Dorgan: Lieberman's Actions Were ‘Unacceptable’ For Committee Chairman  —  After Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) spoke at the Republican National Convention this summer, Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) expressed his frustration: “Everybody is just profoundly disappointed with what Joe did,” Dorgan said.

The world has never seen such freezing heat  —  A surreal scientific blunder last week raised a huge question mark about the temperature records that underpin the worldwide alarm over global warming.  On Monday, Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), which is run …

Right-leaning media brace for shutout  —  Since the Weekly Standard launched in 1995, there's one scenario the conservative magazine hasn't yet faced: Democrats in control of both the White House and Congress.  —  But that's what lies ahead in just two months, leaving staffers …

Barack Obama links Israel peace plan to 1967 borders deal  —  Uzi Mahnaimi in Tel Aviv and Sarah Baxter  —  Barack Obama is to pursue an ambitious peace plan in the Middle East involving the recognition of Israel by the Arab world in exchange for its withdrawal to pre-1967 borders …

Iraqi Cabinet Approves Security Pact With U.S.  —  BAGHDAD — The Iraqi cabinet voted overwhelmingly Sunday to approve the security agreement that sets the conditions for the Americans' continued presence in Iraq from Jan. 1 until the end of 2011.  —  All but one of the 28 cabinet ministers …

The Center-Right Nation Exits Stage Left  —  Here's the main thought Republicans are consoling themselves with these days: Notwithstanding President-elect Barack Obama, a nearly filibuster-proof Democratic majority in the Senate and the largest Democratic majority in the House of Representatives since 1993 …

Blowback is a bitch  —  Pogrom  —  Not a pogrom  —  Using public records, antigayblacklist is making available the names and businesses of people who bankroll discrimination.  Rick Moran writes: … The kind of person who contributes money to deny their fellow citizens their civil rights …

John Brennan and Bush's interrogation/detention policies  —  Last Wednesday, I wrote: … Yesterday, Andrew Sullivan noted that observation but then linked to this post from James Gordon Meek, which reported that Brennan — a top CIA aide to George Tenet during most of the Bush administration …

Whose President Is He Anyway?  —  CHICAGO — It did not go unnoticed among the paisans that Barack Obama loves a four-star Italian restaurant on the Magnificent Mile near the lakefront.  Not some pizza joint, but “the Ferrari of Italian cooking,” as Spiaggia's chef and co-owner, Tony Mantuano, puts it.

Team of Frenemies  —  It's a cool idea, Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.  —  At long last, the feminist icon would represent the feminist ideal of getting a room of her own, all on her own.  —  Running for the Senate and the presidency, Hillary felt entitled to get money …

BBC shies from fight with licence rebels  —  Public figures refusing to pay TV the fee are being let off to avoid making them heroes  —  The BBC is failing to prosecute viewers who refuse to pay the television licence on principle amid claims that the corporation fears creating a wave of “martyrs”.

Why Were Psychologists Behind The Curve On Torture?  —  In September of this year, the American Psychological Association reversed a longstanding policy by voting to prohibit its members from participating in interrogations or acting in an advisory capacity at Guantánamo Bay and elsewhere …

Nation's Economic Crisis Forces Democrats to Focus More Intensely on Creating Jobs  —  Health Care, Energy Still Part of Agenda  —  For most of his campaign, President-elect Barack Obama's economic message was a call to restore balance to an off-kilter system, with investments in health care …