Prop. 8 gay marriage ban goes to Supreme Court  —  The California high court will review legal challenges to Prop.  8. A hearing is set for March.  Prior to a ruling, gay weddings will not be allowed to resume.  —  REPORTING FROM SAN FRANCISCO — The California Supreme Court agreed today …

Giving Up on God  —  As Republicans sort out the reasons for their defeat, they likely will overlook or dismiss the gorilla in the pulpit.  —  Three little letters, great big problem: G-O-D.  —  I'm bathing in holy water as I type.  —  To be more specific, the evangelical, right-wing …

TOM DASCHLE: HEALTH CZAR.  —  CNN is reporting that Tom Daschle will not only be Health and Human Services Secretary, but also health reform czar under the Obama administration.  This is huge news, and the clearest evidence yet that Obama means to pursue comprehensive health reform.

The 10 Sexiest Everyday Men Of 2008 [Must List]  —  When People announced its Sexiest Man Alive today — Hugh Jackman, you may recall — we thought, well, that's all well and good and he is hot, but what about the guys who don't (necessarily) grace the big and small screens but do get our hearts a-twitter and our loins a-twitchin'?

Finger-pointing begins as Senate nixes auto vote  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - A Democratic Congress, unwilling or unable to approve a $25 billion bailout for Detroit's Big Three, appears ready to punt the automakers' fate to a lame-duck Republican president.

Norm Coleman for RNC chair?  —  Minnesota Republican Sen. Norm Coleman is locked in a recount battle with comedian Al Franken to retain his seat.  —  But a Republican colleague of Mr. Coleman's on Wednesday floated his name as a potential chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Eyes on the Prize  —  Jim Geraghty: … Michael Goldfarb: … I suspect we'll be seeing quite a few comments along these lines as the Obama Administration proceeds.  Of the three legs of the rmodern right-of-center stool - social conservatives, small-governmenteers, and foreign-policy hawks …

AL QAEDA'S MOST EPIC FAIL EVER.  —  Al Qaeda plays a little identity politics: … The best part about this is that a knee-jerk patriotic response implicitly rejects the notion of black American culture as oppositional by definition.  And doing so is an act of solidarity with the future President of the United States!

McCain wins Missouri; State's streak over!  —  From CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser, CNN Research Director Robert Yoon  —  (CNN) - It's taken more than two weeks, but we finally have a winner in Missouri.  —  Fifteen days after Election Day, Republican Sen. John McCain …

India leads fight against Somali pirates  —  An Indian warship sank a Somali pirate ‘mother ship.’ At least 91 ships have been hijacked this year off the coast of Somalia.  — E-mail a friend - Print this - Letter to the Editor - Republish - - Get e-mail alerts - RSS  —  PUNE, INDIA -

Palin Congratulates Begich after Sen. Stevens Concedes  —  Joel Millman reports on the Senate race in Alaska.  —  Sen. Ted Stevens, the man Alaskans know as “Uncle Ted”, quietly conceded his re-election fight Wednesday, a day after his opponent defeated the 85-year old Republican.

Obama's First Drama: Hillary Clinton  —  I was agnostic on the matter of Hillary Clinton's possible appointment as secretary of state—until last night.  —  If Barack Obama, the president-elect, wanted to pull a Team of Rivals play, that had seemed fine to me.

Obama Hears a Giant Sucking Sound  —  His legacy is spent before he gets his hands on it.  —  His friends advise Barack Obama to launch a “New” New Deal.  Maybe that's because the old New Deal is sinking fast.  —  Mr. Obama's one deeply false note during the campaign was his harping on …

Michelle Bachmann denies saying she wanted the media to investigate members of Congress who might be anti-American  —  John Amato's virtual online magazine...OK, It's a blog!  — Home- Archives  — Tags Directory  — Contact Us- Donate- FAQ  — Advertising- Commenting- General …

Dems see new signs Gates will stay  —  If Gates stays, no reconfirmation hearing would be needed, officials said.  —  Keeping Gates at the helm would help give Obama political cover for a gradual reduction of U.S. forces in Iraq and would enhance his relationship with Gen. David Petraeus …

Emanuel Sets a Challenge  —  President-elect Barack Obama's incoming White House chief of staff challenged chief executives and other business leaders Tuesday night to join the new administration in a push for universal health care, saying incremental increases in coverage won't be acceptable.

Rep. Ackerman: Auto Execs' Private Jet Travel Like Guy At ‘The Soup Kitchen In High Hat And Tuxedo’  —  Today, the CEOs of the Detroit Big Three returned to Capitol Hill to ask for $25 billion in loans.  Testifying before the House Financial Services Committee, General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner insisted …

Longmont Times-Call staffers invited to work as valets at owner's Christmas party  —  The online logo of the Longmont Times-Call.  —  Talk about a sign of the times in the journalism industry.  Staffers at the Longmont Times-Call recently received an internal e-mail inviting them to work …

Election surprise: Obama won Salt Lake County voters' nod  —  Politics » Democrats say win is a big step for party's plans in Beehive State.  —  Updated election results released Tuesday show that Salt Lake County voters favored Barack Obama over John McCain — but just barely …

Buyout-Depleted ‘Star-Ledger’ Reassigns Two Journos — To Mailroom  —  NEW YORK When a newspaper cuts its staff, those who remain in the depleted newsroom become valuable.  But as The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. slowly says farewell to 151 newsroom folks who took buyouts last month …