Indicted Louisiana congressman loses re-election bid  —  (CNN) — Nine-term Democratic Rep. William Jefferson, who has been battling scandals and a federal indictment for the past three years, appears to have lost his bid for re-election.  —  Republican challenger Anh “Joseph” Cao …

Bush insiders reflect on president's legacy  —  WASHINGTON — On a sofa on the second floor of the comfortable Washington home that George W. Bush's career helped put him in, Karl Rove reflects on an administration that didn't turn out as anticipated.  —  “No. It all turns out different,” he said.

Obama Picks Shinseki to Lead Veterans Affairs  —  President-elect Barack Obama today will introduce retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki as his nominee to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, bringing to his Cabinet a career military officer best known for running afoul of the Bush administration …

Legal Organization May Become Influential Beyond Its Dreams  —  The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy was founded seven years ago to counter a growing right-leaning legal philosophy that has reshaped the American legal landscape on issues from the reach of federal regulation to the separation of church and state.

TED WANTS CAROLINE  —  KENNEDYS LOBBY FOR HILL SEAT  —  Powerful senator and family patriarch Ted Kennedy has been working back channels to promote niece Caroline as the replacement for Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Senate, family sources told The Post.  —  The elder Kennedy (D-Mass.) …

Biden unwelcome in Senate huddles, where Cheney wielded power  —  WASHINGTON — In a move to reassert Congressional independence at the start of the new presidential administration, the vice president will be barred from joining weekly internal Senate deliberations, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid …

Abortion Politics Didn't Doom the G.O.P.  —  AN iron law of recent American politics dictates that any Republican setback at the polls will be quickly pinned on the pro-life movement.  You might think that the Republican Party's 2008 debacle would be an exception to this rule.

Debt Watchdogs: Tamed or Caught Napping?  —  “These errors make us look either incompetent at credit analysis or like we sold our soul to the devil for revenue, or a little bit of both.”  — A Moody's managing director responding anonymously to an internal management survey, September 2007.

Attorneys for Indicted Blackwater Guards Lash Out at Justice Dept.  —  Attorneys for five Blackwater Worldwide security guards charged in a 2007 shooting that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead accused the government yesterday of engaging in unfair second-guessing of the contractors' actions in a combat zone.