Waxman wrestles gavel from Dingell  —  Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) will become the next chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee after House Democrats voted to replace current Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.).  —  Waxman won 137-122 in the secret ballot vote.

Discussions With Clintons as Obama Creates Team  —  WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton has agreed to all of the conditions sought by President-elect Barack Obama's transition team to eliminate potential conflicts of interest if Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton becomes secretary of state …

Exclusive: Pritzker turns down Commerce  —  Chicago businesswoman Penny Pritzker, national campaign finance chairwoman for the Obama campaign, has taken herself out of the running to be secretary of Commerce because of vetting issues, a Democratic official said.

Challenged ballots: You be the judge  —  Representatives from the campaigns of Sen. Norm Coleman and Al Franken have been challenging ballots across the state.  —  It's your turn to play election judge.  Tell us how you would rule in the case of these challenged ballots.

Judge Orders Five Detainees Freed From Guantánamo  —  In the first hearing on the government's evidence for holding detainees at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp for nearly seven years, a federal judge ruled on Thursday that five prisoners were being held an unlawfully and ordered their release.

GOP Takes Another Image Hit Post-Election  —  Republicans favor tacking right; independents offer mixed guidance  — USA - Democrats - Favorability - Government and Politics - Political Parties - Republicans - Americas - Northern America  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The Republican Party's image …

McCain Pollster Explains Loss, Calls Frank Luntz A Moron  —  The chief pollster for John McCain's presidential campaign offered a candid diagnosis of how his candidate was done in, on occasion reserving harsh words for fellow Republicans.  —  Bill McInturff, speaking at a National Journal breakfast …

Iran Said to Have Nuclear Fuel for One Weapon  —  Iran has now produced roughly enough nuclear material to make, with added purification, a single atom bomb, according to nuclear experts analyzing the latest report from global atomic inspectors.  —  The figures detailing Iran's progress …

Obama taps Janet Napolitano for DHS: Shamnesty wolf in enforcement clothing  —  The buzz has Barack Obama tapping Arizona Democrat Gov. Janet Napolitano for DHS Secretary.  —  On the surface, it may seem a promising pick.  Napolitano made a few pro-immigration enforcement moves in her state …

Health Insurers Offer to Accept All Applicants, on Condition  —  WASHINGTON — The health insurance industry said Wednesday that it would support a health care overhaul requiring insurers to accept all customers, regardless of illness or disability.  But in return, the industry said …

Conservative Transportation Policy  —  Politico reports on conservatives trying to think of some ideas: … I'm not sure exactly what Strassel has in mind, but to my way of thinking an enormous amount of good could be done if conservatives were more interested in applying really basic free market principles to transportation policy.

An unpardonable use of power  —  A departing president probably can't help thinking about the judgment of history.  At the end of eight years, President Bush likely isn't any different.  With the nation's attention focused on his successor, it may seem as if there is little opportunity left …

What's Your Type?  —  This site claims to be able to analyze a blog and determine its “type.”  I plugged the Dish in and it spat back this: … Take that, Patterico!  Out of curiosity, I tried Reynolds: … And Yglesias: … And Hewitt: … Not too shabby, is it?

Most Americans Back Idea of Clinton as Secretary of State  —  Nearly 8 in 10 Democrats favor the possibility  — USA - Election 2008 - Elections - Government - Party Affiliation - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A new Gallup Poll finds a majority of Americans …

Senate GOP in big funk  —  A day after losing Ted Stevens' seat, along with their best hope for getting Joe Lieberman to cross over, Senate GOP leaders preached party unity as the key to surviving the Obama years.  —  If that doesn't work, there's always psychotherapy.

Senate Throws Good-Bye Party For Ted Stevens, Gives Convicted Felon A Standing Ovation  —  Today, Ted Stevens — Alaska's defeated Republican senator and a convicted felon — was granted time on the Senate floor to deliver his farewell speech.  Stevens said that he still can't believe that he's …

Congress to return in December  —  Congress will return in December to work on legislation to help the nation's ailing auto manufacturers, Democratic leadership sources said Thursday afternoon.  —  No date has been confirmed, but it is expected Congress will return the week of Dec. 8.

How central are CDSs  —  Reader Seth writes: … It's absolutely clear to me that we bailed out AIG because of its counterparty CDS risk, and that they're escalating other problems more generally.  But it's less clear to me that they're the main source of contagion in the financial markets.

First Steps to GOP Recovery  —  How can the Republican Party rebound?  The first step would be to quit letting Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham set its agenda.  —  A second step would be for Congressional Republicans to actually try to help President-elect Barack Obama succeed …

Obama, Misha and the Bear  —  A wounded, angry bear is loose north of here, and it has people terrified.  —  The bear has ravaged this lovely country, a booming capitalist enclave that worships America, relies on a much-praised flat tax and has uprooted corruption almost overnight (in part by firing every traffic cop in the country).

THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE, PARANOIA, AND RIGHT-WING SELF-PITY.... I've been fascinated of late with the far-right hysteria about the reemergence of the “fairness doctrine,” because conservative activists are gearing up for a knock-down brawl against an enemy that doesn't exist.