Barack Obama chafes inside the ‘bubble’  —  Barack Obama wants his BlackBerry back - or at least some good way to communicate better with people outside the immediate circle of the president-elect.  —  And Obama isn't too impressed with the way that automakers have conducted themselves …

Volcker Tapped for Advisory Role  —  Ex-Fed Chief to Lead New Economic Panel of Outside Experts Who Will Brief Obama  —  President-elect Barack Obama will appoint former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker on Wednesday to be the chairman of a new White House advisory board tasked with helping …

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 …

State justice confirms he yelled “Tyrant!” at Mukasey before AG collapsed  —  Richard Sanders, a justice on the Washington State Supreme Court, has never been one to shy from controversy or blunt language.  And last week, as he sat at a Federalist Society dinner and listened …

Dr. Dobson: 'We Won't Be Silenced'  —  Washington Post columnist says the Republican Party must ditch God in order to survive.  —  So, Kathleen Parker has determined that getting rid of social conservatives and shelving the values they fight for is the solution to what ails the Republican Party ("Giving Up on God," Nov. 19).

Fed Aid Sets Off a Rush to Refinance  —  The Federal Reserve's attempt to stabilize the housing market set off a chain reaction across the U.S. on Tuesday, dropping interest rates and quickly spurring a burst of refinancing activity by borrowers eager to lower their mortgage costs.

Obama Chief of Staff Hopes to Exploit the Economic Crisis to Expand the Growth of Government:  —  In earlier posts (e.g. - here and here) I have emphasized the risk that the combination of economic crisis and unified Democratic control of Congress and the White House would lead to a vast expansion of government.

Giant Stimulus Plan Proposed for Europe  —  BRUSSELS — Seeking to revive the region's rapidly deteriorating economy, the European Commission on Wednesday proposed a stimulus package totaling 200 billion euros, or $256.22 billion.  —  The commission, the executive arm of the European Union …

German Auto Industry Facing the Abyss  —  More than 1.5 million workers in Germany depend on the automobile industry for their jobs.  But that industry is now facing one of its worst crises ever.  Respected giants BMW and Mercedes are particularly exposed as sales plummet.

Americans' Food Stamp Use Nears All-Time High  —  Fueled by rising unemployment and food prices, the number of Americans on food stamps is poised to exceed 30 million for the first time this month, surpassing the historic high set in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.

Freedom Fighter in Life Becomes Potent Symbol in Death  —  One of the first scenes in “Milk” is of a pick-up in a New York subway station.  It's 1970, and an insurance executive in a suit and tie catches sight of a beautiful, scruffy younger man — the phrase “angel-headed hipster” comes to mind — and banters with him on the stairs.

The Russia-Venezuela maneuvers in the Caribbean: 15 Minutes on Latin America  —  Just in time for the US holiday weekend, Russia and Venezuela are conducting joint military excercises in the Caribbean: … Following the APEC summit in Peru, where he signed agreements involving the transportation of gas …

Rangel paid Clinton lawyer six figures for ethics probe help  —  Veteran Harlem congressman Charlie Rangel speaks at the Harriet Tubman Memorial Dedication on Nov. 13.  He has released a statement saying he paid a lawyer known for fixing messes for Bill Clinton.

Why churches fear gay marriage  —  For author Richard Rodriguez, no one is talking about the real issues behind Proposition 8.  —  While conservative churches are busy trying to whip up another round of culture wars over same-sex marriage, Rodriguez says the real reason for their panic lies elsewhere …

Blasts bring chaos to Bangkok's airports  —  BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) — Flights into Thailand have been thrown into chaos Wednesday after explosions at two Bangkok airports wounded four people and triggered the closure of its main international gateway — a major hub in the region for travelers.

For Biden, No Portfolio but the Role of a Counselor  —  WASHINGTON — The day before Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s birthday last week, Barack Obama surprised him after lunch with candlelighted cupcakes.  Within hours, the photograph of the president-elect and his running mate, smiling over the dessert, was on the evening news.

Beware Rumsfeld's Snow Job  —  The former defense secretary's revisionist op-ed.  —  Donald Rumsfeld is writing his memoirs, and if his op-ed in the Nov. 23 New York Times is any preview, it should be a classic of self-serving revisionism.  —  On the surface, the former defense secretary's piece seems …

The Anti-Obama Campaign That Didn't Happen  —  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?

Lieberman: Obama ‘about perfect’ in Cabinet picks  —  HARTFORD, Conn. - Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman took another step Tuesday toward mending his relationship with Democrats, saying that Barack Obama's actions since winning the presidency have been “just about perfect.”

MINNESOTA SENATE RECOUNT, UPDATE VIII  —  The Franken campaign and its allies such as Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman are now focusing on rejected absentee ballots.  In today's Star Tribune Kevin Duchschere shows that Ritchie is now improvising …