McCain scolds GOP for whacking Obama  —  In a surprising rebuke to the warriors who fought for him through tough times, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Sunday sided with President-elect Barack Obama and scolded the Republican National Committee for fanning the Illinois corruption scandal.

Bush Arrives in Iraq for a Final Visit  —  BAGHDAD — President Bush flew to Iraq on Sunday, a final trip to highlight the recently completed security agreement between Iraq and the United States.  —  Air Force One arrived in Baghdad at 4 p.m. after a 10-and-a-half-hour overnight flight from Andrews Air Force Base near Washington.

Palin's church damaged in suspicious fire  —  ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — Gov. Sarah Palin's home church has been badly damaged in an arson fire.  —  Damages to the Wasilla Bible Church were estimated at $1 million, authorities said today.  No one was injured in the fire, which was intentionally set while people …

The Fed Who Blew the Whistle  —  Is he a hero or a criminal?  —  Nigel Parry / CPI for Newsweek  —  From the magazine issue dated Dec 22, 2008  —  Thomas M. Tamm was entrusted with some of the government's most important secrets.  He had a Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance, a level above Top Secret.

A Champion of Wall Street Reaps Benefits  —  “We are not going to rest until we change the rules, change the laws and make sure New York remains No. 1 for decades on into the future.”  —  WASHINGTON — As the financial crisis jolted the nation in September, Senator Charles E. Schumer was consumed.

Two Cheers for Rod Blagojevich  —  ROD BLAGOJEVICH is the perfect holiday treat for a country fighting off depression.  He gift-wraps the ugliness of corruption in the mirthful garb of farce.  From a safe distance outside Illinois, it's hard not to laugh at the “culture of Chicago,” …

Official History Spotlights Iraq Rebuilding Blunders  —  BAGHDAD — An unpublished 513-page federal history of the American-led reconstruction of Iraq depicts an effort crippled before the invasion by Pentagon planners who were hostile to the idea of rebuilding a foreign country …

Why My Dog (And I) No Longer Watch CNN  —  In my home office we are boycotting CNN.  Of course, my home office is a room at the back of my house occupied by myself and the family dog, a boxer named Dodger, who contributes by snoring musically while I work.  —  Nevertheless, we take this boycott seriously.