Caroline Kennedy to Seek Clinton's Senate Seat  —  Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of an American political dynasty, has decided to pursue the United States Senate seat being vacated by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.  The decision came after a series of deeply personal …

Secret Service Shows Unusual Restraint in ‘Bizarre’ Shoe Incident  —  ABC News' Ann Compton Reports: U.S. Secret Service officials in Washington say they are satisfied their agents responded with “the appropriate level of reaction” when an Iraqi journalist hurled two shoes directly at President Bush during a Baghdad news conference.

Biden TIME  —  Outgoing newsmag bureau chief Jay Carney to be assistant to the vice president and his director of communications.

Salazar poised to head Interior  —  Colorado's senior senator is said to be a leading contender for a Cabinet post that is vital to Western issues.  —  U.S. Senator Ken Salazar answers questions during a press conference in March.  (Special to the Post |  William Woody)

Sarah Palin: Blagojevich's nerve?  —  Sarah Palin, Republican governor of Alaska, says she has wondered how long Rod Blagojevich, Democratic governor of Illinois, thought he might “get away with” an alleged scheme to sell the Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama of Illinois.

Review shows no contact with Blago  —  Below is a statement from Obama Transition Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer:  —  “At the direction of the president-elect, a review of Transition staff contacts with Governor Blagojevich and his office has been conducted and completed and is ready for release.

Cheney: Obama ‘not likely to cede authority’  —  Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that President-elect Barack Obama will “appreciate” the expansions of executive power achieved during the Bush administration and is unlikely to cede authority back to Congress.

Obama Picks Arne Duncan for Education Post  —  President-elect Barack Obama will name Arne Duncan, the superintendent of schools in Chicago, to be his Secretary of Education, a senior Democratic official and a second person close to the decision said.  —  Mr. Duncan is a Harvard graduate whose friendship …

On Making Mitch McConnell Wet His Pants  —  User B.R. writes in: … B.R. raises several interesting points, but they ultimately point back to one thing: Harry Reid has been exceptionally ineffective as the Democrats' majority leader.  —  The number of cloture votes skyrocketed …

PATERSON IN A BLIND RAGE OVER ‘SNL’ SKIT  —  Gov. Paterson didn't see the humor in a “Saturday Night Live” bit that mocked his blindness.  —  During the “Weekend Update” segment of NBC's irreverent comedy show, actor Fred Armisen played Paterson, imitating his wandering eye, gravelly voice and blunt, self-effacing demeanor.

Senate Democrats May Return Thousands In Madoff Contributions  —  Bernard Madoff built a major investment shop largely on smoke and mirrors — convincing investors that his fund was a safe and consistent return when it was mostly a house of cards.  —  And yet the relationship between Bernard …

PRESIDENT |  VICE PRESIDENT |  FIRST LADY |  MRS. CHENEY |  NEWS  —  Thank you for joining us for “A Red, White and Blue Christmas” at the White House!  —  This year's theme celebrates the patriotic spirit that unites us as Americans.  During this hopeful season we are reminded …

Introducing Members of Obama's Energy and Environment Team  —  The text of a press release sent by President-elect Barack Obama's transition team announcing members of his energy and environment team.  —  Today, President-elect Barack Obama announced key members of his energy and environment team …

Ask Dr. Helen: How Can I Keep My Students From Becoming Little Marxists?  —  It's not easy to keep young minds open to a variety of political views.  —  Scott from North Carolina is concerned with the radical views of his students: … Dear Scott:  —  You are correct to be concerned.

Lake Co. sheriff switches parties  —  Flanked by some of the state's most prominent Republicans, Democratic Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran announced Monday he is joining the GOP.  —  “I am changing parties as a matter of conscience,” Curran said at a news conference at the Lake County GOP headquarters in Libertyville.