Bill Richardson: What I've Learned  —  The just-tapped Secretary of Commerce shares intimate new stories on how Barack Obama saved his ass before he became his boss, Saddam Hussein's guile, Bush's charm, racial politics and more.  —  After the campaign, I grew a beard as a rebellion …

Chambliss: Palin ‘allowed us to peak’  —  Fresh off his runoff victory Tuesday night, Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss credited Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin with firing up his base.  —  “I can't overstate the impact she had down here,” Chambliss said during an interview Wednesday morning on Fox News.

Franken claims he is in the lead  —  Minnesota Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken's campaign said Wednesday that the comedian has taken the lead in his race against Sen. Norm Coleman (R).  —  Franken's lawyer, Marc Elias, has been pressing for the media to focus on the campaign's internal vote totals …

Judicial Watch Announces Hillary Clinton Constitutionally Ineligible to Serve as Secretary of State  —  Ineligibility Clause of Constitution Prohibits Clinton Appointment  —  Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption …

LYING HIS WAY INTO THE SUNSET.  —  George W. Bush's interview with Charlie Gibson was an incredible bit of performance, in which the president asserted that his biggest “regret” was “the intelligence failure in Iraq.”  As Andrew Sullivan points out, Bush's “admission” that lays the failure …

Obama Gives Political Ambassadors Their Pink Slips  —  The incoming Obama administration has notified all politically-appointed ambassadors that they must vacate their posts as of Jan. 20, the day President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office, a State Department official said.

Novak: 'I Don't Think I Hurt Valerie Plame' And I Would Out Her Again Because The Left ‘Tried To Ruin Me’  —  During a recent interview with the National Ledger, conservative columnist Robert Novak was asked if he would reveal Valerie Plame Wilson's secret CIA identity if he could go back and do it all over again.

Campbell Brown: Sexism sneaks in over open mic  —  Editor's note: Campbell Brown anchors CNN's “Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull” at 8 p.m. ET Mondays through Fridays.  She delivered this commentary during the “Cutting through the Bull” segment of Tuesday night's broadcast.

Newt Gingrich Hasn't Gotten The Memo  —  Michelle Goldberg is the author of Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism.  Her new book, The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power and the Future of the World, will be published in April by Penguin Press.  —  As I was walking out the door yesterday evening, the phone rang.

Against Soft Power  —  Via Michael Chertoff is making sense: … I might note that draconian security rules and visa policies are not helpful in this regard, something Chertoff might want to consider.  Foreigners don't like being treated as if there's a presumption that citizens …

Federal Prosecutor Is Making Inquiries in the Investigation of the Dismissal of 9 U.S. Attorneys in 2006  —  A prosecutor who is investigating the dismissals of nine U.S. attorneys has been meeting with defense lawyers, dispatching subpoenas and seeking information about the events, according to legal sources familiar with the case.

Obama Team Restates Strong Support For Union Bill  —  An aide to Barack Obama reaffirmed the President-elect's support for the labor movement's chief legislative priority in a one-word statement issued to the Huffington Post on late Tuesday.  —  Asked if Obama's support …

Jeb: I am considering Senate run  —  Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush - the younger brother of the president - is weighing a run for the Senate seat currently held by Republican Mel Martinez.  —  Martinez announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection in 2010.

College May Become Unaffordable for Most in U.S.  —  The rising cost of college — even before the recession — threatens to put higher education out of reach for most Americans, according to the annual report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

Greening The Suburbs  —  What with the coming tidal wave of new infrastructure spending, the rising concern over climate change, and, of course, that gnawing fear that gasoline prices are going to cruise back upward once the global economy hauls itself out of its malaise …

Calling All Pakistanis  —  On Feb. 6, 2006, three Pakistanis died in Peshawar and Lahore during violent street protests against Danish cartoons that had satirized the Prophet Muhammad.  More such mass protests followed weeks later.  When Pakistanis and other Muslims are willing to take to the streets …

Beatings and abuse made Barack Obama's grandfather loathe the British  —  The President-elect's relatives have told how the family was a victim of the Mau Mau revolt  —  Barack Obama's grandfather was imprisoned and brutally tortured by the British during the violent struggle for Kenyan independence …

A Bridge Loan to the 21st Century  —  Auto industry executives, from left, General Motors CEO Richard Wagoner; Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli; and Ford CEO Alan Mulally, take their seats on Capitol Hill on November 19, 2008.  Congress could create a federal bridge loan of $38 billion that would help …