Exceptional news: John Brennan won't be CIA Director or DNI  —  (updated below)  —  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.  Whether he “was involved …

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.”

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 …

Where Was Geithner in Turmoil?  —  President-elect Barack Obama unveiled on Monday an economic team with deep experience handling economic crises.  But does the man at the center of this star-studded cast, Timothy F. Geithner, the nominee for Treasury secretary, have what is needed to take the nation in a new financial direction?

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

Why Don't We Hang Pirates Anymore?  —  It's a safe bet, dear reader, that the title of this column has caused you to either (a) roll your eyes and wonder, What century do you think we're living in? or (b) scratch your head and ask, Yes, why don't we?  Wherever you come down …

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.

Karzai — Whoa!  — Calls for a Timetable to End the Afghanistan War  —  To call this unexpected is really quite an understatement.  From the Associated Press: … It's hard to know what's totally at work here.  My first instinct is that this is a measure to shore up Karzai's waning support among war-weary Pashtuns.

Gates Cabinet Appointment ‘A Done Deal’  —  ABC News' Martha Raddatz and Jake Tapper Report: Sources tell ABC News that Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be staying on in the top Pentagon job, for at least the first year of the Obama administration.  “It is a done deal” a source close to the process tells ABC News.

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.

How Obama's Local Buys Added Up  —  Nielsen's final look at ad buys by the 2008 Presidential candidates proved one famous mantra: politics really are local.  —  President-elect Barack Obama placed 155% more spot TV ads than John McCain during the general election season (6/08 to 11/08) …

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 …

Claremont parents clash over kindergarten Thanksgiving costumes  —  Some say having students dress up as pilgrims and Native Americans is ‘demeaning.’ Their opponents say they are elitists injecting politics into a simple children's celebration.  —  For decades, Claremont kindergartners …

Crying Wolf on the Fairness Doctrine  —  If nothing else, this blog is about us on the right doing a better job communicating and knocking down barriers to our effectiveness that come from within the movement.  —  A great example is how many on the right are all lathered up about the return …

THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST.  —  “Isn't it amazing,” asks Krugman, “just how impressive the people being named to key positions in the Obama administration seem?  Bye-bye hacks and cronies, hello people who actually know what they're doing.  For a bunch of people who were written off …