What They Hate About Mumbai  —  MY bleeding city.  My poor great bleeding heart of a city.  Why do they go after Mumbai?  There's something about this island-state that appalls religious extremists, Hindus and Muslims alike.  Perhaps because Mumbai stands for lucre, profane dreams and an indiscriminate openness.

Before He Goes  —  What President Bush could accomplish in his final days in office.  —  Amid the cold gusts of winter, Republicans will soon be ushered out of power after controlling Congress, the White House, or both for 14 years.  Here's a further chilling thought: Since 1896 …

Nobody Could Have Predicted...  Robert Rubin speaks up for himself: … This seems like a pretty serious dodge here.  Presumably the reason the top executives at a giant financial services firm get paid such extravagant salaries is that it's their job to be prepared for the stuff that “nobody” is prepared for.

Adviser Who Insulted Clinton Has Role in Transition  —  Samantha Power, the Harvard professor who was forced to resign from Barack Obama's presidential campaign last spring after calling Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton “a monster,” is now advising the president-elect on transition matters relating …

The Krugman Recipe for Depression  —  Massive government spending is no solution to unemployment.  —  Paul Krugman of the New York Times has been on the attack lately in regard to the New Deal.  His new book “The Return of Depression Economics,” emphasizes the importance of New Deal-style spending.

Sarah Palin: A digital superstar  —  Three weeks after the Republican ticket suffered a sweeping defeat at the polls, Sarah Palin continues to dominate search engine queries, cable news and online video sites.  —  The only American politician who generates comparable interest is President-elect Barack Obama.

Report: Matthews staffing for Senate run UPDATE  —  (h/t HuffPost). … After first posting, FiveThirtyEight founder and polling guru Nate Silver updated with a more cautious headline and text.  The first version read, “Chris Matthews is in.”  It was updated to, “Chris Matthews, it appears, is in.”

The Obamas: A more perfect union  —  First Couple-to-be could be relationship role models for nation, experts say  —  It started with the fist bump seen 'round the world.  Soon there were stories of rousing family Scrabble battles and date nights, in spite of election mayhem.

Sought: Wal-Mart shoppers who trampled NY worker  —  NEW YORK - Police were reviewing video from surveillance cameras in an attempt to identify who trampled to death a Wal-Mart worker after a crowd of post-Thanksgiving shoppers burst through the doors at a suburban store and knocked him down.

National Security Pick: From a Marine to a Mediator  —  WASHINGTON — James L. Jones, a retired four-star general, was among a mostly Republican crowd watching a presidential debate in October when Barack Obama casually mentioned that he got a lot of his advice on foreign policy from General Jones.

Bush Weighs In on His Legacy  —  As the clock ticks down on his days in the White House, President George W. Bush is taking part in one of his last presidential rituals — helping to shape the perception of his years in office.  —  In an interview conducted earlier this month by his sister …