Obama team's ‘unanswered questions’  —  The “unanswered questions” — as the Republican National Committee and others are calling them — will continue to haunt President-elect Obama and staff in the sordid case of the Illinois governor accused of attempting to sell Obama's Senate seat.

Official History Spotlights Iraq Rebuilding Blunders  —  BAGHDAD — An unpublished 513-page federal history of the American-led reconstruction of Iraq depicts an effort crippled before the invasion by Pentagon planners who were hostile to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

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.

Bush makes farewell visit to Iraq  —  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - President George W. Bush made an unannounced farewell visit to Baghdad on Sunday, just weeks before he leaves office and bequeaths the unpopular Iraq war to President-elect Barack Obama.  —  Slipping out of the White House over the weekend …

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 …

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,” …

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.

Which state is the most crooked—Illinois or Louisiana?  —  With the unmasking of Gov. Rod Blagojevich as a kleptocrat of Paraguayan proportion, Illinois now has a real chance—its first in more than a generation—to defeat Louisiana in the NCAA finals of American political corruption.

For Some on Obama Team, Capital Is Close to Home  —  For some members of the incoming Obama administration, Washington is more than just the next political posting.  It's home.  —  Soon-to-be Cabinet secretary Christopher Lu was a debater at Rockville's Thomas S. Wootton High School …

Howard wants U.S. to pursue Nichols death penalty  —  Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said Saturday that courthouse killer Brian Nichols may get the death penalty yet — from a federal court jury.  —  Howard, whose prosecution sought and failed to get death for Nichols …

Why We Don't Need World Government to Solve the World's Problems: The recent upsurge of concern over global warming and the financial crisis has reinvigorated advocates of world government, who claim that it is the only way to solve global problems that cross state boundaries.

HILL ALLY: CAROLINE IS NOT READY FOR SENATE  —  ALBANY - A powerful labor leader with strong ties to Sen. Hillary Clinton yesterday joined the growing ranks of Democrats bashing Caroline Kennedy as a possible successor to the former first lady in the US Senate.