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 …

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 …

Is Clinton barred from State job?  —  Pete Williams of NBC raised the question on MSNBC this afternoon: Is Hillary Clinton barred by the Constitution from accepting the post of secretary of state?  —  Article One, Section Six of the U.S. Constitution says:

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 …

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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?

FEDS: Twin Cities man behind Somalia bombing  —  5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has learned that federal law enforcement sources believe that a Twin Cities man blew himself up in a suicide bombing in Northern Somalia last month.  —  The FBI and Homeland Security are investigating whether Shirwa Ahmed …

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.

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.

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.

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.

Knightian uncertainty and its implications for the TARP  —  Financial institutions specialise in handling risk but are not nearly as efficient in dealing with uncertainty.  To paraphrase a recent Secretary of Defense, risk refers to situations where the unknowns are known …

While We're on the Subject of Holder  —  ... I think occasional excerpts from the House Committee on Government Reform's lengthy and enlightening report on the Clinton pardons should be required reading — given not only President-elect Obama's decision to nominate Holder for AG but the assertions …