of the people I was talking to, being a reasonable person, tried to get me to put things in perspective.  “But,” she said, “don't you also blame the people who took out loans …

Interesting Times  —  George Packer writes about foreign affairs, politics, and books.  —  KILCULLEN ON AFGHANISTAN: “IT'S STILL WINNABLE, BUT ONLY JUST.”  —  I wrote about David Kilcullen two years ago, in a piece called “Knowing the Enemy.”  Few experts understand counterinsurgency …

How to Ground The Street  —  President-elect Barack Obama will soon face the extraordinary task of saving capitalism from its own excesses, much as Franklin D. Roosevelt had to do 76 years ago.  Up until this point in the crisis, policymakers have appropriately applied the rules of triage …

Iraq: Negotiators agree on US security pact draft  —  BAGHDAD - U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have agreed on a draft of a security pact that would allow American troops to stay in Iraq for three more years after their U.N. mandate expires Dec. 31, a senior aide to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Saturday.