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 …

A Force for Good — but Not at State  —  It may be moot and it certainly is presumptuous, but I would be less than honest with readers if I did not say what I believe: Making Hillary Rodham Clinton the secretary of state in Barack Obama's administration would be a mistake.

Al-Qaida No. 2 says Obama betrays race  —  In first video since election, he says president-elect does bidding of whites  —  CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader used a racial epithet to insult Barack Obama in a message posted Wednesday, describing the president-elect in demeaning terms that imply he does the bidding of whites.

Let Detroit Go Bankrupt  —  IF General Motors, Ford and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye.  It won't go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed.  —  Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself.

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.

ABOUT THAT CHENEY INDICTMENT.... At first blush, the headline looked pretty extraordinary: “Texas Grand Jury Indicts Cheney, Gonzales on Charges Related to Prisons.”  Wait, Dick Cheney's been indicted?  It sounded too good to be true, in large part because it is.

Big Three CEOs Flew Private Jets to Plead for Public Funds  —  Auto Industry Close to Bankruptcy But They Get Pricey Perk  —  The CEOs of the big three automakers flew to the nation's capital yesterday in private luxurious jets to make their case to Washington that the auto industry is running …

EXCLUSIVE: Steele chastises ‘country club’ GOP  —  Vows to help transform party  —  Republican National Committee Chairman candidate Michael S. Steele castigated Republican Party leadership Tuesday for having a “country club” mentality and being out of touch, and said if he is chosen to represent the party …

Hooray for Holder  —  Eric Holder looks like Obama's pick for attorney general.  I've been impressed by him ever since interviewing him in the '90s, when he was U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and identified the phenomenon of the single “unreachable” D.C. juror …

62 days to Inauguration — Senator Clinton likely to be named SecState in next seven days  —  Good Wednesday morning.  Katie Couric, anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News,” will speak with Senator Joe Lieberman today in Washington in an exclusive interview to be broadcast tonight.