The Sovereignty Dodge  —  What Pakistan Won't Do, the World Should  —  “We don't think the world's great nations and countries can be held hostage by non-state actors,” Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said yesterday.  Fair enough.  But what is the world to do when those non-state actors operate …

MSNBC Anchor Frets: Why Hasn't Obama's Election Ended Terrorism?  —  File this one under “Deluded Expectations.”  During MSNBC's coverage of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, daytime anchor Alex Witt seemed frustrated that the election of Barack Obama 23 days earlier …

Pardon Is Back in Focus for the Justice Nominee  —  WASHINGTON — In the much praised career of Eric H. Holder Jr., President-elect Barack Obama's choice to be attorney general, there is one notable blemish: Mr. Holder's complicated role in the 2001 pardon of Marc Rich, a billionaire financier …

A Rush for Clinton's Senate Seat  —  N.Y. Governor Is Silent for Now About Any Early Favorites  —  The nomination of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to be secretary of state in the Obama administration has set off an intense political scramble in New York for a cherished prize: her soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat.

Economic Signs Point to Longer, Deeper Recession  —  Decline Began a Year Ago, Experts Declare; Wall Street Reacts With Huge Sell-Off  —  The U.S. economy entered a recession one year ago, a group of the nation's leading economists said yesterday, and new evidence that the downturn will be deep …

Automakers' plans due today  —  Today's the deadline for the Big Three automakers to send their restructuring plans to Congress as they attempt to get a $25 billion taxpayer bailout they say they need to avoid insolvency.  —  Congress requested the plans after the chief executive officers of Ford …

Afghan Strategy Poses Stiff Challenge for Obama  —  WASHINGTON — One of the most difficult challenges President-elect Barack Obama's national security team faces is Mr. Obama's vow to send thousands of American troops to help defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Fiscal Policy Puzzles  —  As a student of Alan Blinder, Larry Summers, and Stanley Fischer, I was trained to view the short-run effects of fiscal policy through the lens of Keynesian macroeconomic theory.  I am sure that many of the economists in the new Obama administration share that intellectual framework.

Franken May Ask Senate to Intervene in Minn. Recount  —  Democrat Al Franken's campaign said Monday that as many as 1,000 absentee ballots were improperly disqualified in Minnesota's Senate race, and that it may appeal to courts or the U.S. Senate to order that those ballots be counted.

Broader medical refusal rule may go far beyond abortion  —  The Bush administration plans a new ‘right of conscience’ rule that would allow more workers to refuse more procedures.  Critics say it could apply to artificial insemination and birth control.  —  Reporting from Washington …

Murkowski to Palin: Leave my seat alone  —  Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski has some Republican-to-Republican advice for Gov. Sarah Palin: If you want to make a run at the White House, keep your hands off my Senate seat.  —  Murkowski, up for reelection in 2010, is nervously awaiting word …

Palin Does Georgia: What Does It Mean?  —  PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — As the Fix prepared to head back east to the frigid and snowy east (booo!) yesterday, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was barnstorming the state of Georgia on behalf of Sen. Saxby Chambliss, whose political fate hangs in the balance of today's runoff.

Sink not running against Martinez  —  One of the Democrats' leading candidates to challenge Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) in 2010 has decided to pass up the opportunity, according to a source familiar with her decision.  —  Florida's chief financial officer, Alex Sink, has decided to run …

NO MANDATE FOR LIBERAL-NDP-SEPARATIST BACKROOM COALITION  —  On October 14, 2008 Canadians rendered a clear judgment in the Federal Election.  —  Stephen Harper and the Conservatives promised strong, certain leadership to protect Canada's future in a time of unprecedented turmoil.

David Gregory To Moderate “Meet The Press”  —  David Gregory will take the reins as moderator of NBC's “Meet the Press,” the Huffington Post has learned.  Gregory has been a leading contender for the permanent spot since Tom Brokaw stepped in as interim moderator following Tim Russert's death in June.

‘The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008,’ by Paul Krugman  —  Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman presents a strong argument — financial bailout and all.  —  A decade ago, Paul Krugman wrote a little book warning us that economists' triumphalism was misplaced …

Jones gives hope to energy companies  —  President-elect Barack Obama's choice for national security adviser, retired Marine Gen. Jim Jones, is giving hope to energy companies that backed Republican John McCain that their concerns may still get an airing in the new administration.