Melody Barnes to Run Domestic Policy Council  —  My ThinkProgress colleagues are reporting that Melody Barnes, who was at CAP before I got on board, will head the Domestic Policy Council in the Obama White House.  The DPC is in charge of interagency coordination and policy formation …

Minner naming Ted Kaufman to fill Biden's seat  —  Gov. Ruth Ann Minner said today she will appoint Ted Kaufman, a longtime, close adviser to Sen. Joe Biden, to fill the senator's seat until a 2010 special election, a move that some warned could leave Delaware Democratic Party feelings bruised for years to come.

Alan Colmes to Depart Top Rated Hannity & Colmes  —  FOX News Channel's (FNC) Alan Colmes will relinquish his role as co-host of Hannity & Colmes at the end of the year.  —  In announcing his decision, Colmes said, “I approached Bill Shine (FNC's Senior Vice President of Programming) …

Fed Pledges Top $7.4 Trillion to Ease Frozen Credit  —  Nov. 24 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. government is prepared to lend more than $7.4 trillion on behalf of American taxpayers, or half the value of everything produced in the nation last year, to rescue the financial system since the credit markets seized up 15 months ago.

Holy Land Foundation defendants guilty on all counts  —  jtrahan@dallasnews.com  —  A jury on Monday determined that the Holy Land Foundation and five men who worked with the Muslim charity were guilty of three dozen counts related to the illegal funneling of at least $12 million to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

Rice Likely to UN for Obama (Susan, Not Condi)  —  From Jake Tapper, George Stephanopoulos, and Martha Raddatz:  —  ABC News has learned that Dr. Susan Rice has emerged as the leading candidate to be President-elect Obama's nominee as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Bush pardons 14 individuals  —  Outgoing president also commutes the prison sentence of two others  —  WASHINGTON - The Associated Press has learned that President George W. Bush has granted pardons to 14 individuals and commuted the prison sentences of two others.

“Obama's Secret Plan” Theories Still Thriving  —  Theories about how Obama will govern in a much more progressive manner than his policy proposals, his top advisors, and his campaign rhetoric have demonstrated remarkable staying power over the last year.  In December of 2007 …

Citi, AIG Won't Drop Big Sports Sponsorships  —  Critics Slam Bailed-Out Firms' Pricey Deals for Naming Rights, Logo Placement  —  AIG, Citibank and a number of other federally bailed-out financial institutions have no plans to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in sports team sponsorships …

The Odd Lies Of Sarah Palin XXV: The Turkey Massacre  —  The wack-job is once again denying reality.  Here's a sane person: … But Palin is now denying all of it, and implicitly calling the photographer a liar: … Who are you going to believe: Palin or your lyin' eyes?

Bush pardons 14, commutes 2 sentences  —  The Associated Press is reporting that President Bush has pardoned 14 individuals and commuted the prison sentences of two others.  No word yet on their identities or crimes.  —  They are first pardons since March and brings his total to 171 pardons and eight commutations.

Barack Obama, honeymoon killer?  —  WASHINGTON — One of the first things Barack Obama did after winning the election two weeks ago was put an old-school political brawler in charge of his White House.  Next, he saved Joe Lieberman.  Then, he met with John McCain, and asked Hillary Clinton to run his State Department.

POLITICAL NOTEBOOK: Freedom's Watch effort winding down  —  Conservative group's future undecided  —  Freedom's Watch, the conservative group backed by Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman Sheldon Adelson, is pretty much kaput, sources with knowledge of the organization said.

Hillary Clinton and the Emoluments Clause: There's been talk about whether Sen. Hillary Clinton is disqualified from a position as Secretary of State by the Emoluments Clause: … Adam Bonin's Daily Kos blog has a bit more on this, but the short version is that a Jan. 2008 executive order …

CONSERVATIVE LADIES PRETTY IN MINK  —  Pretty in Mink: Conservative Leading Ladies  —  Ann Coulter is the author of six New York Times best-sellers, a popular syndicated columnist and a frequent TV pundit.  She is the 2004 recipient of the Luce Policy Institute's Woman of the Year Award …

Richard Clarke for CIA Director  —  What's more than a little infuriating about Washington is that being right is never rewarded.  If you're a pundit who was wrong on the Iraq War, you will always have a seat at the table.  God forbid you were right about not going into Iraq …

Last Secrets of the Bush Administration  —  How to find out what we still don't know.  —  In March 2001, U.S. Archivist John W. Carlin received a letter from Alberto Gonzales, then counsel to the newly inaugurated president George W. Bush.  It concerned an important deadline that was looming—one that Bush owed to Richard Nixon.

Two-Thirds Approve of Transition; Expectations on Economy Pull Back  —  ABC News Poll Finds 44 Percent Think Obama Will Improve Economy Significantly  —  Americans have eased back on their expectations of Barack Obama's ability to improve the crippled economy, potentially buying …

Barak: Hizbullah has 42,000 missiles  —  Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday cautioned that Hizbullah had greatly improved its capabilities since the Second Lebanon War and was in possession of rockets that could reach as far south as Dimona.  The defense minister also warned Beirut …