Gates agrees to stay on under Obama  —  Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has agreed to stay on under President-elect Obama, according to officials in both parties.  Obama plans to announce a national-security team early next week that includes Gates at the Pentagon and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton …

Exceptional news: John Brennan won't be CIA Director or DNI  —  (updated below - Update II - Update III)  —  This is really exceptional news on multiple levels — the best political news I've heard since the election: … Brennan's self-defense here is quite disingenuous.

The Anti-Obama Ad Campaign That Never Happened  —  What if the McCain campaign had run ads using footage of Barack Obama dancing with Ellen DeGeneres to show his coziness with celebrity?  Or followed up on its Paris Hilton ad with others featuring Donald Trump and Jessica Simpson?

Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes: A final blog entry  —  Today President-elect Obama announced his intention to nominate me as director of the Office of Management and Budget.  I am therefore resigning as director of CBO and this will be my final blog entry.  —  I have absolutely loved my time at CBO.

WE HEAR . . . WE HEAR  —  THAT although we didn't think it would be pos sible to silence Ann Coulter, the leggy reaction- ary broke her jaw and the mouth that roared has been wired shut . . . THAT the Tel Aviv Hilton was abuzz Saturday with the arrival of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock …

Scientists urge caution on global warming  —  Climate change skeptics on Capitol Hill are quietly watching a growing accumulation of global cooling science and other findings that could signal that the science behind global warming may still be too shaky to warrant cap-and-trade legislation.

Palin to hit campaign trail in Georgia  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin will make multiple campaign appearances on behalf of Sen. Saxby Chambliss next week in Georgia, serving as the political closer for the GOP senator who is battling to win a second term.

Obama's threat to Catholic hospitals and their very serious counterthreat.  —  When I saw the Catholic bishops had declared war on President-elect Obama at their semiannual meeting in Baltimore two weeks ago, my first reaction was pique: Gosh, guys, it isn't even parade day yet, and here you are, all dressed up and ready to rain on it.

CLAIMING A MANDATE.... In the immediate aftermath of the elections, there were a handful of Republicans who wanted to debate the meaning of the word “mandate.”  Apparently, Barack Obama's impressive victory — the highest popular vote margin for a non-incumbent in a half-century …

Missing ballots concern Franken camp  —  Things are getting even dicier in the Minnesota Senate recount.  —  Al Franken's campaign is contending that Minnesota election officials may have lost several dozen ballots across the state.  Their basis for the charge is that the number …

Even Dr. Doom Likes Them  —  Renowned economic pessimist Nouriel Roubini approves of Obama's picks, but they face grave challenges ahead.  —  President-elect Barack Obama's administration's reaction to the current economy would have to be, in his words, “swift and bold.”

Injured veterans engaged in new combat  —  In a little-noticed regulation change, the Pentagon's definition of combat-related disabilities is narrowed, costing some wounded veterans thousands of dollars in lost benefits.  —  Marine Cpl. James Dixon was wounded twice in Iraq — by a roadside bomb and a land mine.

Dems vs. Dems in new Congress  —  Forget the Republican filibuster and the race to 60.  The real fight in the next Congress is Democrats vs. themselves.  —  With nearly complete control of Washington for the first time in three decades, Democrats are entering a treacherous power zone …

DISGUSTING WHINING  —  You've probably noticed Mark Halperin's claim that the level of pro-Obama bias in the election coverage this year was so bad it was “disgusting.”  I'll leave it to others to analyze what “disgusting” means when deployed by someone who takes his journalistic cues from Matt Drudge.

RUSSIAN ANALYST PREDICTS DECLINE AND BREAKUP OF USA  —  A leading Russian political analyst has said the economic turmoil in the United States has confirmed his long-held view that the country is heading for collapse, and will divide into separate parts.  —  Professor Igor Panarin …

Pentagon Cancels Big Holiday Gala  —  WASHINGTON - Adm. Mike Mullen has taken the unusual step of canceling the large holiday reception held annually by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, citing “these trying financial times.”  —  Instead, the admiral and his wife will host …